Death, resurrection, and eggs….

    Klaus

March 19, 2008 by Klaus  
Filed under Klaus

To die is to live. We are always shocked when in the middle of our surroundings, somebody dies. Our usual questions are: Why die so young? Why he or she? A natural reaction, indeed.

When old people die, some say: “It’s good for him. He has played his role in life and on earth already!” Mmh - I don’t agree… .

When wicked criminals die, people would say: “It’s good for her or him; they won’t be a menace to society any longer!” Mmh - … .

When long-suffering patients die, relatives and friends would say: “It’s better that they died. They will not suffer any longer!” … .

You know why I got these thoughts especially now?

Allow me to add some religious thoughts: When Jesus finally gave up His spirit after three hours of bitter agony, the Pharisees said: “Finally, that impostor is gone! He deserved to die that kind of death!”

As we all learned, for Jesus dying was not the end of everything. It was the beginning of a new life. For three days after His burial, He rose from his grave on that bright Easter Sunday morning.

Resurrection means life.

Especially in parts of the world, like in my home country Germany, where deep winter let all plants and trees “sleep” for a couple of months, people enjoy the spirit of the new shots that come out of a big trunk of a tree.

They enjoy the seedlings that protrude from the ground in spring, the violet, red, and yellow little flowers that emerge from the soil, the new leaves that sprout from that seemingly dead branches and the well-known Easter Egg, out of which a new life germinates.

Eggs were usually symbols used in springtime long before Christianity came into existence. The eggs symbolizes life, which is causing to grow. Since Easter usually occurs at springtime (March or April, which is already summer season in the Philippines), this egg-symbol was still in the use among the pagans of early times when Christians were celebrating Easter.

The Church allowed converted pagans to retain the custom of egg during spring to symbolize germination of life, but not any more “Ishtar”, the goddess of spring.

Austen H. Layard explained in his book “Nineveh and Babylon II”, page 629, that the term “Easter” came from the goddess Ishtar, because of dig out monuments, carrying Ishtar’s name, of him in Niniveh. But this egg should symbolize the new life won for humanity by the resurrection of Christ.

I wish you all a blessed Happy Easter.

And, enjoy your egg hunting with your beloveds, as we also do, before heading to our well-deserved spring break…

About the Author:  Klaus is from Germany, but has been living in the Philippines since the late 1990’s. Klaus is a journalist by trade, having written for a number of newspapers, studied also Publishing House Management and Marketing and has also been a Radio Host here in the Philippines.