So by this time everyone has taken off their Sunday’s best, feasted on the finest of foods and enjoyed the festivities of this joyous occasion. Today, people of the Christian faith celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ; that after being put to death to take the punishment for the world’s sins, Jesus rose again from the dead. In the New Testament, after the Romans crucify Jesus, he is anointed and buried in a new tomb by Joseph of Arimathea but God raises him from the dead and he appears to many people over a span of forty days before his ascension to Heaven, to sit at the Right Hand of God. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, two days after Good Friday, the day of his crucifixion. Easter’s date corresponds roughly with Passover, the Jewish observance associated with the Exodus, which is fixed for the night of the Full moon near the time of the spring equinox

Now by this time, many of you have seen the picture below, with the information captioned explaining Easter.

So now with this information at your disposal, and taking your religious beliefs into account, the real winners as usual were, drum roll please…. The corporations! That’s right! They did it again! As with all the customarily celebrated holidays, and those that we don’t consider relevant (Grandparents Day; Siblings Day), the corporate elite have found a way to squeeze every penny from the public’s pocket. The cartoon specials introducing Easter to children on television, the Hallmark cards, Easter baskets being sold on street corners, the acquisition of new clothing to attend Sunday service or the purchase of chocolates, jellybeans and candies to fill plastic eggs, the coffers of the companies whom benefit continue to swell. Lost in the worship of this holiday is that fact that millions of Americans who were once able to at least have this one day off from retail or grocery store sales are now required to work. Did you forget that Easter dress for Susan? Stop by Walmart. Forgot to get the sides for the dinner being prepared at Uncle Jake’s? Run by Winn Dixie and get a twelve (12) pack of sodas while you’re at it. Need to get a card to express your feelings on this occasion? Well there’s a CVS or Walgreens open, and will remain open 24 hours depending on your location.

The holiest day of the year transformed into another day to exploit the working class into getting time and a half, or an extra day on that paycheck. America, land of the hardest working people on the planet. Where the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen, and the middle class rapidly becoming extinct. So as you sit at home watching the Bible mini-series on the History Channel, re-watch the Ten Commandments featuring Charlton Heston, or read your favorite Psalm before going into a deep slumber preparing for the next work day, the commercialization of everything you hold sacred continues to take place. Soon, even child birth will be sponsored by some major corporation (Baby’s R Us or Children’s Place). But this too will probably be accepted since we’re living in an era where the almighty dollar supersedes morals, values and tradition. “We Are the Change!” (b)