Resurrection Feast (sometimes called Easter by those in the West) was never a day dedicated to cute bunnies or coloring eggs for early Christians. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy eating rabbit in traditional ‘Molokhaya’ soup (that is the reason for Easter bunnies, right?) and hard-boiled eggs (with feta cheese) just like the next guy, but today is a celebration of a far greater joy that has the ability to color our entire reality.
Consider, how else might Christians have been prepared to become martyrs for their faith in Jesus Christ? How is it they willingly endured every hardship imaginable to man? Why did they dedicate themselves to a life of holiness in the midst of great perversion? What caused them to gladly sacrifice for the sake of their fellow humans in times of pandemics, famines, and persecutions? How did they remain unimaginably hopeful in the bleakest of times? Simple! They encountered the eternal God in Jesus Christ and received the free gift of His life by faith.
Created as immortals in the image of God (Wisdom of Solomon 2:23), humans were only born as mortals (in other words, ‘we die’) as a result of the sin of our forefather Adam (Romans 6:23a). Thanks be to our God and Father who did not desire to leave us in such a condition; rather He offered us the free gift of immortality in His Son Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23b). Our Savior put on a body, in order that the body – interwoven with life – might no longer remain mortal in death; now having put on immortality we might become immortal by the resurrection in Christ (On the Incarnation, 44).
May a personal encounter of the Risen Christ this day (and each day) forever transform our perspective, priorities, and plans.
Joyous Feast of Resurrection.
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!