Easter from past to present

Easter: From Past to Present

It is believed that Easter is the greatest celebration in the Christian calendar, and the foundation on which Christianity is built on (John 2005, 2579). Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ three days after his death by crucifixion (John 2005, 2579). The significance of Easter Sunday goes back to Christ’s claims of being God, because claiming to be God was a direct violation of Jewish Law (John 2005, 2580). It was only after the death and through the resurrection of Christ that people began to have an understanding of his claims at being God (John 2005, 2579). The resurrection led people to put faith in Christ and, in turn, Christianity. To commemorate Easter Sunday, Roman Catholics partake in services such as the Easter Vigil to honor the sacrifices that were made for humanity by Jesus Christ. The Easter Vigil is a service held in Catholic churches that commemorates the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. It consists of four segments being the service of the light, liturgy of the word, liturgy of the baptism, and liturgy of the Eucharist.

The service of light is an important role in the Easter Vigil, and plays an important role symbolically (Freeman 1945, 194). The service of light begins at sundown on Holy Saturday, and on sunrise of Easter Sunday (Freeman 1945, 194). The service of light starts with the Paschal Candle, which is a large white candle, blessed, lit and used throughout Easter (Freeman 1945, 196). Once the Paschal Candle has been lit, there follows a ritualistic rite of the Lucernarium where the Paschal Candle is carried by a deacon throughout a church that is bathed in complete darkness (Freeman 1945, 197). As the candle is carried around, the Deacon stops three times ...

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...y baptized attend, and are engaging in as part of the congregation (Cosgrove 1996, 540).

Christ’s resurrection is seen as conquering death, and this gives people the hope of eternal life- a hope that isn’t just physical but also spiritual (John 2005, 2580). If Christ had not been raised from the dead, then it not just Christian scripture and preaching that is empty, but the faith that is empty as there is no hope for an afterlife (John 2005, 2580). These events are significant in Roman Catholicism as the resurrection alluded to tremendously important events in Christianity; many of which are portrayed through celebrations such as that of the Easter Vigil on Easter Sunday. On the date of the Easter Vigil Roman Catholics commemorate Christ through four segments being the service of the light, liturgy of the word, liturgy of the baptism, and liturgy of the Eucharist.