On the eve of Easter my news feed is flooded by colored eggs and pinterest-perfect kuliches. Excitement is in the air. All is ready to burst into raptures and Easter cheers.

There are different types of attitude to Easter among the people I know. Some people cheerfully welcome the Resurrection of Christ. Others also rejoice, but only remember about it once a year. And, of course, there are people, who grumble at those who only come to celebrate at the very last moment of the Holy Week. "Where on Earth have you been all year - when we were observing the Great Lent, going to services, reading Bible? What have you been doing?!" - they ask.

I used to be angry like this too. It's hard to keep my thoughts to myself when a young lady has never remembered about the Gospel all year, then suddenly shares a recipe for egg coloring? How can I not be outraged when a friend who has not once come near a church all year, now sends me a picture saying  "Happy Easter holiday!"?  If that doesn't call for a good grumble, than I don't know what does. 

Well, what difference does it make to you what happens to our Christ there! He's ours! The celebration is for us,  the real Orthodox, who pray a hundred times a year, and not for you, who do it only on Easter! We will not give you our Christ! You only remember about him once a year, and even Christmas for you is not the moment of His birth, but the day of red caps, Coca-cola commercial, and an occasion to drink champagne!

Ok, let me stop right there.

He is not "our" Christ. We cannot split Him, and He certainly wouldn't want us to. Because Christ is for everyone. He is not mine, or yours, He is ours. And it is very good that someone who never thinks of Him all year remembers about Christ at least on Easter.  It is very good that someone who never even held the Holy Book in his hands, will learn the Most Important History of Mankind at these days of the Holy Week. It is very good that one more person will say with joy "Christ is risen!".

Christ cannot be divided. He is the Lord, which means He loves us, all the unreasonable ones. Those who remember him, and those who don't, those who know that he has risen, and those who don't even think about it - we all have His love. He loves those who accept God without doubt, and those ask for proof. It's for our little minds to mess around looking for evidence, but what does it matter to Him? He just is. Always there, rejoicing for us, weeping for us.

There are fewer reasons for joy lately. Crying often seems more appropriate. It's our own fault. Pride, anger, fornication, envy, hatred, greed - it's all human doing, not God's. He is free of all evil.

Once upon a time I came across a book about the psychology of prayer. I was then a young psychologist, interested in all kinds of approaches to self-regulation. At first I was skeptical, looking at this book. I thought, how can science and religion be combined? Isn't that nonsense? Turned out it was possible.  It's just that everyone has a different explanation for this phenomenon. Those who remember Christ once a year at Easter explain prayer as auto–suggestion, psychological adjustment, energy flow and a million other ways. And those who do not doubt God, and for whom prayer is a conversation with God - they do not need an explanation for it and find no problem in combining prayer with psychology.

It seems to me that Easter night is a good reason to pray for both kinds of people. Let there be all these energy flows, and let there be God. The Resurrection of Christ is a miracle for everyone, and, therefore, He will surely hear all the prayers. After all, if you know that Christ died on the cross and then rose again, then you know the most important thing. So live with this knowledge always.