[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8329-8330]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 EASTER

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the poet Alfred Edward Housman, 1859-1936, 
wrote in his poem, ``A Shropshire Lad,'' the following verse:

     Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
     Is hung with bloom along the bough,
     And stands about the woodland ride
     Wearing white for Eastertide.

  The trees are in bloom. In Washington, the annual cherry blossom 
festival begins this Saturday, March 31, and runs through April 15. It 
is always a beautiful sight, whether viewed under warm and sunny skies 
or as the blossoms fall like rain on a misty morning. It is a lovely 
celebration of Spring and a welcome complement to Easter.
  This year Easter falls on April 8, when the Senate will not be in 
session. Each year, of course, Easter falls on a different day, 
sometimes with many weeks' difference from year to year. Easter is a 
very moveable feast and has been throughout its long history. The 
calculation of when to celebrate Easter has varied through the 
centuries, being settled for just over 1,427 years by the Council of 
Nicea in 325 A.D. But even today, Easter remains a moveable feast.
  The Roman Emperor Constantine convoked the Council of Nicea in 325 
A.D. to resolve a number of important differences between the religious 
practices across his empire. The council decided that the Easter 
festival should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon 
following the vernal equinox, thus eternally linking the return of 
spring with the resurrection of Christ. If the full moon occurred on a 
Sunday and thereby coincided with the Passover festival, council 
further decided that Easter would be commemorated on the following 
Sunday. The council also declared that the calendar date of Easter 
would be calculated at Alexandria, in Egypt, which was the leading 
astronomical center of the fourth century world.
  This attempt to reconcile Easter celebrations proved difficult, 
however, as fourth century astronomy lacked the knowledge to resolve a 
discrepancy between the solar and lunar years. As a result, the 
differences between the true astronomical year and the Julian calendar 
then in use continued to grow. By 387 A.D., churches in France and 
Egypt were celebrating Easter on dates 35 days apart. In 465 A.D., the 
church adopted a reformed calendar that fixed the date of Easter, but 
churches in what is now the United Kingdom refused to adopt the 
changes.
  In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII reformed the Julian calendar yet again, 
resulting in the calendar in use in much of the West today--the 
Gregorian calendar. This new calendar corrected many of the 
difficulties in fixing the date of Easter and other important 
ecclesiastical dates. When Great Britain and Ireland adopted the 
Gregorian calendar in 1752, Easter was celebrated on the same day in 
the Western part of the Christian world. However, the Eastern churches 
did not adopt the Gregorian calendar, and celebrate Easter on different 
dates. Occasionally, the two churches' calculations coincide, and 
Easter is celebrated on the same date throughout the world. The last 
time that happened was in 1963.
  All of these details are fascinating, at least to a longtime fan of 
the study of history. I find it thought-provoking to consider how the 
study of astronomy and the development of calendars has affected our 
daily lives today, as they have the daily life of so many who have come 
before us. But does it matter, Mr. President, when we celebrate Easter? 
In the long run, I think, the celebration of that momentous moment in 
history is far more important than precision on the day of the week. 
Few events in history have had a more profound impact on our lives. You 
do not have to be a Christian or an adherent of any particular church 
or faith, to recognize the impact of Christ's life upon world history, 
regardless of which day of the week or week of the year it took place.
  Christ's message, brought home by His sacrifice at Easter time and 
His subsequent resurrection, changed the lives of billions of people 
over the years. In Matthew 28:5-6, we are told, ``The angel said to the 
women, `Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, 
who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.''' 
That much change is bound to have an effect on everyone else.
  The rise of a new religion and the power and passion of its churches 
has changed empires, international boundaries, customs, and lifestyles. 
The Christian religion has grown and spread across the globe, sweeping 
old religions away.
  On this Sunday, Christians observe Palm Sunday, recalling Christ's 
triumphant entry into Jerusalem with crosses made of palm leaves like 
those that were laid across Christ's path to welcome Him. Next Friday, 
Christians will commemorate Christ's sacrifice on Good Friday, when He 
took up His crown of thorns and carried His own cross on that long, 
sad, walk to be crucified. Then on April 8, church bells will ring, and 
sunrise services will celebrate His resurrection from the dead and His 
ascension into heaven with the rising sun. It is a deeply moving and 
uplifting period, Mr. President, and it does not matter when it 
happens--only that it did happen. Beautiful, blessed Easter, giving 
hope to us all.
  Mr. President, I wish you and yours all the blessings of Easter, with 
all of its promise of everlasting life spent in the love of the Lord. I 
close with a poem by Louise Lewin Matthews, called ``Easter Morn.''

                              Easter Morn

                       (By Louise Lewin Matthews)

     Easter morn with lilies fair
     Fills the church with perfumes rare,
     As their clouds of incense rise,
     Sweetest offerings to the skies.
     Stately lilies pure and white
     Flooding darkness with their light,
     Bloom and sorrow drifts away,
     On this holy hallow'd day.
     Easter lilies bending low
     In the golden afterglow,
     Bear a message from the sod
     To the heavenly towers of God.

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