It's still Easter!

Easter Lily
(Public Domain)

Although many have moved on to merry thoughts of May, it’s actually still Eastertide.  It will remain so until Pentecost Sunday (aka Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun), which isn’t until 49 days past Resurrection Sunday (or 39 days past within Eastern Christianity).

Easter is not confined to a particular day, no matter how joyous.  It instead encompasses an entire season during which the joy heightens and deepens. 

In the weeks before the risen Christ ascended into Heaven, numerous encounters occurred on earth.  Acts 1:3 states: “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

This therefore is a sacred time in which to seek confirmation of Eternal Life.  For it is Jesus Himself who declared: “Seek and you will find.”

 Resources

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastertide

Unleavened

Matzoh on Seder Plate
(Photo by Claude Truong-Ngoc)

Sooner or later, supermarket shoppers come across the Passover staple known as matzah.  Although some may savor its crunchy bite, most favor its religious significance. 

Often described as “unleavened flatbread,” and sometimes as “the bread of affliction,” matzah has long been associated with the Israelites’ flight from Egyptian slavery.  Exodus 12:18 states: “From the evening of the 14th day of the first month until the evening of the 21^st day, you are to eat matzah.”  Deuteronomy 16:3 adds: “Thus you will remember the day you left the land of Egypt as long as you live.”

How so?  Simply put: When on the run, it’s not only difficult to wait for dough to rise, but also impossible to keep it from spoiling beneath the harsh desert sun. Symbolically, this “poor man’s bread” also reminds the faithful to remain humble.

 Resources

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matzah    

Feeling lucky?

Seven Lucky Gods
(Painting by Hokusai et al.)

Sometimes you just know…

Shortly before scoring bigtime with the North Carolina Education Lottery, Terry McCall was feeling like a winner.  He even assured his son that a “major windfall" was on its way.

Soon after that, McCall purchased a scratch-off ticket from a grocery store along his usual route.  It turned out to be worth $100,000 before taxes.

Back in December, McCall had won another $2,000.  Just  random luck… or perhaps really good karma?

Resources

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/03/10/lotto-north-carolina-education-lottery-predicted win/7931741636521/

Huge Progress

6th-Century Ganesha 
(Photo by Ms Sarah Welch)  

Worshippers in certain parts of India have been thinking BIG for centuries.  Yet now it’s time for even broader ideas, such as replacing live ceremonial elephants with robotic ones.

Elephants are social intelligent beings that do not relish being traumatically imprisoned by well-meaning devotees.  When involuntarily “paraded through packed crowds with flashing lights, thumping drums and ear-splitting music,” some “panicked pachyderms” have been known to kill people.

Encouraged and somewhat funded by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), artisans have begun making elephant robots with eyes that roll, heads that nod, and tails that swish.  Each costs approximately $5,500. These are slowly becoming acceptable within Hindu rituals.

Because compassionate and non-violent ahimsa is such a core element of Hinduism, it seems only natural to thus ensure the well-being of devotees and their elephant companions.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/news/model-behaviour-indias-anti-cruelty-030951067.html