Easter

Someone reportedly named John said something in his gospel that always appealed to me. He said, "greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." I was raised in a religious tradition that values sacrifice. I'm not referring to all the children whose innocence has been sacrificed to evil priests down through the centuries. Although I've left the church entirely due to its glaring hypocrisy and blood soaked history, I still respect and revere the notion of sacrifice. Easter reminds me. The story of one mysterious being who so loved humanity that he sacrificed his life to save us from death. I don't know if he got the results he was hoping for, but he stepped up. There's a 63 year old Filipino man reportedly named Ruben. He's been crucified - nailed through the hands and feet to a wooden cross - on Good Friday for 35 years in a row now. From up there, he prays for us all. I hope it's not in vain.