It’s a week-long festival in Mexico to celebrate Easter and part of that festival is the ‘Burning of Judas,’ where effigies of the man who betrayed Jesus are burned in the street. But this year, residents in Mexico are using effigies in the image and likeness of Republican front-runner, Donald Trump to represent Judas!
And rightly so.
The president couldn’t calm the children down as they screamed in horror at the president’s event.
“Hold on! Hold on! You guys are wild things!,” Mr.Obama said,as he continued his efforts to sooth the children. “You’re not supposed to be scared of bees when you’re a wild thing!”
“They won’t harm nothing. They won’t sting you,” Mr. Obama said on Wednesday as he read “Where the Wild Things Are” at an Easter event. The bees are kept at the White House and their honey is used in White House recipes. But on Wednesday, the kids were apparently on the menu.
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The President used this weeks weekly address to acknowledge Easter and Passover. In his message to the nation, President Obama said that this is a chance to embrace loved ones, give thanks for our blessings, and help those less fortunate as we celebrate our individual traditions as well as the thread of humanity that connects us all.
Happy Easter! But what does Easter mean to you? There are so many that believe Easter has something to do with a Bunny Rabbit that lay eggs for us to hide and hunt for; or jelly beans and chocolate bunnies that are crème filled and full of calories and the fulfillment of a sweet tooth craving. Easter has turned into a commercially charged money-maker. With candy companies loading stores with their sweets and clothing stores laying out their racks with new suits and dresses, Easter has become a multi-billion dollar sales bonanza for major corporations.
According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Easter spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight in March of 2012, Americans shelled out an average of $145.28 on everything from apparel and candy to food and decorations that year, up 11 percent from $131.04 the previous year. Total spending was expected to reach $16.8 billion.
“Though the price of gas is on everyone’s mind, Easter is one of the few holidays some consumers are willing to stretch their budgets, especially because many children look forward to treats and new outfits on Easter morning,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Retailers will make sure to offer plenty of promotions on candy, apparel, food and decorations in the coming weeks for eager holiday shoppers.”
Due to consumer demand, the sales breakdown is expected to look like this:
My, how the most sacred of holidays has eclipsed the true meaning of what this week is supposed to represent. According to the Holy Bible, this week was the time in which Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem, promoting the “Kingdom of God” was at hand. The Passover and the Last Supper had taken place and Jesus was betrayed into the hands of the Chief Priest by Judas Iscariot and on Friday, he would be Crucified by the Roman soldiers. As He died on the cross, Jesus, in His last breathes asked GOD to forgive them for, “They no not what they do”. That still rings True on today. We, as a nation – even this whole world –, ‘know not what we’re doing’. The Good News is God Still Forgives! All we have to do is ask, which is why Jesus came into this world.
So, what is the true meaning of Easter? Is it the things that money can buy or is it the one thing that money could never buy?
A tiny hint, money can’t buy your Salvation. And Salvation is Sweeter than candy. Smile.
Identifying himself and his Christian faith, President Obama used this occasion to remind Americans that Easter is a time to be thankful and to rejoice for the “tremendous sacrifice Jesus made for all of us.”
For me, and for countless other Christians, Easter weekend is a time to reflect and rejoice. Yesterday, many of us took a few quiet moments to try and fathom the tremendous sacrifice Jesus made for all of us.
Tomorrow, we will celebrate the resurrection of a savior who died so that we might live.And throughout these sacred days, we recommit ourselves to following His example. We rededicate our time on Earth to selflessness, and to loving our neighbors. We remind ourselves that no matter who we are, or how much we achieve, we each stand humbled before an almighty God.
Christ’s triumph over death holds special meaning for Christians. But all of us, no matter how or whether we believe, can identify with elements of His story. The triumph of hope over despair. Of faith over doubt.
The notion that there is something out there that is bigger than ourselves.These beliefs help unite Americans of all faiths and backgrounds. They shape our values and guide our work. They put our lives in perspective.
So to all Christians celebrating the Resurrection with us, Michelle and I want to wish you a blessed and Happy Easter. And to all Americans, I hope you have a weekend filled with joy and reflection, focused on the things that matter most. God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
On Easter Sunday, a day when Christians from all denominations come together to celebrate the day Jesus rose from the dead, Reverend Franklin Graham was on television continuing to foster a lie that has been debunked by numerous reputable news organizations – and that is that President Obama has somehow deceived the American people by not supplying his birth certificate.
“He can solve this whole birth certificate issue pretty quickly. I was born in a hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. And I know that my records are there, you can probably go and find out what room my mother was in when I was born. I don’t know why he can’t produce that. It’s an issue it looks like he can answer pretty quickly.”
But what would we expect on our Easter Sunday? Graham is a Republican who praise the likes of “The Donald” and claims that “the more you listen to him, the more you say to yourself, ‘you know maybe the guy’s right’, and Sarah Palin, his recent travel partner to Haiti is too.
What’s shocking is the silence of the host, Christiane Amanpour. Amanpour, the host of ABC’s This Week with Christiane Amanpour has gained the reputation of a reporter who reports the facts. Why she allowed this baseless accusation to go unchallenged on her show is questionable.
