THE MEANING OF EASTER IN CHRISTIAN LIFE

A couple of months ago the Christian world celebrated the greatest event of the Christian spirituality: the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Indeed, at the occasion of this festivity, the Christendom commemorates the victory of the redeeming God over sin and death, as well as the reconciliation of God with humanity by the re-establishment of harmony, which our first parents had broken by sinning, between God and Man.

This is why I, Jossy VANGU, residing in Salongo South (No. B3j 608), Commune of Lemba, Kinshasa, DRC, have the privilege to report the Easter festivity as it unfolded in our suburb’s parish, which bears the very name of the Resurrection. Several people would wonder whether it is still relevant to report this event after two months.

Of course, it is: this year’s Easter celebration has so powerfully impact on my life that its echo accompanies me every day, reminding me : “Jossy, you’ve been redeemed by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross; and by his death and resurrection, God the Father has freed you from the bondage of sin and death, and has clothed you with the right to be His child”.

The Easter feast consists first of three great days also called the “paschal triduum”. They runs as follows: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The latter are crowned by the great day of resurrection, which falls on Sunday.

1. Maundy Thursday: it is the day when Jesus instituted two sacraments that are the Eucharist and the Order.

a. The sacrament of the Eucharist means the permanent presence of the Lord Jesus in the midst of His Church through His identification with the bread (as His body) and the wine (as His blood): “This is my blood, which is given for you…This cup is God’s new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:19-20). Thus, in eating this bread and drinking this wine, each baptized becomes one with the body and the blood of Jesus.

b. The sacrament of Order means the perpetual divine service instituted by Jesus, and which is identified with the priesthood of the New Testament. It is sealed in these terms: “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). It equally identified with the episcopate, which is the office of the bishops and consists in governing the Church of Jesus Christ, and to ensure that Christ’s Gospel is proclaimed in its fullness.

Further, one of the most marking gestures of the Maundy Thursday was the washing of the disciples’ feet by Jesus the Master before introducing them to the paschal meal. The greatest lesson given by Jesus through this gesture is eminently political: whosoever occupies an authority position ought to serve others and not himself; he ought to make himself the last of all instead of dominate the neighbors.

Thus Jesus said: “You know that the rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority. This, however, is not the way it shall be among you. If one of you wants to be great, he must be the servant of the rest; and if one of you wants to be first, he must be your slave—like the Son of Man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people” (Matthew 20:25-28).

The ceremony was run by the day’s officiant, Father Stanislas Kalanda, our parish curate. Assuming Jesus’ role, he washed the feet of some parishioners as disciples, including my beloved grandfather, Jean-Louis Willy Vangu, who played the role of the Apostle John.

2. Good Friday: it is the day when Christians commemorate the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, at Golgotha. It was under the rule of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, and the rein of King Herod. The day is dominated by the Way of the Cross, which we meditated throughout the streets of Salongo, our borough. Through the Way of the Cross, we remember the condition given by Jesus to be His disciple and to go to heaven: we must always bear our cross, that is, crucify our flesh along with its passions and lusts.

3. Holy Saturday: Jesus descended the abode of the dead so as to awaken the upright who were sleeping in expectation of resurrection, and to drive them in His triumphant cohort toward paradise. It is the Easter vigil, in high expectation of the spiritual liberation of mankind.

4. Sunday: it is Easter. Jesus is arisen from the dead, neutralizing thus the power of sin and death, and guaranteeing eternal life to whomsoever believes in His name. In summary, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian faith. At this occasion, our Resurrection Parish was graced with the presence of Mgr. Timothée Budika, who was the Mass chief celebrant.

To conclude, Easter gives the whole meaning of a human person’s life, and tof the march of nations. It reminds us that Jesus Christ is always present in the midst of His people, the Church; that he is standing at the door of everybody’s heart, ready to grant him everlasting salvation if he opens it to Him in believing in His name; that He is the remedy to the scourges that are battering nations, if the latter’s rulers welcome Him as their Lord and Savior (thence his title of King of kings); and that God’s ultimate plan is the restoration of the universe in His blood.