The Fundamentalists accuse English speaking Catholics of invoking some German goddess of Spring named “Oestre” in calling the Feast of the Resurrection “Easter.” This is, of course, not true. In Christian England the word “Easter” was always used in reference to what elsewhere in Christendom (including Ireland) was called the Pasch. The best opinion is that the word “Easter” was used because of its literal meaning, “the East,” or “the dawn,” Christ the “Orient from on High.” In his canticle, Zachary, the father of John the Baptist, quoted his namesake, the prophet Zacharias, in regard to the Orient, the Light of the world, a Messianic title: “BEHOLD A MAN, THE ORIENT IS HIS NAME: and under him shall he spring up, and shall build a temple to the Lord” (6:12). Christ rose at dawn, “the sun being risen,” the gospels say, far to the east of England. After England’s conversion, the word Easter was always, and specifically, used as a name for the Feast of the Resurrection. It had nothing to do with a pagan goddess — just that, coincidentally, the names are almost the same.
Just watch and see how the secularist activists push their never-ending agenda on this one. And, check out the movies, where you’ll find Hop, an Easter bunny copycat of the stupid Santa Claus movies, all aimed at burying the true story and replacing it with nonsense. You can read the item on the Seattle school Christianophobia here.
