One Place Where Holy Week is Hell Week

A super market.

It's Sunday morning. For me, the Holy Week hubbub is over.

I'm a year older than I was the last time I endured so-called Holy Week and I don't remember ever being this exhausted. It's probably that I'm wearing out and not that the Easter frenzy is so much more intense than it's been, though I worked more hours and held more responsibility than in the past.

Truly, for me, Holy Week is hell week.

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I've been noticing the mentions of Holy Week activities in the congregations of my high-church-envying, low church Facebook friends and I'm thinking, from a real-world perspective, that its a silly little game they're playing at. And, a fruitless game, as well.

(Or, perhaps it's actually fruitful but the fruit is rotten.)

In a sense, my job in a super market puts me in a place where real world thinking bears fruit.

And, I work for a super market owned by a family of committed Christians who hire many people who are sincere churchgoers, if not genuine disciples. And, I observe my coworkers carefully. Then, of course, I come into contact with the hundreds upon hundreds of customers who, unwittingly, I'm certain, reveal their true Holy Week rituals by the purchases they make.

Certainly, many of these people will "go to church" today, and perhaps even at sunrise. Perhaps they went even on Thursday and/or on Friday, but, based on what I see people buy, and what I hear my churchgoing coworkers talk about, Easter in the real world has church...and, especially Jesus...being an add-on at the absolute best.

In the store, Easter's a consuming frenzy and of the sort that signifies any secular celebration.

People buy lots of the traditional meat of the holiday. It's ham here. And, lots of snacky stuff to go with the meat when it's eaten as leftovers in sandwiches.

And, lots and lots of candy...so we can all be sure to raise up our children in the way they should go...and, so they know that this holiday is about the visit of the Easter Bunny.

I'm certain that many of my preacher/pastor/parish priest friends worked hard on planning the, uh, "services" for the special days of Holy Week but, based on the place I occupy in the world, what my clergy friends did this past week meant less in real-world terms than it meant last year or the year before.

There's nothing that they're doing now that will begin to reverse the trend for next year. In fact, if anything, they're adding fuel to an already raging fire.

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Based on what I'm seeing, my friends in the clergy worked on an increasingly high church level, grooving on a Holy Week celebration that would have gagged the founders of the movement I'm a part of...

...and which is becoming less central to the lives of real people with each passing year.

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So, folks, enjoy the spicy mustard on your ham sandwiches and watch the kids do their Easter egg hunting and, when the yung'nes aren't looking, grab some of that candy for yourselves.

And, don't stop until we all can say, of that giant chocolate Easter Bunny, "He is eaten, he is eaten, indeed."

Happy Easter!