{"id":10017,"date":"2026-04-04T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=10017"},"modified":"2026-04-01T23:18:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T23:18:34","slug":"easter-its-a-big-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/easter-its-a-big-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Easter: It&#8217;s a Big Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20260101ff\/Easter2013-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's landscape rendering: an empty Easter egg. (2013)\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m a Catholic, so this weekend I&#8217;m celebrating a particular series of events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"seriously\"><\/a>Seriously<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Two millennia back, someone was tortured and executed. We celebrated, maybe &#8220;remembered&#8221; or &#8220;observed&#8221; would be a better word, that on Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Saturday \u2014 I see it as a day when we wait and review what led up to that execution and what happened later. The day&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/readings\/040426.cfm\">readings<\/a> this year are from Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Baruch, Ezekiel, Romans and Matthew.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-messy-death-an-empty-tomb-and-the-best-news-ever\/#best\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/20150328-Piero_della_Francesca_-_Resurrection_-_WGA17609-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"'The Resurrection of Jesus Christ,' Piero della Francesca. (1463) See https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Resurrection_(Piero_della_Francesca), https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Museo_Civico_di_Sansepolcro, https:\/\/it.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Museo_civico_di_Sansepolcro.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;The Resurrection of Jesus Christ&#8221;, Piero della Francesca&#8217;s fresco in the Museo Civico di Sansepolcro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Sunday, tomorrow, is <strong>the<\/strong> big celebration of our year. Calling it a celebration makes sense, since a few days after he&#8217;d been killed, Jesus stopped being dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By any reasonable standard, that&#8217;s a very big deal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-messy-death-an-empty-tomb-and-the-best-news-ever\/\"><strong>A Messy Death, an Empty Tomb, and the Best News Ever<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; <br>(April 19, 2025)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s a great deal more I could say about Easter, the Resurrection, and why Jesus matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this household&#8217;s Internet provider is doing maintenance: which means I couldn&#8217;t be online as much as usual. Besides, I&#8217;ve talked about Easter and Jesus before. You&#8217;ll find a few links at the end of this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"notseriously\"><\/a>NOT Seriously: Easter Cards of Yesteryear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20260101ff\/20260330-2-easter-gnomes-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Unknown artist, 'Victorian' Easter card, gnomes carrying an egg\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s a lot of history behind today&#8217;s greeting cards, starting at least when new printing technologies made mass producing the things practical. Maybe I&#8217;ll dive down that rabbit hole some day, but not this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, I&#8217;ll share a few late-19th and early-20th century Easter-themed greeting cards I found, starting with one where I know who designed the thing: late 19th \/ early 20th century German illustrator <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Arthur_Thiele\">Arthur Thiele<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikiquote.org\/wiki\/Easter#Symbolism_of_Easter_eggs\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20260101ff\/20260330-Osterpostkarte_Arthur_Thiele_1919_zwerg_bemalt_ostereier-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Arthur Thiele: 'Frohliche Ostern' card. (1919)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Arthur Thiele&#8217;s &#8220;Fr\u00f6hliche Ostern!&#8221; card. (1919)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One reason I don&#8217;t deplore my culture&#8217;s distressing failure to be steadfastly serious about the year&#8217;s great celebrations \u2014 is that I know a little history. Quite a little, actually. Including how folks responded to the Easter season. Besides, I don&#8217;t like hand-wringing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/racingnelliebly.com\/strange_times\/quirky-victorian-easter-cards\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20260101ff\/20260330-2-dangerfield-rooster-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Unknown artist: 'Oh, What's the Use? Yesterday I was an Egg, Tomorrow I may be a Feather Duster' greeting card.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A not-exactly-Easter card: apart from mentioning an egg. \ud83d\ude09 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/racingnelliebly.com\/strange_times\/quirky-victorian-easter-cards\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20260101ff\/20260330-juggle-bunnies-1909-nypl-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Unknown artist: 'Juggling Bunnies', a rabbit family juggling colored eggs. (1909)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Easter) rabbits juggling (Easter) eggs: a little more &#8216;Easter-y&#8217;.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/racingnelliebly.com\/strange_times\/quirky-victorian-easter-cards\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20260101ff\/20260330-2-bee-bunnies-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Unknown artist: Easter rabbits attacked by bees.\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A tip of the hat to whoever found the final three cards I&#8217;m sharing this year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/racingnelliebly.com\/strange_times\/quirky-victorian-easter-cards\/\">Quirky Victorian Easter Cards Reveal Surprisingly Twisted Humor<\/a>&#8221; <br>Racing Nellie Bly (April 19, 2019)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>More, serious and otherwise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Who and what Easter is about<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/just-who-is-this-jesus-person-and-who-does-he-think-he-is\/\"><strong>Just Who is This Jesus Person, and Who Does He Think He is?<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (October 8, 2022)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/just-who-is-this-jesus-person-and-who-does-he-think-he-is\/#those\">&#8220;Those Who Followed Were Afraid&#8221;??<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/just-who-is-this-jesus-person-and-who-does-he-think-he-is\/#claiming\">Claiming Divinity<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/just-who-is-this-jesus-person-and-who-does-he-think-he-is\/#man\">The Man Who Said &#8220;I AM&#8221; and Defeated Death<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/easter-parades-eggs-and-the-best-news-ever\/\"><strong>Easter: Parades, Eggs, and the Best News Ever<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (April 16, 2022)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/easter-parades-eggs-and-the-best-news-ever\/#ihave\">&#8220;I Have Seen the Lord&#8221;<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/easter-parades-eggs-and-the-best-news-ever\/#testimony\">Testimony, Evidence and Belief<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A few funny pictures<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/four-strange-easter-cards-from-yesteryear\/\"><strong>Four Strange Easter Cards from Yesteryear<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (March 30, 2024)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A very quick review of what we celebrate during Easter. Also four old Easter-themed greeting cards <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/easter-its-a-big-deal\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[215],"tags":[119,27,90,206,69,120],"class_list":["post-10017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-being-catholic","tag-easter","tag-history","tag-holidays","tag-humor","tag-jesus","tag-resurrection"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-2Bz","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10017"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10022,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10017\/revisions\/10022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}