Every year, I celebrate Easter, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Easter should be, and it is, the Feast of feats in that it is the foundation of our faith. This is expounded by Saint Paul when he says: “if Christ has not raised, then empty is our faith” (1Co 15:14). I regret viewing Easter for a long time as just a feast day, an anniversary, while it should be of a constant living fact. Do I feel Easter in my heart rather than a mere celebration? Do I renew my commitment to the Lord and see if I am still at his school? Do I recall all the saving work of the Lord in my life and try to pass to work in living out all that Christ bestowed on me through his life, passion, death and resurrection towards my neighbor?
Departing from my discoveries and experiences, I find that there are three different kinds of Easter viewed as transforming or transfiguring passages of our history:
We marvel the wondrous work done by God towards the Israelites. Out of His love, God chose a people (the Israelites) in order to bring them to the life of freedom. Given that God wants to manifest His love to such a people and that there is no love without Freedom, He marvelously liberated them first through Moses; whence the passage from the Egypt of slavery to the Palestine of freedom. God can in no way deal with a slave people; He wants us to serve Him as free people.
Jesus has saved us after suffering too much. The story of Jesus teaches us that life is not only pure joy or suffering. It is both suffering and victory. Despite suffering, Jesus has taught us that love and life will always prevail[1]. That is why He died for us in order to bury our sins that prevent us from living in freedom. By climbing the Calvary, he goes towards death, but in reality, he goes towards true life. He has thus opened for us the doors of heaven and enables us to have a share in divine life. He rescued us from the clutches of Satan and made us new. Thus, after the fall in the garden of Eden, we are new again. We have been raised with Him. Now that we are new, we should rejoice and jubilate. Since this newness in Chris is the Already and Not Yet, we are called to be born again (Cf, Jn 3:3) and to always seek what is above (Cf. Col 3:1). By His Easter, Christ shows us the way to the new land. The latter is already begun as Christ says:” the Kingdom of God is among you” (Lk 17:21). By his resurrection, Christ has led us to love, our real nature as being created, that we had lost. We can now love in the way of God who is but love, lest we remain slaves of sin. Whoever does not love remains in death (Cf. 1John 3:14). Moreover, we love because He first loved us (1John 4:19).
Being in the joy of Easter brought by Christ, I am called to live my Easter all along my life here below. The final resurrection is not yet realized; however, it will only make manifest what is already a mysterious reality with me. This Easter of mine constitutes the passage I have been doing from the beginning of my existence towards a humano-divine one. Understandably, God who created me without me cannot save me without me, to use the words of saint Augustine of Hippo. Thus, I am called to contribute to my salvation. I have to undergo such a passage for my growth in Christ. On this, I am aware that there is no growth without transformation and there is not transformation without death and new birth[2]. Like the grain of wheat which is thrown into the ground so as to produce more fruit (Cf. Jn 12:24), I am called to die to my Self in order to be raised anew. This is possible if I reject all that is not of God so as to entirely dedicate my life to God. This should be concretized through my decisions that I make for my life to keep myself on the rails of Christ.
The death I am talking about is not the death that awaits me at the end my earthly life, but rather the everyday death. It is a death freely chosen for my growth. Yet, it is suffering but I don’t have to complain in the sense that it points to life. As this passage of live is not done without suffering, I would say that there is no Easter without Good Friday. On this let us take an example from the journey of the Hebrews. From Egypt to the promised land, there was an immense desert and too much struggles. As they advanced, the problems increased up to the point that they wanted to go back to the Egypt of slavery. Sometimes, I am tempted in like manner; nevertheless, I should not. They had impression to go towards death, but in reality, they were heading to true life. This is what I experience in my life. I cannot be transformed without passing through everyday death, suffering, or sacrifice.
Each decision I take in my life should be that of opting for Christ. Sometimes I shrink, and want to go back to Egypt, to the slavery of Sin while Christ has freed me from it. At the same time, I feel consoled by Jesus who tells me to keep patience. Truly, patience is bitter but its fruit is delicious. Jesus continues to show me how much it is enjoyable to make use of the freedom He has restored in me through His resurrection. Such a freedom is revealed whenever it is worth than money, whenever it is not for sale at any price, whenever I believe that my God is greater than sin, whenever love takes the upper hand in my life, whenever I am convinced that all things are lawful, but not all are advantageous (Cf. 1co10:23), and if only truth can make me change direction. In so doing truth (Ukuri) will set me free (Cf. Jn8:32).
My brethren, let us not lose sight of living out Easter in a real way. Let us feel the presence of Christ in our life. Since He is risen, He is living, He is present, and He is active. He is not here for the sake of being here; He is here to act in our very life and so transfigure and divinize us. Let us appropriate Easter in our life. Let us allow ourselves to be touched by Christ.
Viva Christ!
Glory, Dominion and Victory are yours,
Deign to reign in our heart now and forever!
[1] Excerpt from Living with Christ Booklet, March 2021,10
[2] Cf. VARILLON F., Joie de croire, joie de vivre (Paris : Centurion, 1981), 39.
