Our Easter celebration is characterized by the symbols of light, water and the proclamation of the faith. The Paschal candle symbolizes Christ, the light who breaks through the darkness of our lives and scatters the night of sin. The water recalls the purification (as in the cleansing of Naaman) of baptism but also the death to former things (the "Flood" in the Noah narrative and the Red Sea that swallowed the Egyptians). But above all, the waters recall the river that flows out of the Temple of the last days (Ezekiel 47), and the water that was shed from the side of Christ broken by a soldier's lance. Finally, we proclaim the faith of the apostles as our own connecting us to two thousand years of Christian life. Read the following articles and use the following as your guide for reflection.
- Love and the Resurrection Faith
- Forgiveness in Jesus' Name
- Psalm 118
- Mag-aral Tayo: Ang Libingang Walang Laman (Juan 20:1-10)
1. The other disciple -- the one whom Jesus loved (v. 2) -- allows Peter to be the first to enter the tomb before he himself steps in and looks around. John tells us that although he saw the same things that Peter saw, he believed.
Reflect
The "other disciple" is presented as the one whom Jesus loved. It was he who had his ears on the chest of Jesus during the Last Supper and it was he who stood beneath the cross with Jesus' mother while all the others were away. He is John's example of the "servant" who follows his Master all the way to the cross (cf. Jn. 12:26). Love, St. Paul would say, believes all things (1 Cor. 13:6). And so, inspite of the fact that they haven't yet understood the Scriptures that said Jesus would rise from the dead (v. 9), the beloved disciple "believed" (v.8 ). Sometimes, belief is not about one not having doubts but loving the Lord so much that one would want to believe whatever he says. What does the figure of the beloved disciple say about the doubts that you may be harboring about the Lord and his words?
2. The "other" disciple reached the tomb first but he allowed Peter to catch up and enter first. Here one notes the respect accorded to the one whom Jesus would later on commission to feed his lambs and sheep (cf. Jn. 21:15-19).
Reflect
Peter, despite his weaknesses, is still the one whom the Lord chose to bear "the keys of the kingdom" (cf. Matthew 16:19), the "Rock" upon whom He will build his Church (Mt. 16:18; see Jn. 1:42). And the beloved disciple allows him to go in first out of respect. In this Easter feast and while we remember the faith we received, the figure of Peter rises as the Rock who supports the faith of the Church. On this day, the Pope will give his greeting "Orbi et urbe" -- the proclamation of Christ's resurrection. It is this proclamation that the whole Church listens to before she could make her own proclamation about the Risen Lord (cf. Luke 24:33-35). How do you see the role of Peter and his successors in relation to your faith?
3. Our conviction about Easter is not based on an empty tomb; rather, it is based on the testimony of the men and women who witnessed it, proclaimed it with changed lives and give us confirmation of it with the martyr's blood.
Reflect
For two thousand years now the proclamation of these witnesses continues in every generation through the men and women who themselves have been changed by the proclamation that the Lord has Risen. These are the men and women of the Catholic Church, who have not only "repeated" a message, but also have given their lives for it in many different ways. The witness of the lives of these countless people disproves the claims of those who consider our Easter faith a result of a process of mindless repetition. To what extent have you made your own the faith that nourished the hopes of people like Josephine Bakhita, Lorenzo Ruiz, the Korean martyrs or the Abitene martyrs?
