MUCH like Christmas, the true meaning of Easter has been lost. With the most important festival in the Christian calendar engulfed by consumerism, shop shelves are stacked high with Easter eggs and bunnies. Stores largely favour cute cards, with images of

MUCH like Christmas, the true meaning of Easter has been lost.

With the most important festival in the Christian calendar engulfed by consumerism, shop shelves are stacked high with Easter eggs and bunnies.

Stores largely favour cute cards, with images of the Easter bunny, fluffy chicks, or colourful eggs, over religious ones.

Ask a group of children what Easter means to them and undoubtedly the answer will revolve around chocolate - more specifically, chocolate eggs.

I guess school holidays, and perhaps a trip to Center Parcs, may also feature on some children's radar when it comes to Easter.

But the fact that Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after he was crucified is, I suspect, no longer the emphasis in many Christian households.

Today, the religious message is conspicuously absent.

Many children are receiving and devouring Easter eggs without ever realising that the egg is a symbol of rebirth, and it was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus.

While schools do their best to teach children about the meaning of Easter, it is ultimately the duty of Christian parents to reinforce this message.