Happy Easter! Today marks the centerpiece of the ecclesiastical year, the date on which most Christians celebrate the foundation of their faith — and on which most of the world celebrates the wonderful return of sunshine and spring as we throw off the cold, gray winter. Pope Leo I said the celebration of Christmas is only in preparation for Easter; as the true joy of new life is in full bloom.

Easter represents a blending of cultural traditions that includes a bunny, colored eggs and candy-filled baskets as well as the solemn observance of the Stations of the Cross and glorious Sunday sunrise services. Easter is a celebration of life, light and love.

It is a wonderful day!

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“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”

— Pope John Paul II

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“A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

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“The symbolic language of the crucifixion is the death of the old paradigm; resurrection is a leap into a whole new way of thinking.”

— Deepak Chopra

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“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining — they just shine.”

— Dwight L. Moody