MEANING OF EASTER
As I begin to mediate on the meaning of Easter for me, I remember a story. A few years ago, as I was walking one afternoon in the campus of the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, a young man approached me and asked: “Father, what is the real meaning of Easter?†After conversing with the young man I went home and wrote a few thoughts on Easter. Let me share with you those thoughts and others that occurred to me on the journey of life.
Christians through centuries, particularly the first disciples of Jesus, have proclaimed in words and deeds: We are Easter people! For us Christians, the resurrection of Christ is the central mystery of our faith. Saint Paul writes: “In the first place I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried, and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures†(I Cor 15:3-4).
To be a Christian yesterday, today and always means to be able to say with God’s grace – like Mary Magdalene, like the apostles – I have seen the Lord! To see the Lord in life implies to experience his presence as Crucified and Risen Lord, to be transformed by him, to be seduced by his life and mission. How may we know that indeed we have seen the Lord Jesus?
How did the first Christian communities show that they had experienced Christ’s transforming presence? Their answer: “They remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to fraternity, to the breaking of the bread, and to prayer… They shared their food gladly and generously, praised God and were looked up to by everyone†(Acts, 2:42, 46-47).
Is the Lord the Risen Lord for us? If we have encountered Jesus in our life, then he is raised from the dead. Where may we encounter the Risen Lord? We may encounter the Risen Lord in the praying and fraternal community, in the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ and a Community of Disciples: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst†(Mt 18: 19-20). We recall that the apostle Thomas did not experience the presence of the Risen Lord when he was absent from the apostolic community.
We may encounter the Risen Lord in the Sacraments of the Church: in Baptism (the catechumens baptized on Easter Vigil experienced Jesus raised from the dead), in Penance, and above all in the Holy Eucharist: “This is my body,†Jesus said, “This is my blood†(Mt 26:28-28). Furthermore, we may experience the Risen Lord in the Word of God, the Sacred Scriptures, particularly when proclaimed in the Church. We remember the two disciples of Emmaus, who after recognizing the Lord in the breaking of the bread said to one another: “Were not our hearts burning inside us as he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us? “ (Lk 24:32).
We may encounter Christ the Lord in our mission, in preaching and witnessing the Good News. This is the great resurrection command from the Risen Lord: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations… And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world†(Mt 28:19-20). We may also feel the presence of Jesus in our lives if we love the little ones, that is, the poor, the sick, and the abandoned on the roads of life. These words of Jesus resound in our hearts in a special way through Easter: “What you do to the least of my brothers, you do it to me†(Mt 25:40). As it has been often said and repeated: Jesus is personally present (“I was hungry and you gave me foodâ€) in the “poor†and in those who are close to the poor.
How may we experience Christ’s resurrection, Easter today? We may experience him by turning away from sin, which is darkness and by practicing virtue, which is light. Easter is light: the light of Christ, Jesus the Easter Candle. True Easter, according to Saint Athanasius, is abstention from sin, practice of virtue and the passage from death to life. But, how may one know that he or she has passed from death to life? We know, St. John tells us, “we know that we have passed out of death and into light, and of this we can be sure, because we love our brothersâ€(I Jn 3:14).
One fact from the Easter narratives that moves me deeply is the courageous, hopeful and joyful love of the apostles and the first Christians. These proclaimed the Word, focused on the death and resurrection of Jesus, in an incredibly bold manner. They were outrageously joyful – even in suffering and particularly in martyrdom. At times in our life, it is hard to be joyful. But we know that, as witnesses of the resurrection of Christ, our life ought to be permeated essentially by joy. I remember this remark by one of my favorite authors, Martin Descalzo: “The two travelers to Emmaus had a reason to be sad, for they believed that Jesus was dead; the bad thing is that some of us continue to be sad even believing that He lives.â€
Saint Augustine narrates to us a beautiful and inspiring story. In the first centuries, through the Easter Vigil night, some unbelievers (“the pagansâ€) were not able to sleep much – haunted it would seem by the songs of the Christians inside their home or community. At early morning, these unbelievers rushed to the Christian places of worship and position themselves near the doors to be able to watch how the Christians came out after the celebration of the Eucharist of the Resurrection through the whole night long. When they saw the joyful, transfigured faces of the Christians, many of them were converted to Jesus – to the Risen Lord. How are the faces of Christians today – our faces? “The old has passed away, behold the new has come†(II Cor 5:17).
Are we Easter People? Indeed, we are: We Christians believe strongly in the resurrection of Jesus the Lord, which is the guarantee of our own resurrection (I Cor 15:20-23). That is why we are Easter People and we – sinners all – try hard to behave as witnesses of his resurrection – of his love. We are Easter People and Alleluia is our song! May those around us notice that we are Easter People by the way we treat them with kindness and compassion. Dear co-pilgrim by the journey of life… Happy Easter! (FGB)