Chocolate and Jesus - is Easter about both? Pictures: Thinkstock Source: Supplied
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen spoke to news.com.au about Easter. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
WE'VE just ordained a new Catholic Pope and Hillsong United's 60th album Zion topped the Aussie music charts just over two weeks ago. But when it comes to Easter, is Jesus on our minds?
Considering Australians are set to spend $185.7 million on Easter eggs this year - that's up 5.2 per cent from last year - is Easter still about Jesus dying so that we can live, or is it now about time with family, a long weekend and copious amounts of chocolate?
"Oh look, these things are an expression of joy, and just like Christmas, it's totally understandable people want to celebrate in this way. And it makes sense - the Easter message brings hope and joy," Peter Jensen, the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney told news.com.au.
"What I would like to see is people enjoying the fun, but knowing the reason for the fun, and therefore getting to the heart of what God's done for us.
"Easter is about the basics of human life. It's about forgiveness, and all relationships need forgiveness. When Jesus died on the cross, he established forgiveness between God and humans," he said.
"The other big thing it's about is death, and what happens when we die. Who doesn't think about that? Jesus' resurrection from the dead tells us that there is hope, that we will live on beyond the grave, and we can live life in expectation of great things."
But what about the average Aussie - do they still associate Easter with the Christian message?
"For sure we associate it with Jesus, he's the reason we celebrate," says Rachael Garth, a mum of two.
"It's vitally important people know that - as the world becomes more materialistic, the reason for such seasons are becoming lost, which is tragic. It's not discussed in schools anymore and the younger generation are forgetting what it means."
News.com.au reader Melissa Khalinsky agrees: "For me, it's important to teach my children about why we celebrate Easter and that it's not just about chocolate and rabbits - the same way I teach them that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus and not about Santa."
Another reader, Ursula Zajaczkowski, says despite growing up in a very strict Catholic family there is no way she is going to push the beliefs on her children.
"I grew up in private Catholic schools all the way with church every Sunday and prayers said (as a family) every night," she said.
"I haven't gone to church regularly since I left home 20 years ago. I now have a young family - a three-year-old and a six-year-old - and although I talk to them about what Easter and Christmas really mean, in the Catholic sense, I am in no way about to drum it into their heads.
"I want them to choose the best way of thinking about it. As such, we don't celebrate Easter in the traditional sense; I can't even remember when I'm supposed to fast or start eating fish on Fridays!
"In short, we associate Easter with new life, which really, is what it's about, religious or not."
Although 22.3 per cent of Australians marked on the 2011 Census that they have 'No Religion' - that's up four per cent from the previous Census - the Census also showed that 61.1 per cent of Australians identify as Christian, a decline of two per cent.
"There's certainly still a lot of residual Christian belief in the community, and that shows itself at Easter and Christmas with significant increases in church attendance," says the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Dr Jensen.
"To celebrate each year - and it's one of the few events in all of human history that is celebrated every year - is a very powerful reminder that the Christian message is a historical one, found right there in the dirt and muck of the world."
He understands why people struggle to believe that Jesus rose from the dead - as Catholics believe happened on Easter Sunday.
"History doesn't deny that Jesus was a man, but I understand why people struggle to believe that he rose from the dead - even the disciples struggled with this one, because it turns all human experience on its head. But I think people are looking for something deeper and truer than what the world provides, and it's a testimony to a longing for God. Just to have the chocolates and all the rest, which I love, but not to have the reason for it, is really strange.
"I think that what Easter really does is turn the light on. It lets you see the world for what it really is, in brilliant colour."
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