I remember meeting a young women on my mission. She must have been in her mid-teens. We had been invited into their home for a religious discussion. As they were Seventh Day Adventist our conversation evolved around the Sabbath day. As with some other Christian denominations they observe Saturday, the 7th day, as the Sabbath. As is the Jewish custom.
Old Testament | Genesis 2:1–3
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
In this conversation she asked me why we worship the Lord on Sundays. I in turn asked her which day they celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Why, Easter Sunday, of course.”
Thus it is, each Sunday, a weekly reminder of the risen Lord.
Judge mee how you may. I took an ox in the mire position. Who knows if I will ever make it back to D.C. I took the opportunity to see some sights. Doing so I was very mindful of it being Easter Sunday.
It was a beautiful Sunday. The sun was shining, not too hot, not to cold. And the humidity…was comfortable. We started with lunch at Union Station. Originally we planned on just riding the bus around and not getting off. When I realized we were approaching the cemetery I wanted to get off. Cemeteries are hollowed grounds. I find myself drawn to them for Easter, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day.
Without going into detail I let my desire to get off known to the rest of my group. While a little hesitant, they picked up the intensity, if not the depth of my desire to spend Easter Sunday at:
I was about ready to cry right there, and I haven’t even made it through the gate.
“Our nation’s most sacred shire.”
I can’t seem to get over that line. Humility and awe overwhelm mee. As Latter-day Saints our temples are sacred. Our families are sacred. Something is sacred because you make it so by how you treat it, talk about it, and even live for it. A shrine is something built, maintain and cared for to honor someone or something we hold dear. I was to spend the next week visiting monuments (shrines) built for founding father’s, presidents, and war veterans.
This shrine, Arlington National Cemetery, started as the order was given for Civil War casualties to be buried in “Mrs. Lee’s garden”. Lying west of the Potomac River the Lee Plantation become the resting place of those who are willing to give their lives for freedom. The giving of life for an ideal, makes the ideal sacred. Maintaining a resting place for those whose lives have been given for the same ideal makes it a shrine.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier…I am not sure I could begin to explain. We were able to witness the changing of the guard. How do you explain the “why” in guarding a tomb? Furthermore, how do explain the responsibility as be a high honor? For the you to understand you would need to value you something deeply, so as to be willing to sacrifice for it.
I have heard it said there are two people willing to die for your freedom:
JESUS CHRIST and the American Solider. I am profoundly grateful for both.
I got to spend an Easter Sunday at Arlington National Cemetery. A beautiful reminder of those who have died for my freedom. One of them rose again. May I prove worthy of their sacrifices.
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