We say: Will the near-destruction of an icon remind us what Easter is about?

This is absolutely the most wonderful time of the year.

Typically the autumnal weather is cool, but not too cold.

The seasonal chocolates and hot cross buns are free-flowing.

Of course, any indulgence is rewarded with diminishing guilt. You could never consume too much sugar at Easter!

When finally Thursday evening arrives, we might all breath a sigh of relief for the approach of a glorious four-day weekend - for those who may count themselves lucky enough to observe it.

But what are we observing?

While Christmas comes with messages of good tidings and cheer, what is the value assigned to our mid-April festivity? Have we lost the memory of its meaning?

On Tuesday morning, the world was given a glimpse of grief, watching the iconic spire of the Notre Dame Cathedral collapse in an inferno.

Televised across the world and on the internet, we saw as the French nation shed a tear for the one they call "Our Lady".

Referred to more often as a 'she' than an 'it', the cathedral has been a living, breathing part of Paris for more than 850 years.

Not just a building, not just a tourist destination.

She is a church. She is a place of worship.

And she was almost lost, on the eve of the most important event on the Christian calendar.

It is easy to forget the significance of such a place of worship. In our own backyard, we may boast few such icons of Christendom.

Here, Easter might mean a visit to our local church and the traditional feast of fish on Good Friday.

Is it little more than lip-service? A precursor to our Easter hunts for bunnies and eggs.

But this is a time when hope is hard to find.

Our towns are plagued by drought and our cities are increasingly facing crime and unemployment.

Maybe it is time to re-assign the value of hope for our Easter celebrations.

Whether you wish to subscribe to it or not, the traditional roots of Easter has its birth in a death.

The first Easter began when Jesus Christ was laid to rest.

More than the grief that consumed France at the potential loss of her beloved Notre Dame, was the grief of the world at his loss.

But hope emerged, as the story goes, when after three days he re-appeared, very much alive.

Notre Dame Cathedral may not share that same hope. It is unlikely to be restored in just three days.

So, the question is, will we make finding hope a priority this Easter?