Given the short “long weekend” students have off for Easter, staying in Hillsdale is our best option.
Since classes don’t end till noon on Friday — worthy of an opinion article of its own — students have about 80 hours total for Easter break. Hours of driving each way cuts into that break significantly, and that’s not even considering potential flights. Students who have to fly home lose at least six hours both ways for travel, not to mention the likely hundreds of dollars on a two-way ticket.
But the money and time factors are not the only reasons for celebrating Easter in Hillsdale. In fact, these components are sub-par to the more important aspects.
Celebrating Easter in Hillsdale allows students to observe Holy Week at the same church or parish. Holy Week services are important rituals of the Christian life that bring each individual through Christ’s final moments before his death.
Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, commemorating Christ’s entrance to Jerusalem on a donkey, as a lamb heading to slaughter, Christ’s fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, which foretells of the King of the Jews coming on a donkey.
“So [the crowd] took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” John 12:13-15 reads. “And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.’”
The next service most churches offer is Maundy Thursday. This Passover service celebrates Christ’s initiation of the Lord’s Supper when he offered the bread and wine before his own sacrifice the next day.
Good Friday recognizes Christ’s death as a sacrifice for man’s sins. Christians grieve this merciful weight in somber or silent services.
On Holy Saturday, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Hillsdale, in union with Catholic churches around the world, celebrates Christ’s resurrection from the grave in an Easter vigil service. The congregation sings and prays into the wee hours of the morning, when all proclaim “Christ is Risen.” New Catholic converts are received into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil.
Easter morning marks a great celebration for, “He is not here, but is Risen!” College Baptist offers a sunrise service at Baw Beese Lake before its traditional morning service.
Many churches, families, and student groups host large brunch feasts in celebration of the end of Lent and the Resurrection of Christ.
Commemorating each of these moments with the same church is an important part of a Christian’s Holy Week. Traveling on Good Friday, while for the good cause of visiting family, often sacrifices the beauty of attending special services that orient the individual to ponder the cross and Christ’s sacrifice.
Holy Week and Easter weekend in Hillsdale are busy, beautiful times. Sharing these fundamental Christian experiences with fellow friends, students, and professors is a bond of the body of Christ.
Plus, Easter falls late this year, so Michigan spring will hopefully be at its peak in mid-April. Sunny days are ahead, and students can enjoy the warmer weather and fun outdoor activities amidst the Easter Week celebration. Take a five minute trip to Baw Beese Lake for some relaxation instead of a five hour trip for too-brief time with family.
Feast with your Christian brothers and sisters at Hillsdale this year. The opportunities to do so are limited, and the reward is eternal.
Michaela Estruth is a senior studying history.
