What a conflict exists in the title! Are we celebrating Easter or the Resurrection of Jesus - fertility rites or spiritual regeneration? Further, if it is the resurrection was it a physical or spiritual one? Are we even sure of its date?!
For Christianity
For Christians the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus is the most ancient of all ceremonies. In
the early church it was associated with the baptism of catechumens who, after a day of vigil, were baptized
early on 'Easter' sunday and then received communion. Lent and Passiontide were regarded as but preparations for
'Easter'. One of its curiosities is its moveable date. Although at the beginning of Christianity it was
associated with the Jewish festival of Passover it can now be celebrated on any day between 21 March and 25
April. It all depends on external celestial movements - in this case that of the moon and which calendar one
follows - 'Roman' Gregorian or 'Orthodox' Julian, and whether one desires, like the Jews, a fixed date after the
new moon or, like the Christians, on the Sunday following the new moon. Consequently it is common for Jews,
Orthodox and Roman-derived Christians to celebrate Passover/Resurrection on different dates each year. Indeed
the fixing of a date for this festival has proved a bone of unresolved contention for some 1500 years. Confusing
and irrelevant? I wonder.
The
Non-Christian origin of Easter
Meanwhile one must not
forget the word 'Easter'. Its origins are apparently unknown. Some, like the 8th century Anglo-Saxon historian
Bede links it to 'Eostre', an Anglo-Saxon spring goddess well regarded in Britain at that time. Others link it
to the German fertility goddess, Eostra. They are probably the same and thus relate to widespread fertility
rites in Europe celebrating Spring and the rise of hormonal levels of all creation at this time of the year.
Consequently, since such fertility rites had more than an average chance of success in both the growing of crops
and the procreation of humanity, they were held in high regard and not to be taken lightly. How could
Christianity cope with such an all pervading time of celebration? Postulating that the rise of Jesus from the
dead was the ultimate expression of new birth was the answer. As the conflicting festivals probably were
observed at roughly the same time (both being based on the movement of the moon) such a transition from pagan to
Christian festival would be possible especially since the spread of Christianity in the first millennium was in
urban areas which housed the controlling classes. How apt, in a way, with the rise of democracy and individual
human rights in the 20th century, not to mention the rise of consumerism and the dominance of market-driven
economies, that the original festival of Eostre has once more gained dominance. We see this in 'Easter Eggs',
'Easter' bunnies (surely the doyen of all procreative activity!), Easter cards with their spring flowers and
lambs, both giving a sense of new birth, and ceremonies trying to link Spring fertility with Christianity,
notably in Celtic circles.
Add
Hedonistic Consumerism
Consequently we live in a
divided age with, increasingly, Christianity fighting to be heard at a time when the media ask us to celebrate
Spring Bank Holidays and new schedules. The agony of the Cross does not fit comfortably into such celebrations.
It is not commercial enough. In Ireland I have seen Good Friday consistently downgraded over the last decade.
Ten years ago shops were closed and a tangible sense of peace predominated. Radio and television showed serious
regard to the day with broadcasts of Passion Music, times of reflection and religious services. Not any longer.
Shops and businesses open as usual. Meanwhile the National Broadcasting Service, RTE, broadcast on television a
1hour and 10 minutes service out of 48 hours of broadcasting on their 2 main channels. If you want peaceful
reflection during that 3 hours Jesus spent on the cross - from noon to 3.00pm, what greets you? Home and Away
and Dallas on RTE 1 while cartoons are broadcast on RTE 2. Radio does fare a little better with some 7 hours out
of 72 on their English speaking channels given to a diversity of programmes, from Bach's St. Matthew Passion,
through a Service & Readings for Good Friday to an examination of inter Church relations. And all this in a
country where over 70% of the population are practising Christians!
The point I am trying to make for
all humanity, and not merely for Christians, is that we have become dominated by the insatiable desires of
consumerism and broadcast ratings, the constant and outward chatter of desire and ephemeral pleasure There is no
longer a time when all this stops and humanity, and the earth, is given a breathing space, a time for rest, a
time for reflection, a time to stop doing anything and simply be and let our consciousnesses expand to take in
the wonder of the universe and our position in it. One of the most dynamic phrases in the Old Testament is found
in Psalm 46, "Be still and know that I am God", reflected also in Psalm 4, "Commune with your
heart and be still". There is, however, no profit to be made from such sentiments!
Humanity has lost the spiritual power of silence.
Consumerism is the new God.
Western humanity has
lost this ability to be silent, a quality which is so necessary for our well-being, even our survival. Humanity
still has the need, reflected in the growing influence of stress-related illness in our lives. Unfortunately
humanity has not evolved sufficiently that it can stand up against the multi-national forces of consumerism and
all the media which require us constantly to live on the surface of existence. We are too weak, too easily led,
too concerned about being a 'pack animal', afraid to make a stand, to stand out from the crowd. We see this in
fashions, household appliances, holidays, cars, TV viewing and theology. All are consumed by what is new,
titillating and approved of by everyone else. We live in an 'Emperor's clothes' syndrome, incapable of
individual and imaginative thought.
Why should this be? Having returned from playing for the Three
Hours Devotion Service in the Cathedral it is easy to see why. My conclusion is that we live in an age of
'Designer Christianity'. It bears all the hallmarks of other 'designer' labels with its appeal to the surface
elements of our intellect, emotions and spiritual aspirations. Like all designer goods it is delivered with
great sincerity and discipline, but the message remains the same. Tap into the lifestyle I am selling, believe
in the goods which will deliver the lifestyle and all will be well. No apparent effort is required. Merely
believe in the product (everything has been manufactured to ensure its success) and all will be well.
There are 2 major problems with this viewpoint. The first is that 'the goods' must deliver the promised
lifestyle. They must do what it says on the can. If Jesus was the Saviour of all humanity and died on the cross
for the redemption of the whole world, thereby heralding in a new age of peace and prosperity, then where is it?
After a century of world wars, terrorism, rising crime and drug abuse, and a decline of spirituality in the
West, can this really be regarded as a serious claim? This may seem a simplistic question, given that the Early
Church faced the same problem and resolved it by putting faith in a return of Jesus finally to wind up world
order, the so-called 'Second Coming'. Granted, we cannot legislate in our present flawed scenario for the input
of non-believers and believers of other faiths who may have a dynamic belief in consumerism and conflict as the
keys to resolution of problems of profit and dissemination of belief. We could, however, hope that at least
Christians could live in the peace and harmony for which Jesus is supposed to have died.
Consumerism dominates because Christianity is divided
and has lost the plot
Christians, however, have
learnt to dwell even with each other in disharmony and acrimony. Everywhere in Christianity the nature of
'Authority' rears its ugly head. Not that of Jesus, nor his universal message of salvation through healing and
teaching, but the narrow-minded input of those who wish to control the spiritual destiny of others, who wish to
control not so much humanity but God through their assertion that God operates only through the sacraments which
are under their earthly control. Within Christianity its believers are required to leap through the hoops
invented by 'Authority' often to ensure its own survival. To question becomes heresy. Consequently we endure a
fractured nature of Christianity where denominations are not allowed inter-communion, where such divisiveness
leads to social division and bloodshed, or where 2 Christian politicians of the Western World can invade another
country and ignore the deaths of over 1,000 innocent people in their claims of victory despite the overwhelming
and contrary advice of their Christian leaders. Such is their impotence.
The second major problem
with 'Designer Christianity' is that it leaves nothing to chance. Individuality counts for little, and competing
products (i.e. other religions) represent total anathema. Small wonder it is that both Christianity and the
Consumerist World of Business buzz with such concepts as 'Mission Statements'. There is now very little
difference in the way Christianity is marketed to a box of soap flakes. Conformity to the product is total.
Never mind the inherent diversity built into the Universe by its creator. Never mind the inherent complexity of
human individuality and its different needs and approaches with regard to spirituality. Never mind that personal
spirituality requires effort, discipline and training on the one to one basis which Jesus employed. Christianity
now offers the new package of socio-emotional palliatives with just the hint of sacrificial economic overtones
(i.e. pay the clergy and feel good about it) and the surface and ephemeral expression of remorse for sins so
quickly removed by immediate absolution without any required need for a change in lifestyle.
No
wonder Christianity is losing out to consumerism in Holy Week. Its products no longer have impact because they
no longer have relevance. To say that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world no longer holds
good. This may have been the case in mediaeval Europe where there was no access to other religions, where
liturgies were dynamic and dramatic, and where the faithful were severely controlled by both Church and State,
but not in our world of 'Quick fix Christianity'. Competitors, such as Consumerism, other religions and even
self-help ways of living and philosophy, are winning because they offer solutions, for better or worse, in the
here and now.
Next Month: Easter part 2: an examination of what really happened and its impact on
early Christianity.
Written in Limerick, Ireland in 2003