The meaning of Easter
By Katherine Miller
CROWLEY – Easter is the Christian holiday in which Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. On the calendar, Easter is typically celebrated between March 22 and April 25, depending on how the lunar calendar agrees with the Gregorian calendar each particular year.
The story of Easter is the central experience of the Christian belief system, and is a portrayal of persecution and rebirth. Christians believe that on the Friday before Easter, Jesus was executed by crucifixion. It is believed that his body was buried in a guarded cave with a large boulder blocking the entrance after having been removed from the cross.
The following Sunday, Christians believe that the cave was visited by faithful of Christ who were the first to discover that the cave was empty. Later that day, Jesus followers encountered Him and came to believe that He had risen from the dead.
“As believers in Jesus Christ, the Feast of Easter is the most important day of the year,” says Father Gary Schexnayder of St. Michael Catholic Church. “The rising of Jesus from the dead is the foundation of our Catholic Faith. Easter is the ‘feast of feasts,’ ‘the solemnity of solemnities,’ and ‘the great Sunday.’ Because Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, we call Sunday, the Lord’s Day. For us who bear the name of Christ, we celebrate our faith on the Lord’s Day, the day of Resurrection from the dead to new life.”
“As disciples of Jesus, we are a ‘resurrection people’ and our song is the Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia of the Easter Liturgy. Because of the rising of Jesus from the dead and his victory over sin, evil and the powers of this world, we share in his power, in his life, in his victory and in his divine grace. Easter is celebrated one day a year; we live the meaning of Easter and the life of the Easter Event, each and every day of our lives. As we renew our faith in Christ, may each one of us claim in our personal relationship with Christ the blessings, the gifts and the graces that only the Easter Event provides. In whatever circumstances we are, we share in the life, the joy, the light, the hope and the glory of the risen Christ. Through faith in Christ, we share in the fullness of the Spirit of the Lord with its gifts and its graces. When our faith in Christ is real, we live Easter every day of our lives.”