Happy Easter, a time for all to believe in renewal

Editorial: Happy Easter, a time for all to believe in renewal

This April 2, 2015 photo shows an illuminated cross in Ferris, Texas. Many Christians will be celebrating Easter Sunday away from their churches this year.

Photo: Ashley Landis, MBR / AP

Church buildings are silent. Restaurants are closed. Family members who aren’t already under the same roof will not be gathering for a meal of ham or lamb, scalloped potatoes and spring vegetables. The real egg hunts are happening in grocery aisles, not backyards.

This Easter Sunday is very different than any we have experienced in living memory.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has shut down cities, economies and in-person social interaction around the world and casts a shadow more in keeping with the darkness of the Good Friday crucifixion than with the sunrise of the Easter resurrection.

It is a special day for more than 2 billion Christians worldwide and 167 million in the United States, most of whom will be worshiping through remote livestreams or even Zoom, another reminder of what the virus has done to our daily lives.

It is not a religious holiday for others, but it has become a celebration nonetheless.

The holiday involves family gatherings, events for children and the unofficial celebration of the beginning of spring, a traditional time for embracing renewal, rebirth and a sense of hope after a winter of discontent. That’s a hope shared by Iranians in the Nowruz New Year, by Indians during the Holi festival of colors, by Jews marking Passover and by many, many others.

This year, the Easter message of hope and renewal is especially welcome, as the nation heads into what experts believe will be the peak of COVID-19 deaths. For most of us, Easter is the first major holiday we have celebrated since the shutdowns and stay-at-home orders began to constrict our lives. It is a difficult moment for many of us.

Read More at Houston Chronicle