Easter: Feast of new life

The risen Christ : With his death and resurrection Jesus initiates a new world for mankind; with the risen Jesus the whole humanity is risen. Victory over sin and death is obtained for the crying mankind. St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, "Jesus ... was put to death for our sins and raised to life to justify us" (4:25). He died and was raised that we may have eternal life in heaven. With this good news every year the Christian community joyfully celebrates Christ's resurrection which is the ultimate conclusion of the celebration the Paschal mystery beginning from Palm Sunday (4 April) and going through Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday. In fact, the 40-day season of lent that begins with Ash Wednesday (Feb. 25) is a spiritual preparation with fasting, penance, almsgiving, works of charity, prayers etc. for the celebration of this week of paschal mystery traditionally called Holy Week.

Each year Easter celebration not only takes us back to the divine resurrection history but brings our life to the present. The risen Christ brings a new time filled with grace, and he lives in this new time. We for whom Jesus died and brought victory over sin and death through his resurrection can now enter into his victory and be healed of our sinful state. It is therefore a new Kairos where we enter being risen with the risen Lord, being glorified with his glorified existence. Only a transformed person can see the risen Jesus ever present in the present historical time called chronos. The disciples and a woman named Maria of Magdala had to make the step gradually from historical Jesus to the risen Jesus. She made a very hig mistake to see Jesus with mere historicity and thought the risen Jesus was a gardener; the disciples on the way to Emmaus could not recognise him until the breaking of bread by Jesus. Resurrection of Jesus is a history of God's intervention that made Jesus raised from the dead and be in a totally transformed state, a state glorified. This glorified Jesus is ever present in this historical time and we are urged to preach this risen Christ to others through our "risen" "new" "glorified" life.

Easter celebration : Liturgically it begins from the Easter vigil liturgy in the night of Saturday, Holy Saturday which is centralised with the message of liberation from the bondage of sins. This is very well expressed by the blessing of fire and lighting of the big paschal candle from which all light their candles; blessing of water and sprinkling of water over all expressing the bath with the water of the risen Lord; renewal of baptismal promises, i.e., renouncing Satan and his activities and keeping faith in God and Jesus Christ. The whole salvation story runs through the chanting the Easter preface. Easter vigil liturgy announces the resurrection of Jesus singing Alleluiah, meaning praise the Lord! He is Risen! It follows then the holy Mass with joyful hymns.

Each family tries its best to fast on Good Friday and make every endeavour to have peace and reconciliation among the members in order to have real joy on Easter Sunday and of course the days after. On Easter Sunday family members exchange Easter greetings and young ones receive Easter blessings. Special food is very common to find in every family. However, unlike Christmas, Easter festivity and its sentiments last short in the society.

Call of Easter: As it is a feast of new life the Easter directly calls every one to rise from the strange and dreadful state and situation of sins and see the risen Lord present in his/her life. How do we celebrate the feast of new beginning while we remain still in the old? The reality is very challenging. There are sinful attractions, sinful activities, sinful attitudes, sinful motivations, even sinful strategies in the name of doing good in the political, social, economic or even religious area of our life. Easter calls all to take the challenge to bring a new situation.

We must come to the reflection, a deep reflection on the Easter event and take its call as a challenge. We are happy today, we are joyful, for today is Easter. Let us also take the challenge to live unto its demand: a new and transformed personal and social life implementing peace, social justice, love and service in our life, in our society and at large in our country. And this Easter call is not only for Easter Sunday but is ever constant and contemporary; and it is not only for the Christian community but it is universal. Let us sing in one voice Alleluiah!