Spring Break is one of the happiest times of the year for any number of people. Students and teachers, of course, get a break from the daily grind - and from each other, for that matter. And any industry that has a vacation spin to it likewise enjoys increased revenues - for all the extra travelling and shopping that takes place between Good Friday and No-so-good Monday.
Some parents may struggle with this break, but not necessarily for negative reasons. If they feel they are forced to work, for example, and thus can't take the week off, they are scrambling for babysitters. If they have older kids, kids who are capable of babysitting, that problem is solved – so long as those elder ones want to spend their break looking after the younger ones. Given the option, they would likely decline.
I cannot say where this whole Spring Break (also known as Easter Holidays) ever started. Obviously, there must have been some link to the Easter weekend, especially with the term "Good Friday" to start the whole thing off. Strangely enough, there seems to be more emphasis on the Friday (death) than the Sunday (life) in our culture.
Some wag may suggest that any Friday that is not a school day is a good Friday, but that's weak. And any payday that lands on a Friday would likewise be considered a good Friday, but that's also lame. Also, we're talking about Good Friday, not a good Friday – and there is an eternity of difference.
In the biblical-historical world, Good Friday represents the day Jesus of Nazareth was brutally put to death, by way of crucifixion. Why anyone could call a day of death, especially the death of the God-man, a "good" day is beyond me.
Okay, not totally beyond me, so let me pursue this one a little more. I would think the day of the death of Jesus could be considered a "good" day, if it wasn't a mistake, if in fact it was planned - planned, as in from centuries and eternity past. Hard to swallow that thought in one rationale bite, but I believe that is the gist of what the Good Book teaches about divine timing.
I think also that Good Friday could be considered a good Friday if some good came out of it – something good like hope, heaven, and the resurrection. The resurrection, as you may know, the day Jesus rose from the grave, is one of the chief foundations of the Christian faith. Well, well, what do you know: That is exactly what happen because of Good Friday. If I were a theological wordsmith, I would say those three days of that particular week could be known, respectively, as Good Friday, Better Saturday, and Best Sunday (my words).
And for those who live in that reality, I know they would heartily agree.
I won't launch into my usual rant about chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs (as much as I enjoy them), but I remain adamant that we are doing our culture a serious disservice when we discard meaningful religious events. While I am not suggesting co-existence (i.e.., religious and pagan), that would at least be a reasonable compromise to what is unfolding today.
It's not lost on any observer that springtime is resurrection time – new life in the fields, everything green raising its sleepy head from its dormant bed, with the winter of death now replaced by the spring zest for newness of life. It's the journey, if you will, from Good Friday to Best Sunday.
Trust you all had a great weekend, and a great break for the week, if that's in the plans. Even if you can't get a babysitter.
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