Easter’s message of gratitude and love

As Easter approaches, many think of spring, warmer weather, flowers, even little children dressed in pastels running around hunting for hidden Easter eggs. As a child that’s certainly what I looked forward to as Easter Sunday approached!

But growing into my teens and early adulthood, I became more aware of the deeper elements relating to the Easter season. This certainly included the joy of Jesus’ resurrection, but also the dark days prior to his resurrection and the hatred that hung Jesus on a cross in the first place.

How can these elements be reconciled?

As a student of Christian Science, searching for a clearer understanding of the Easter message, I found this statement from the discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, in the “Manual of The Mother Church”: “Gratitude and love should abide in every heart each day of all the years. Those sacred words of our beloved Master, ‘Let the dead bury their dead,’ and ‘Follow thou me,’ appeal to daily Christian endeavors for the living whereby to exemplify our risen Lord” (p. 60).

Gratitude and love directly counteract ingratitude and hatred, the elements of thought that put Jesus on the cross and crucified him. What better way to counter anger and resentment could there be than to express patience, love, and fearlessness? Isn’t this what Jesus did? He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Jesus prayed for his enemies, even in the face of his own death. And ultimately, he triumphed over the crucifixion, proving divine Love and Truth, God, to be victorious.

Goodness and love emanate from divine Love. They are qualities that originate in God and are reflected by His creation, man. So it’s natural for each of us to feel gratitude for God and His constant care for His spiritual offspring.

Jesus knew that divinely impelled gratitude and love destroy the effects of ingratitude and hatred. He embodied these and other spiritual qualities, and this saved his life, as evidenced in his resurrection. Through deep communion with God, Jesus rose away from the grave in dominion over the material senses.

None of us is faced with the unique challenges that Jesus faced. But whatever kind of difficulty we may encounter, Christ – the divine nature that Jesus manifested – is eternally here to help us follow in the life-affirming path that Christ Jesus taught.

Many years ago, I knew an individual who was overbearing and dominating. I was never sure why this was the case, but I could certainly feel the detrimental effects of her words and actions. The situation became so severe that sometimes I feared even answering the phone, as it might have been this person calling with a torrent of unjust accusations.

Finally, I recognized that this had gone on for too long, and I began to pray about this problem. I thought of the Bible account of Jesus surrounded by a crowd that wanted to throw him off a cliff, yet he passed through them unseen, untouched, and unbothered (see Luke 4:28-30). As God’s children, spiritual and loved, we cannot be victims of hatred and anger, which have no place in infinite Love, God.

Praying to better understand these spiritual truths, I began to see that both the other individual and I were held in divine Love’s care. We’re all inherently capable of knowing and feeling the goodness that God expresses in all His children – and of behaving consistently with this spiritual reality. I prayed to be filled with patience, kindness, spiritual strength, and love – all qualities reflected from divine Love, who imparts these qualities to all.

It took consistent prayer for a while, but the day did come when fear was replaced with courage, intimidation with purity, and hatred with love. I no longer felt dominated and afraid; in fact, I felt a great love toward this person, as well as forgiveness. The best part, though, was that our interactions improved, and going forward, we were able to work together harmoniously.

We may not have the cross to take up that Christ Jesus uniquely faced, but we do have our own cross to take up. It is our own belief that hatred and ingratitude are more powerful than God’s goodness and love. We can take heart in the message of Easter, which is not about death and darkness, but rather about what Jesus proved – through his oneness with his Father–Mother God – of the supremacy of God, good. Step by step, each of us can gain a resurrected understanding of divine Love, God, as always victorious!