Easter Sunday

I was looking at the schedule of a Baptist Church in Illinois. They do not have Mass but they do have an Easter Sunrise Service. While we have a dawn Mass for Christmas, we do not have a dawn Mass for Easter. Yet it seems to me that celebrating Easter at dawn is meaningful. Why? Because sunrise symbolizes very well the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What we have instead are the Easter Vigil and the Mass of Easter Day.

The liturgical rule is very strict regarding the time of the Easter Vigil. The first rule is: It can only be celebrated any time between nightfall and before dawn. The second rule is: you can not also celebrate it at the time you usually celebrate the anticipated Sunday Mass. Consequently instead of using sunrise to symbolize the risen Christ, we have to use the Paschal or Easter Candle.

What does the Resurrection of Jesus mean to us? Let us answer that question by reflecting on the symbolism of darkness and of light.

Darkness symbolizes death. What do you see outside the house when someone dies? You see a black cloth with the name of the funeraria (Funeraria De Mesa or Funeraria Dionisio). (To die is to rest. Dionisio is the best.) Light symbolizes life. When is the time of greatest activity? During the day. The city or town comes to life during the day.

Darkness symbolizes sin and evil. White symbolizes grace and goodness. When I was in kindergarten, our religion book had 2 drawings to illustrate a boy in the state of sin and a boy in a state of grace. The boy in a state of sin had a black heart and his guardian angel was crying. The boy in a state of grace had a white heart and his guardian angel was smiling.

Darkness is associated with fear and terror. When I was spiritual moderator, I would bring our retreatants toTagaytay. At night I would sleep with them in the dormitory. My bed would be near the door so that if anyone would need to go to the toilet but was afraid because it was dark, he could wake me up. On the other hand, light makes us brave. It gives us courage. When I was young, I used to watch Gabi ng Lagim. It is about ghosts, aswang and manananggal. If I were alone, I would close all the windows and open all the lights in the house. The lights made me brave.

Darkness goes with sadness and light with happiness. What do we say when dark clouds cover the sky and rain starts to fall? The heavens are crying (sadness). What do we say about a person who makes us happy? There is a song with the words: “You are the sunshine of my life.”

Hostile forces attack under cover of darkness. Almost everyday I visit the website of Pinoy Photorgraphy dot org. One day I was shocked to read about the death of one of the members. He was held up and shot to death. When did it happen? At night just outside their subdivision. On the contrary, friends do not hide under cover of darkness. They do not say things or do things behind your back—unless they are planning a surprise birthday party for you. You feel safe with your friends. You trust them. Danny Javier, Boboy Garrovillo, and Jim Paredes of the Apo Hiking Society can attest to this after more than 30 years of friendship starting at the Ateneo when they were still students.

What is our conclusion? Darkness is almost always associated with whatever is negative while light is almost always associated with whatever is positive.

The first part of the Easter vigil is the lighting of the Paschal Candle. There was darkness but the darkness gave way to the light when the Paschal candle was lighted. That means that Jesus can take away the darkness in our lives.

Then during the procession of the Paschal Candle, we lighted our own candles from the Paschal Candle. It means that Jesus can take away the darkness in our lives and fill it with light only if we go to him.

Are we under the power of sin? Let us go to Jesus so that he can flush out sin with his grace. Do we feel evil inclinations in our hearts? Let us go to Jesus so that he may awaken the goodness that is already there. This is why Don Bosco recommended confession and communion.

Are we confused and troubled? Let us go to Jesus so that he may give us his peace. Are we discouraged? Let us go to Jesus so that he may give us the strength to go on. Do we feel overburdened? Let us go to Jesus so that he may give us rest. This is why Don Bosco recommended visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

The things that I have said about Jesus, are they for real? Does he really do these things? Once Time magazine interviewed Mother Teresa. She was asked: “What is your greatest fear?” Her answer? “I have Jesus, I have no fear.” For Mother Teresa, Jesus is for real. He really makes a difference. Jesus too can make a difference in your life. All you have to do is go to him and give him a chance.