Let's be hopeful this Easter
Each one of us has a purpose that God wants us to fulfil but we have to find it ourselves.
Every Sunday I see a police van parked outside the church’s main gate. On special events, the authorities have to ensure the security guards are vigilant before we begin the mass.
The scouts take care of the vehicles outside (although once my hand bag and other valuables were stolen from my car while we were praying at the church). At the entrance, a metal detector is installed and every person is subjected to frisking and manual checking in case of suspicion. We have to finish the mass early so we can reach home safely, avoiding any kinds of mishaps.
Churches have to keep a low profile nowadays and there are not many lights or decorations outside. We even refrain from having get-togethers, melas, musical competitions, conventions or picnics anymore. So far, there has been no incident or attack but the danger remains.
Nonetheless,a great number of faithfuls attend the Holy Week services without fear of attacks because faith is, after all, unshakable.
Celebrating Easter
The most Holy morning, when we gather at the church to celebrate the day Jesus Christ achieved victory over evil begins with a mass at sunrise, around 4:30 am. The leader lights a candle which is followed by a procession. Then, the members of the congregation light their candles using the already lit ones. The ceremony marks sharing the light of Christ, overcoming the darkness of sin and death.
Children love the holiday
Easter eggs and the Easter bunny: To share the joys of Easter, children paint and share Easter eggs. Egg symbolise a new life. When the chick hatches this reminds us of Jesus giving us new life. The Easter bunny is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs.
Easter lilly: Renowned as a mark of purity, virtue, innocence, grace, hope and life and is the perfect symbol to represent Easter.
Hot cross buns: The cross marked on the top of the buns reminds us of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. The buns are distributed among the congregation and people share them with their family and friends after the mass on Good Friday.
The message of Easter
The spiritual message of Easter is about forgiveness, resurrection and reconciliation, not just between us and our Creator, but also with others. This reconciliation is a way to begin new and better relationships by letting go of past mistakes and errors. It means accepting one another fully and totally as we are. Nowadays it's easy to find hatred and anger in the society but it’s hard to find reconciliation.
We all carry our own crosses in life facing the trials and tribulations. In all such situations we plead and ask God to intervene in our lives but we still wonder if God will hear and answer our prayers? Each one of us has a purpose that God wants us to fulfil but we have to find it ourselves.
This Easter, I pray the message of hope touches all your hearts and has a lasting effect!
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