Sunday, April 5, 2015

What Sacrifice Means to Me

I know the holiday is almost over, but I just had to stop in for a moment to wish you all a Happy Easter. In some parts of the world, Easter Monday and Tuesday are public holidays and kids are off from school for another week.

photo credit - C. K. Correia 2015
I've tried to make this a non-denominational blog, but tonight I share my feelings on Easter. Subconsciously I've made a promise to myself to attend church more often this year. So Holy Thursday and Glorious Saturday found me attending mass at two different parishes. 

It was a welcome change as some parts of the mass were sung in Latin. I felt a wonderful sense of peace wash over me. Change is good.

For the past few days, I've been reflecting a lot on my life: the past and the future. I picture what life would be like in 10-20 years. Because of my Dad's recent passing, I often think about the mortality of my mother and those around me: myself, my siblings and even my friends. I know, what morbid thoughts! But everyone I talk to have been having similar feelings as people are dropping like flies. It seems to be six degrees of separation as someone we know have died. Depressing, but it's this thing called life!

Although I seemed to have gotten over my grief fairly early, my friends who have been there before, told me this would happen. Easter was a very sad time, save for last night thanks to my friend Beverly. With acceptance comes healing and transformation of our circumstance into a positive learning experience. 

We must find the strength and willpower to overcome and transcend our pain, because there's always more to life. I somehow found the will to get up and get out yesterday and confront my emotions. Today I linked these cathartic feelings to Easter and the death and resurrection of Christ.

No matter our denomination, we can appreciate the significance of sacrifices. By whatever name you call God or whether it is the sacrifices of our parents, loved ones or even we ourselves, we do it in order for the ones we love to enjoy a better life, if we chose to look at it that way.

Easter signifies for Christians the sacrifices Jesus made in order for us to have a second chance. To be free from sin. No matter our sin, how many or how great or small, sin is sin. And it was all washed away on that day...Good Friday. It is up to us, to hold up our end of the bargain and try to live a better life. If not for ourselves, for our children and their children. I'm sure we've all heard "the sins of our forefathers falling on the third and fourth generations." It's just my food for thought.

Have a great week and best wishes for Easter.

Peace & Love.