EASTER SUNDAY
William Lee OFM
1. THE CHRISTIAN ORIGINS OF EASTER
Overview
Easter
is the annual festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the
principal feast of the Christian year. It is celebrated on a Sunday on varying
dates between March 22 and April 25 and is therefore called a movable feast.
The dates of several other ecclesiastical festivals, extending over a period
between the last Sunday of Easter and the first Sunday of Advent, are fixed in
relation to the date of Easter.
Connected with the observance of Easter are the forty-day
penitential season of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding at
midnight on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday; Holy Week,
commencing on Palm Sunday, including Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion,
and terminating with Holy Saturday; and the Octave of Easter, extending
from Easter Sunday through the following Sunday. During the Octave of Easter in
early Christian times, the newly baptized wore white garments, white being the
liturgical color of Easter and signifying light, purity, and joy.
Modern-day Easter is derived from two ancient traditions: one
Judeo-Christian and the other Pagan. Both Christians and Pagans have celebrated
death and resurrection themes on or after the Spring Equinox for millennia.
Most religious historians believe that many elements of the Christian
observance of Easter were derived from earlier Pagan celebrations.
Origins of the name "Easter"
The name
"Easter" originated with the names of an ancient
Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first
asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter
was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She
was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe.
Similar "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [were] known variously as
Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and
Ausos." Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring:
"eastre." Similar Goddesses were known by other
names in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, and were celebrated in the
springtime. Some were:
- Aphrodite
from Cyprus Astarte, from Phoenicia Demeter,
from Mycenae Hathor from Egypt Ishtar
from Assyria Kali, from India, Ostara, a
Norse Goddess of fertility.
An alternate
explanation has been suggested. The name given by the Frankish church to Jesus'
resurrection festival included the Latin word "alba" which
means, "white." (This was a reference to the white robes
that were worn during the festival.) "Alba"
also has a second meaning: "sunrise."
When the name of the festival was translated into German, the "sunrise" meaning was selected in
error. This became "ostern" in German. Ostern has been
proposed as the origin of the word "Easter".
Sunday
is named after a Pagan sun god, Sol.
Judeo-Christian origins of Easter
Easter embodies many pre-Christian traditions. The origin
of its name is unknown. Scholars, however, accepting the derivation proposed by
the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe it probably comes from
Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to
whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April. Her festival was celebrated
on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival
survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter
eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of
spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.
The Christian festival of Easter probably embodies a number
of converging traditions; most scholars emphasize the original relation of
Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach, from which is derived
Pasch, another name for Easter. The early Christians, many of whom were of
Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a
new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the
Messiah as foretold by the prophets.
The
Christian celebration of Easter is linked to the Jewish celebration of the
Passover. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were
observed by the ancient Israelites early in each new year. (The Jewish people
followed the Persian/Babylonian calendar and started each year with the Spring
Equinox circa MAR-21) "Equinox" means, "equal night;"
on that date of the year, the night and day are approximately equal. The name
"Passover" was derived from the actions of the angel of
death as described in the book of Exodus. The angel "passed over"
the homes of the Jews which were marked with the blood obtained from a ritual
animal sacrifice and exterminated the first born son of every family whose
doorway was not so marked.
- Liberal
theologians trace Passover to an ancient pre-Israelite Pagan
ritual practised by wandering Semitic shepherds. The Feast of
Unleavened Bread was originally a traditional Canaanite agricultural
harvest, which was adopted by the Israelites. It marked the start of the
barley harvest; barley was the first crop to ripen. Because they occurred
at about the same time each year, the two celebrations became merged into
a two-day observance. The Passover became associated with the exodus of
the Jews from Egypt.
- Conservative
theologians generally believe that these observances were originally
created by God as described in Leviticus 23:5-14, and
recorded by Moses.
How the date of Easter is determined
Easter
Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 20, the
nominal date of the Spring Equinox. Many sources incorrectly state that the
starting date of the calculation is the actual day of the Equinox rather than
the nominal date of March 20. Other sources use an incorrect reference date of
March 21.
Easter
Sunday can fall on any date from March 22 to April 25th. The year-to-year
sequence is so complicated that it takes 5.7 million years to repeat. Eastern
Orthodox churches sometimes celebrate Easter on the same day as the rest of
Christendom. However if that date does not follow Passover, then the Orthodox
churches delay their Easter - sometimes by over a month. Easter are celebrated
on the following dates by the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches:
|
Year |
Ash Wednesday |
Easter Sunday |
Ascension Day |
Pentecost |
|
2002 |
Feb-13 |
Mar-31 |
May-9 |
May-19 |
|
2003 |
Mar-5 |
Apr-20 |
May-29 |
Jun-8 |
|
2004 |
Feb-25 |
Apr-11 |
May-20 |
May-30 |
|
2005 |
Feb-9 |
Mar-27 |
May-5 |
May-15 |
|
2006 |
Mar-1 |
Apr-16 |
May-25 |
Jun-4 |
When was the date of the first Easter?
Passover was
the most important feast of the Jewish calendar, celebrated at the first full
moon after the Vernal Equinox. (The Equinox typically occurs on March 20, 21 or
22 according to our present calendar.) The Gospels differ on the date of
Jesus' execution:
|
|
The
Synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew and Luke) stated that Jesus' last supper was
a Seder - a Passover celebration at the start of 15th Nisan, just after
sundown. (Jewish days begin at sundown and continue until the next sundown).
Jesus was executed later that day and died about 3 PM. |
|
|
The
gospel of John had the last supper at the beginning of 14th Nisan. Jesus is recorded
as having died on the afternoon of 14th Nisan. |
Most
theologians reject John's timing. They assume that John chose a false date for
symbolic reasons. He made Jesus' execution synchronize with the sacrifice of
the Pascal lamb in the Temple at Jerusalem. If Jesus were murdered on a Friday,
then Passover would have fallen on a Thursday. This happened both in the years
30 and 33 CE.
Many
theologians accept an execution date of Friday, 30 April, 7 CE as correct. However, this date does produce
some difficulties with the timing of Jesus' ministry. Most theologians reject
the inference in the Gospel of John that Jesus taught over a three-year period.
An early crucifixion date is compatible with a one-year ministry, as implied in
the Synoptic gospels.
The Christian Liturgical Calendar
Until the
4th century CE, Easter and Pentecost were the only two Christian holy days were
observed. Easter Sunday was the main day of celebration, formally recognized by
the Council of Nicene in 325 CE. Pentecost Sunday was also observed as
a less important holy day, 7 weeks/49 days after Easter. Other occasions
related to Jesus' execution were gradually added to the church calendar:
·
Lent: This was a period of spiritual preparation for Easter
that typically involves fasting, penance and prayer. Various Christian groups
originally established it as an interval ranging from a few days to several
weeks. It was eventually fixed in the 8th century CE at 40 days. (The number 40
is one of many magical numbers with religious significance in the Bible. 40
days recalls the interval that Jesus, Moses and Elias spent in the desert.
Other magical numbers were 3, 7, 12, and 70). Among Roman Catholics, Lent
lasts for six and a half weeks before Easter, excluding Sundays. Among the
Eastern Orthodox churches, it is a full eight weeks, because Saturdays and
Sundays are not included.
·
Ash Wednesday: This is held on the first day of Lent, a Wednesday.
"Wednesday" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon "Wodnes Daeg";
Woden was the Saxon God of war and victory.
·
Holy Week: the week before Easter Sunday:
o Palm Sunday: This
is held on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It recalls Jesus' triumphant entry
into Jerusalem one week before his execution.
o Holy Monday
commemorates Jesus' cleansing of the temple, when he assaulted moneychangers
and overturned their tables. Some believe that this triggered his arrest and
crucifixion.
o Holy Tuesday
recalls Jesus' description to his disciples on the Mount of Olives of the
destruction of Jerusalem
o Holy Wednesday
(once called Spy Wednesday) recalls Judas' decision to betray Jesus in exchange
for 30 pieces of silver.
o Maundy Thursday
commemorates the Last Supper, Jesus agony in the garden and his arrest.
"Maundy" is derived from the Latin "mandatum" (commandment
of God in John 13:34-35) For centuries, people in authority
have washed the feet of their followers on this day.
o Good Friday recalls
Jesus death on the cross. The origin of the word "good" has been
lost. Some claim that it is a corruption of "God" and that the early
Christian called this day "God's Friday." Others claim that
"good" refers to the blessings of humanity that Christians believe
arose as a result of Jesus' execution.
o Holy Saturday (a.k.a.
Easter Eve) is the final day of Holy Week and of Lent.
o Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus' resurrection. In the early church,
converts were baptized into church membership on this day after a lengthy
period of instruction. This tradition continues today in some churches.
·
Feast of the
Ascension (a.k.a Ascension Day) is a
celebration of Jesus' ascension up to heaven. This is described in:
o the gospel of John as happening immediately after Jesus'
resurrection
o the gospel of Luke at an undefined number of days after the
resurrection
o the book of Acts at 40 days after the resurrection.
The church has accepted the account in Acts; the feast is
celebrated on a Thursday, 39 days after Easter Sunday. Although tradition
states that it was first celebrated in 68 CE, it did not become formally
recognized by the church until the late 3rd century.
·
Pentecost (a.k.a. Whit Sunday) is now celebrated 7
weeks/49 days after Easter Sunday. It recalls the visitation of the Holy Spirit
to 120 Christians, both apostles and followers. They spoke in tongues (in foreign languages that they
had not previously known) to the assembled crowd. 3,000 were baptized. The day
was originally a Jewish festival which was called "Pentecost,"
because it was observed 50 days after Passover. (The Greek word for fiftieth
day is "pentecoste.") This is usually regarded as the date
of the birth of the Christian church. The feast was mentioned in a 2nd century
book, and was formally recognized in the 3rd century CE.
Easter Traditions
As with
almost all holidays that have their roots in Christianity, Easter has been
secularized and commercialized. The dichotomous nature of Easter and its
symbols, however, is not necessarily a modern fabrication.
Since its
conception as a holy celebration in the second century, Easter has had its
non-religious side. In fact, Easter was originally a pagan festival.
The ancient
Saxons celebrated the return of spring with an uproarious festival
commemorating their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eastre. When the
second-century Christian missionaries encountered the tribes of the north with
their pagan celebrations, they attempted to convert them to Christianity. They
did so, however, in a clandestine manner.
It would
have been suicide for the very early Christian converts to celebrate their holy
days with observances that did not coincide with celebrations that already
existed. To save lives, the missionaries cleverly decided to spread their
religious message slowly throughout the populations by allowing them to
continue to celebrate pagan feasts, but to do so in a Christian manner.
As it
happened, the pagan festival of Eastre occurred at the same time of year as the
Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ. It made sense, therefore,
to alter the festival itself, to make it a Christian celebration as converts
were slowly won over. The early name, Eastre, was eventually changed to its
modern spelling, Easter.
The Date of Easter: Prior to A.D. 325, Easter was variously
celebrated on different days of the week, including Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday. In that year, emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea. It
issued the Easter Rule that states that Easter shall be celebrated on the first
Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox, or
first day of spring. Therefore, Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday between
the dates of March 22 and April 25. Its date is tied to the lunar cycle.
The
Cross: The Cross
is the symbol of the Crucifixion, as opposed to the Resurrection. However, at
the Council of Nicaea, in A.D. 325, Constantine decreed that the Cross was the
official symbol of Christianity. The Cross is not only a symbol of Easter, but
it is more widely used, especially by the Catholic Church, as a year-round
symbol of their faith.
The
Easter Bunny: The Easter
Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival
of Eastre. The Anglo-Saxons worshipped the goddess, Eastre, through her earthly
symbol, the rabbit.
The Germans
brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by
other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was
not widely celebrated in America until after that time.
The
Easter Egg: As with the
Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian
holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was
centuries old when Christians first celebrated Easter.
From the
earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were
often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by
boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.
Today,
children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the
modern version of real Easter eggs -- those made of plastic or chocolate candy.
These have
been derived primarily from Pagan traditions at Easter time:
- Hot
Cross Buns: At the feast of Eostre, the Saxon
fertility Goddess, an ox was sacrificed. The ox's horns became a symbol
for the feast. They were carved into the ritual bread. Thus originated
"hot cross buns". The word "buns" is derived from the
Saxon word "boun" which means "sacred ox." Later, the
symbol of a symmetrical cross was used to decorate the buns; the cross
represent the moon, the heavenly body associated with the Goddess, and its
four quarters.
- Easter
Rabbit and Eggs: The symbols of the Norse Goddess Ostara
were the hare and the egg. Both represented fertility. From these, we have
inherited the customs and symbols of the Easter egg and Easter rabbit.
Dyed eggs also formed part of the rituals of the Babylonian mystery
religions. Eggs "were sacred to many ancient civilizations and
formed an integral part of religious ceremonies in Egypt and the Orient.
Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples, and the egg was regarded as the
emblem of regenerative life proceeding from the mouth of the great
Egyptian god."
- Easter
Lilies: "The so-called 'Easter lily' has long been
revered by pagans of various lands as a holy symbol associated with the
reproductive organs. It was considered a phallic symbol!"
- Easter
Sunrise Service: This custom can be traced back to the ancient
Pagan custom of welcoming the sun God at the vernal equinox - when daytime
is about to exceed the length of the nighttime. It was a time to "celebrate
the return of life and reproduction to animal and plant life as well." Worship of the
Sun God at sunrise may be the religious ritual condemned by Jehovah as
recorded in:
Ezekiel 8:16-18: "...behold, at the
door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five
and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces
toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east. Then he
said unto me, hast thou seen (this), O son of man? Is it a light thing to the
house of Judah that they commit the abominations that they commit here? for
they have filled the land with violence, and have turned again to provoke me to
anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal
in wrath; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they
cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them." (ASV)
- Easter
Candles: These are sometimes lit in churches on the eve of Easter
Sunday. Some commentators believe that these can be directly linked to the
Pagan customs of lighting bonfires at this time of year to welcome the
rebirth/resurrection of the sun God.
2. Easter
Sunday
Perspective
Easter put everything about Jesus into
perspective and tells us what Good Friday was all about. It shows that what
really happen on Good Friday was not an execution but a sacrifice, not a defeat
but a triumph, not an end but a beginning. It was a beginning of a fuller life;
for Jesus did not rise from the dead merely to continue the life he had lead in
this earth. He rose to a glorified life of perfect happiness where he put
behind him all the suffering, misery and fears that are our own.
Our Faith
“They saw and believed”: This is very
much the testimony of the first witnesses, John and Peter and others who saw
Jesus risen from the dead, and this is what our Easter faith should depends on.
Joy in the risen Christ should pervade the celebration. Do we feel the joy the
disciples felt in the presence of their risen Master? Their community was
complete again, not with a Jesus doomed to suffer, but with the Lord of the
living and the dead.
Theme and Characteristics
The paschal mystery, the date and the
resurrection of Christ is the central theme of the Easter cycle, not merely as
a historical commemoration but as a here-and-now manifestation of the
glorification in the Christian assembly and as a fervent prayer for full
realisation of the redemption. Easter celebrated deliverance from the slavery
of time, sin and death. It celebrated the deliverance as already having been
achieved in Christ and as shared by the Church, the Body of Christ.
Paschal Celebration
Paschal celebration begins at the Grand
Vigil, but it continues for fifty days of which Easter Sunday is the first. The
day stresses the presence of the risen Jesus among his own, leading us to the
fullness of faith. We renew our baptismal promises. It also brings the Holy
Triduum to a close.
The Mass
Easter Sunday is really the continuation
of the season inaugurated at the Easter Vigil and flows from it. If Easter
Vigil Mass was like an earthquake that sends out shock waves, then the
resurrection event reverberates most strongly on Easter Sunday, then throughout
the fifty days of the Easter seasons (Paschal Time). Those shock waves reach
every Sunday of the earth and every mass on weekdays. Any feeling of anticlimax
after the Easter Vigil should be dispelled by the solemnity and festivity of
the Easter Sunday Mass.
Baptism and Renewal of Baptismal Promises others
Easter
Sunday is an ideal time to celebrate baptism, particularly the baptisms of
infants, if adults are baptised at the Vigil. Adult neophytes will return on
Sunday morning to share Eucharist with the wider parish community.
Renewal of
baptismal promises gives the opportunity of making: God wants to live in us in
our full and free commitment.
-
Will I try to overcome the darkness in my relationships with others: my
lack of love and caring?
-
Will I try not to be drugged by the easy options and selfish attitudes
of an affluent society (Satan’s “empty promises”)?
-
Will I commit myself to God as Father and Creator, to Jesus who is
Lord, to the Spirit who gives life, especially in and through the Church, to bring
about, where I live, the resurrected world?
For that, may He keep us faithful. Amen.
Others
For some
people, Easter morning is the occasion of an infrequent visit to the church and
the Eucharist of Easter day is an opportunity to hear the gospel anew. For
regular churchgoers, the great vigil had had no place in their devotional
background and the service on Easter morning is for them the primary
celebration of the major Christian festival. Others will return after the Vigil
for another and in their mind a more traditional, Easter service. Some will
simply be unable to attend the Vigil and wish to worship on Easter. All need to
feel that something important is happening, as indeed it is. The church is
celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Living the
paschal mystery
The church does not limit her
celebration of her Lord’s resurrection to Easter Sunday but continues it until
the day when the Lord sends his Spirit. The reason for this unbroken
celebration is that Pentecost marks the full impact of salvation on the world,
and the outpouring of God’s life upon men.
3. THE READINGS
FIRST
READING: Acts 10:34, 37-43.
Peter opened his mouth and said:
“You
know the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from
Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and
healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we
are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in
Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God
raised him on the third day and made him manifest; not to all the people but to us
who are chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after
he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to
testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him
receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”