The Meaning of Easter

Easter refers to that particular Sunday in March or April when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. While some Christians believe that the foundation day of the Church is on Pentecost Sunday, many believe that the Church was actually founded on Easter Sunday.

So great is the importance given to Easter Sunday. This is in recognition to the truth that if Christ has not been resurrected, the christian faith is futile, as St. Paul has written.

But what is the meaning of Easter to the individual Christian? Personally, I believe that the most important message of easter is that life does not end in death. That there is life after death on earth. It means that Jesus have shown that death has no power over us, that there is no reason to fear death, that there is no need to be feel insecure, and that in the midst of the darkness of this world, we are still the children of the light.

Does the message of Easter rings a bell to our everyday life as Filipinos? When hopelessness permeates the whole fabric of the Filipino psyche due to poverty, corruption, and divisions, Easter shows us that there is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It brings us to the realization that only by dying to ourselves can we truly experience the power of the resurrection.

Easter is basically a message of hope. When we are about to give up on our ideals and dreams, Jesus invites us to reflect on his selfless act of giving Himself for others. When everything else seem to fail, we look up to Easter Sunday and reclaim our right as heirs of the Kingdom of God. Let us remember that when Jesus died on the Cross on that infamous Good Friday, his disciples became very fearful. Yet when they heard of his resurrection, they became very fearless.

Happy Easter to everyone.