The Easter bunny is a cute secular tradition, but it takes a leap of faith to believe that one bunny can deliver baskets of candy around the world without Santa’s sleigh and reindeer, not to mention without hands.
The true religious context of Easter is that it’s the High Holy Day of Christianity. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death by crucifixion.
Easter Sunday, which is April 20th this year, is the joyful conclusion to the Lenten season devoted to prayer, fasting and penitence.
Easter’s preeminence emerges from its unique position as the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan.
In the resurrection, we witness the divine validation of Christ’s sacrifice on Good Friday. The empty tomb proclaims that death — humanity’s final enemy — has been conquered. This victory transforms our understanding of human existence, infusing our mortal journey with eternal significance.
Psychologically Easter addresses our deepest existential anxieties. The resurrection offers a definitive answer to humanity’s universal fear of death and longing for meaning.
The Easter Dawn Service at the Pagoda has been a staple of worship for decades and it will be once again this year at Reading’s most iconic landmark even with the installation of new security gates.
For years some people desecrated the Pagoda area with illegal dumping, littering and excessive noise from rowdy late-night gatherings that would have made even Jesus hesitate to park there.
The security gates, which close each night at 9 p.m., now are in place along Skyline Drive atop Mount Penn, part of the city’s effort to make the area safer and more peaceful for neighbors and visitors alike.
The city installed gates at List Road and Skyline Drive and at Duryea Drive and Shearer Road. Clear signage in both English and Spanish displays the park hours. Security cameras have also been added to discourage unruly behavior.
City officials say popular events like the annual Easter Dawn Service and the Pagoda Hill Climb will still go on as planned.
The city remains committed to preserving the beauty and tranquility of the Mount Penn Preserve, Pagoda and Skyline Drive while ensuring the safety and comfort of local residents and visitors to the area, Mayor Eddie Moran said in a statement.
Moran said the scenic mountaintop attractions are among the city’s most treasured landmarks.
“We want people to enjoy the beauty that we have and create some memories that will last a lifetime,” Moran said.
Amen. Especially on Easter morning, a day that dawns like no other. And with the Pagoda area now cleaned up, it’ll have a more rustic reverential ambience this year.
A mountain top is closer to heaven than a valley, so it’s always been special to have Easter service atop Mount Penn, especially at dawn. In the earliest hours of the morning, time seems to stretch on forever, giving worshipers a taste of eternity.
When cloud cover and rain are welcome absentees, Easter sunrises at the Pagoda are an incandescent, dazzling spectacle even for souls not swimming in spirituality. Indeed, the religious atmosphere is thick enough to perhaps make an atheist fall on his knees.
Granted, some Easter mornings at the Pagoda have been cold enough to frost body and soul, testing the mettle and faith of Christ’s followers.
When we celebrate Easter, we are not merely commemorating a historical event but embracing a reality that speaks to the core of our being — our desire for life beyond the grave and purpose beyond the temporal.
Thank God the Easter Dawn Service at the Pagoda tradition continues.
Mike Zielinski, a resident of Berks County, is a columnist, novelist, playwright and screenwriter.
Source: Berkshire mont