Anthony DeStefano is a bestselling author from New Jersey who, sick and tired of the commercialism and general secular culture surrounding Easter, decided to write a children’s book about the story of the Easter Bunny in which he “Christainizes” that story and uses it to teach his young audience about Christ and the true meaning of Easter.
In the book, titled “The Story of the First Easter Bunny,” DeStefano writes about the story of a “small bunny with very large ears.” But, rather than being set in the modern day, it’s set in Biblical times. In the book, the future Easter Bunny begins the book living with his ailing mother near the city of Jerusalem during the time of Christ and the Gospel.
The biblical aspects quickly come in, with the bunny heading off to find Jesus, as he has heard that Jesus can heal with His hands and thus could help heal his mom. While on his journey, the bunny witnesses the Last Supper, crucifixion, and Resurrection, then goes on to travel the world and spread the good news. DeStefano writes that “many were saved, because they believed the life-changing news that they had received.”
Speaking to Fox News Digital about the books and what it’s meant to teach, he said that the idea for a book about the Easter Bunny being a vehicle to teach people about Christ came to him when he was at Mass and frustrated with the consumer culture surrounding Easter. During the Mass, he heard the phrase, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Commenting on that phrase and what it means, DeStefano said, “I’m very well aware that in Christian theology, the phrase ‘having ears to hear’ means something very different than simply hearing words.” He continued, “It’s about understanding those words, internalizing their message — and through that active listening, you can bear much fruit in the kingdom of heaven.”
Then, speaking to Fox News Digital about how hearing that message led to him thinking of a Christian message and writing the new book, DeStefano said, “So it struck me that since bunnies have enormous ears, in my story [those ears] become a symbol for spiritual receptivity, the way Christians are supposed to listen to God.” He added, “I wrote my book because I thought there was a way to use the Easter Bunny for a deeply spiritual purpose.”
Further, emphasizing how parents can use the story to instruct their kids, he said, “I know the Easter Bunny is not inherently Catholic, but I do think it can be effectively deployed by Catholic parents as a way to add to the festivity of the Easter celebration, while at the same time teaching children about the death and resurrection of Christ in a way that’s not so frightening.”
He added, emphasizing why the message of the book is important, “But to be able to give kids an idea of what the crucifixion and the resurrection are all about, by employing an adorable Easter bunny in a way that’s not so frightening — it is valuable.”
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