Easter Sunday.
Perhaps one of my favourite readings for this particular day is as follows:
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” — Isaiah *53:3-5 *
“Easter or Resurrection Sunday”, is a Christian festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.
Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as "Holy Week", which contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper, as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus.
Easter is also linked to the Jewish Passover, known as “Pascha,” commemorating the Jewish Exodus from slavery in Egypt.; as both the crucifixion and the resurrection took place during the same period.
The resurrection of Jesus, which Easter celebrates, is one of the chief tenets of the Christian faith and to my mind more important than Christmas.
The significance lies in the belief that death is swallowed up in victory. From this follows on an acceptance that any person who chooses to follow Jesus receives a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Thus, through faith in the working of God, those who follow Jesus are spiritually resurrected with him so that they may receive salvation, being physically resurrected to dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven.
According to the three Synoptic Gospels, Jesus gave the Passover meal a new meaning, as in the upper room during the Last Supper he prepared himself and his disciples for his death. He identified the bread and cup of wine as his body, soon to be sacrificed, and his blood, soon to be shed.
Today in the Vatican City, at the Easter liturgies; with the sharing of light from the paschal candle, the renewal of baptismal promises and the proclamation that Jesus had risen was, said Pope Francis, an assurance to people that it is never too late to start again.
With Italy in lockdown due to the covid pandemic, the pope celebrated a pared-down vigil at St. Peter's Basilica with an estimated 200 people present and returned the next morning with a similarly small congregation for Easter Mass and to give his blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world).
The vigil was simpler than usual, but there was still the blessing of the fire, which blazed at the foot of the basilica's main altar, and the lighting of the Easter candle. Then, for those of you that have ever attended this service, there is that almost magical and moving experience as to when the darkened church slowly began to glow with the light of candles being shared by the concelebrants and the faithful present.
In his homily at the vigil, the pope said the Gospel proclamation of the resurrection and the angel's invitation to the women at Jesus' tomb to "go to Galilee" was a call to return to "the place where the Lord first sought them out and called them to follow him."
The pope said the call to return to Galilee also means to set out on a new path, away from the tomb and from indulging in grief.
Like those at the tomb, he said, "many people experience such a 'faith of memories,' as if Jesus were someone from the past, an old friend from their youth who is now far distant, an event that took place long ago,"
"If on this night, you are experiencing an hour of darkness, a day that has not yet dawned, a light dimmed or a dream shattered," he said, "open your heart to the message of Easter: 'Do not be afraid, he has risen! He awaits you in Galilee.'"
The Gospel witnesses to the Resurrection, he said, "report an important detail: the risen Jesus bears the marks of the wounds in his hands, feet and side. These wounds are the everlasting seal of his love for us. All those who experience a painful trial in body or spirit can find refuge in these wounds and, through them, receive the grace of the hope that does not disappoint."
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