Easter Greetings

One of my friends sent me the following essay. I felt that the article deserved to be reprinted:


Easter is the most joyous of all Christian holidays.
It is the foundation of the Christian faith. Without Easter and the Resurrection there would be no Christianity. The message of Easter is not just for Christians. The message of Easter goes beyond Christianity and touches the hearts of all good people everywhere.
The message of Easter is a message of celebration; a celebration of the ultimate triumph of hope and love.
In a weary world, battered by hate, war, greed, dwindling resources, starvation, hopelessness, violence and evil, the message of Easter shines like a lighthouse above a dark and treacherous shore. It is a message that all who listen will hear - whether they be Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics or atheists.Open eyes and hearts and see and hear the true message of Easter - and it belongs not to Christians alone. For the message of Easter brings the broader message of hope; of love conquering evil; and of life conquering death. The message of Easter is one of light victorious over darkness; of hope triumphing over hopelessness; of love conquering hate; and of faith reigning supreme over fear. It is the single most hopeful message to all mankind that ultimately right will prevail over wrong.The message of Easter gives all of us, Christians or not, a promise that life trumps death; good trumps evil; light trumps darkness; and that love trumps hate. Who among us wishes that death will ultimately prevail? Or that darkness will be victorious over light? Would any good person hope that hate will ultimately triumph over love?The true Christian is tolerant of other religions and other beliefs. And in that spirit of Christianity we must make the message of Easter more than just a Christian message.. We must share this message of rebirth and hope with all our brothers and sisters, of all other religions and beliefs; even non-believers. Those who listen will hear the message of Easter. They will not be deafened by secularism or doctrine or ideology. Easter's message of hope, light and love is universal. This Easter, let all Christians hope that all good people, everywhere, listen and hear the message of Easter and the Resurrection as a universal message of life, hope, light, love, and faith. A message that will touch every good human heart.
And let us all remember that without hope there can be no love; and without love we are nothing.
Above all, Easter's message is one of hope. It is a message which proclaims the triumph of love over hate and of life over death. This year, more than ever before, we hope that in this world tormented by hate, war, greed and despair and hopelessness, the message of Easter will be heard by all good people all over the world regardless of religion. Hope and love do not belong to one religion, they are universal. And so is the message of Easter.

---anonymous