The resurrection broughtthis is a highlighted text message of peace & is significant for NE
Christians all over the world are celebrating Easter, the most important festival of the Christian calendar. It commemorates the greatest event, that of the Christ’s resurrection, his rising from the dead, which he had foretold during his life time, proving beyond doubt the fact that he is the Son of God. It is preceded by a three-day preparation: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday or the Easter Vigil as it has come to be known. For Christians, the resurrection of Christ is the very foundation of their Faith. St Paul states: “If Christ in not risen, then our faith is in vain!’
Just as the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus, which is commemorated every year on Good Friday, isn’t a figment of anybody’s imagination, the Resurrection of Christ which is celebrated on Easter Sunday (Easter always falls on a Sunday, unlike Christmas or other Christian festivals) is a historic fact, something that really, concretely happened.
The meaning of the word Easter is not fully known. It is often assumed that the word Easter comes from a “pagan” figure called ‘Eastre’ (or Eostre) who was revered as the goddess of spring or goddess of the East (from where the sun rises) by the Saxons of Northern Europe, and honoured with a festival called Eastre during the spring equinox. Her symbol was the hare (a symbol of fertility), hence the Easter Bunnies! The Lily in glorious bloom during the season of spring is mentioned frequently throughout the Bible and serves as a beautiful reminder of the significance of Easter, its magnificent whiteness symbolising as it does new birth.
Social implications
The obscurity of the origins of the word Easter aside, its significance is what matters. The new birth is associated with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from his grave on the third day of his death. Interestingly, the secular press is awash with reports about the renovation and upkeep of Jesus’ tomb! Would this have been the case had the resurrection been untrue historically?
Be that as it may, what does the resurrection event mean to the common man, both believer and non-believer, particularly in the context of India? To the believer, it implies hope – hope of an entry to a secure place in heaven prepared for us by Christ; hope that keeps one from giving in to despair when faced with excruciatingly painful situations in daily life – an incurable illness, loss of employment or life partner, and the like.
Secondly, like many other Indian festivals, Easter too celebrates victory of good over evil. The Pharisees and the religious leaders of Jesus’ time who crucified him thought that Good Friday was the end of Jesus and the values which he came to establish on Earth. They even sealed the tomb where they buried him with a very large heavy stone rolled against its opening, and placed soldiers to keep watch over the tomb. But they were proved utterly wrong. Jesus came out victorious from the tomb, gloriously proclaiming that the final victory is of goodness and godliness!
The message and the gift of the risen Christ was “Peace”. “Peace to men and women of good will” was the song of the Angels at his birth in Bethlehem, and peace was his gift to all whom he met after his rising from the death. “Peace be with you!” he always said, particularly to the frightened disciples who hid themselves for fear of the Jews. Peace is also Jesus’ gift to us who live in a world of false promises, bigotry and tyranny of one kind or another. We in the North East need peace today more than ever. May this Easter bring us closer to that day when people of all hues and colours, tribes and faiths live together in our land and region in peace and harmony!
(The author is an assistant editor at Better Yourself Books, Mumbai)
