It is easy to lose the meaning of Easter in all the commercialism and trappings that go into our Easter celebrations aEUR” Easter eggs, Easter baskets, Easter bunnies, Easter chicks, Easter outfits aEUR” without thinking about how we get there.

That is why I remind myself each year that aEURoeThere is no Easter without Good Friday.aEUR? In other words, we remember that Jesus Christ suffered, was crucified and died, before he was raised from the dead. Likewise, we should remember that we do not get to the true joy of Easter without first experiencing the pain and passion of Holy Week.