Easter is essentially a feast of joy and hope for every people everywhere. Easter is the first and perhaps the only feast the early Christians knew till about the end of second century. Mary of Magdala was the primary witness to the resurrection of Christ. Her evangelical exclamation “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18) emphatically express the essence of Easter. As the cakes, stars, Christmas tree, crib symbolize and give the outer appearance and joy of Christmas, the white lilies, Paschal candle and Easter egg give the outer appearance and joy of Easter.

The presentation of eggs at Easter time has a legend in the Eastern tradition where Mary of Magdala travelling to Rome and appearing before the court of emperor Tiberius. When she tells Tiberius about Jesus’ death and resurrection, he challenges her story, saying no one could rise from the dead any more than a boiled egg in a dish on the table could turn red. With that, according to the legend, Mary picked up an egg and it turned bright red in her hand. To this day, icons of Mary of Magdala often depict her holding an egg, and Easter Christians still colour their Easter eggs a bright red.

The American space traveler Neil Armstrong when landed for the first time on the moon, then American president said, “After the creation it is the greatest event in the whole of human history.” For this the renowned world preacher of States Bill Graham reacted saying, “The president of USA has committed a great mistake, in the whole of human history the greatest event is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and not man walking on the moon”
Easter is the major moveable feast of the liturgical year. The date of Easter accords with the date of the Jewish festival of the Passover which is based upon the old lunar calendar. By this method of calculation the date of Easter is the Sunday nearest the first full moon following the spring equinox. Easter Sunday nowadays is the first Sunday after the first full moon following 21 March, and can therefore fall on any Sunday between as early as 22 March or as late as 25 April. The spring season in which Easter occurs, with its renewal of life following winter, bears out a synchronous relationship with the resurrection theme in the mythic story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. At Easter our life and our perception of the world is given the opportunity to change. All things are made new. We arise from a world of periodical death and decay into a timeless and immortal realm of spirit.

The night of Easter makes everything new, sets everything free, bandages every wound and wipes away every tear. It raises the dead and destroys the darkness of sin, restoring us to friendship with God. Not a single corner of the cosmos is left untouched because the light of the resurrection illuminates all creation; nothing is left unredeemed, not even a single second of time past, present, or future. Who could refrain from singing, who would dare to be sad on this night?

At Easter we rejoice because Christ did not remain in the tomb, his body did not see corruption; he belongs to the world of the living, not to the world of the dead; we rejoice because he is the Alpha and also the Omega, as we proclaim in the rite of the Paschal Candle; he lives not only yesterday, but today and for eternity (cf. Heb 13:8). We rejoice because our faith in Christ has been vindicated, truth has triumphed over falsity, justice over injustice and tragedy has turned into comedy. The story of the suffering and death of Jesus on Good Friday is the story of the triumph of falsity over truth, of injustice over justice, of evil over goodness. Jesus was falsely charged of crimes He did not commit, and unjustly sentenced to a death He did not deserve. His good friend betrayed him, his trusted companions deserted him and his number one man denied him. The people he loved demanded his crucifixion and chose to have the bandit Barabbas released in his place. It is a story of betrayal and lies, dishonesty and meanness, unfaithfulness and wicked violence directed against an innocent and apparently helpless victim. All this comes to a head on Good Friday when we see Jesus scourged, mocked, led on the death march, nailed to the cross where he dies after a few hours and hastily buried in a tomb. Death is not the end of the story. There is one more chapter. This is the most important chapter because, as the saying goes, they who laugh last laugh best. And in the last chapter of the story of Jesus we see him rise from the dead in all glory and majesty. He is vindicated. His enemies are shamed and confused. Jesus regains his eternal glory with the Father. He is the Lord, who will prevail over all humankind, his enemies included. For us his embattled followers this is good news. It is good news to know that truth is immortal. We can suppress Truth, accuse it of being a lie, condemn it, torture it, kill it, and bury it in the grave but on the third day Truth will rise again. Remember this and do not give up on Truth even when everybody seems to give up on it. Do not give up on Truth; do not give up on Justice. Do not give up on doing what is right. We must learn to believe in the sun even when it is not shining, knowing that it will shine again. Today Christ has won. And we know that in Christ we shall overcome.

The Resurrection is not a thing of the past; the Resurrection has reached us and seized us. We grasp hold of it, we grasp hold of the risen Lord, and we know that he holds us firmly even when our hands grow weak. We grasp hold of his hand, and thus we also hold on to one another’s hands, and we become one single subject, not just one thing. Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that there is life beyond the grave. Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that there is more to each of us than meets the eye, that we have an immortal soul. Although our body will return to dust, our soul will live forever with God. What is the purpose of life? What is your goal in life? Where is your heart in life? Life has only one ultimate goal, to prepare for the next life, and if you are not preparing for your own resurrection you are like a train that has become derailed. What happens to a train that gets derailed? It goes nowhere. Can you take your house to heaven with you? Then why make such a fuss about your house? Can you take your car to heaven with you? Well then, why become so engrossed in your car? Can you take your bank account to heaven with you? Why are you so busy that you have no time to pray to God every day? It is God you want to meet in the next life, isn’t it? I cannot understand anyone who says they believe in God but do not pray every day. It is a contradiction to say that you believe in God if you do not pray.

Think of the glorious future that awaits each of us. In the letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, “For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the Savior we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body.” (Phil 3:20-21) Do you live like someone who believes in such a glorious future? If you do, surely everything in this world takes on a new perspective, so that, we do not become possessed by our possessions.

The three women came to the tomb wondering who would roll away the stone for them (Mark 16:1-3). Perhaps they hoped the soldiers keeping guard would roll it away for them to allow them anoint Jesus’ body. But when they got there the stone was already rolled away. Have you allowed a stone to prevent you from meeting the risen Jesus? Have you allowed the stone of becoming engrossed in what you have and own and what others have and own be a stone to block your way to Jesus? If you haven’t yet met the risen Jesus, roll away the stone.

The night of Easter is spent in keeping the vigil because of the coming of our King and Lord, that the time of His resurrection may not find us sleeping like the foolish maids who missed the wedding banquet but keep us awake to witness and experience the resurrection of Christ. Easter is a time of new life. That which was dead now lives. Darkness is gone. A warm sun shines. Life has a new meaning.
The celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord is the celebration of our hope, our joy, our sharing in the New Life of Christ. At our baptism we accepted the New Life of Christ.  Our washing was itself a symbol of dying to a dead world and rising to a new life.  We took upon ourselves the commitment to live this new life.  We took upon ourselves the responsibility to spread this new life.  We took upon ourselves the obligation to allow Christ to use us to transform the world.

Jesus has called us out of this darkness and death and given us each the ability to make his presence real for others.  If we just allow God to work through us, if we just strive to be that unique reflection of his love he created each of us to be, then we will come out of the tomb with Him and live eternally. Our lives have meaning, and purpose and beauty when they are united to His Life. The tomb is empty, Mary.  But the world is full.  The Savior Lives.  May His Life change the world.  May we let His Life change the world. “Do not be afraid,” there is great reason to hope.  Jesus Christ, our hope, has risen from the dead.

Many doubted in the resurrection of Christ. And few like Thomas simply refused to believe it. Only when each of them had experience for himself an encounter with the risen Lord they began to believe and their joy bubbled over. May this Easter help each and every one of us to have a personal encounter with the Risen Lord and may it rise our hopes and aspirations. Let us walk this day with joy in the bright light the risen Christ has brought into our world and into our lives. Let us live like as martin Luther said, “Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning and is coming back again tomorrow.”