Dear Friends,
The upcoming Easter holiday makes me think of my Italian grandparents in northeastern Pennsylvania, with whom we traditionally celebrated this holiday. An indoor egg hunt (where it might take us days to find all the colored eggs, as Grandma often forgot the hiding spots), eating as much of her ricotta and ham pie our stomachs could handle, and attending Sunday mass on a chilly morning in our new spring dresses were all part of the annual ritual.
My grandfather raised rabbits and kept them in pens in the backyard. When we visited, he would take a few out so that my sister and I could pet them. Real bunnies at Easter! It didn’t get much better than this. I had no idea at the time that my grandfather sold them for food. I thought they were pets. And, of course, my grandparents never found it necessary to tell me anything different.
These memories remind me that religious holidays are often meaningful because they are marked with traditions and rituals that are both theological and familial. As a Catholic youth, Easter was a joyful time for me because I was reminded that I was loved not only by Jesus of Nazareth, but also by Theresa and Frank of Pittston – my grandparents – who staged eggs hunts, had real bunnies in the backyard, cooked up a storm, and generally went out of their way to make the holiday warm and fun.
Years later, while my theology has changed, it’s the love of my grandparents that remains in my heart. And so I look forward to Easter again this Sunday and its messages of hope, of love and of possibilities. May you celebrate this season – Easter, Passover, the beginning of spring – in your own cherished ways.
Terry