Easter or Easter is a religious celebration for Protestant and Catholic Christians. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, where previously he died as a human and then rose again to atone for human sins. Easter signifies new life, where people who celebrate leave their sins and repent to achieve a righteous life.
However, Easter itself was celebrated before Jesus came. Exodus 12:11 says “And this is how you ate it: your loins were girded, sandals on your feet and a staff in your hand; make haste to eat it; it is the Lord's Passover.”, which shows that Easter was celebrated long before Jesus was born. However, the presence of Jesus into the world gives a new meaning to Easter today and beyond.
For Catholics, the celebration of the Easter liturgy begins with Palm Sunday, where people bring palm leaves to welcome the priest, just like the people in Jerusalem welcomed Jesus when he entered the city.
The celebration of Palm Sunday is followed by Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and ends with Easter, which is held on Sunday. Good Friday celebrates the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. After 3 days, precisely on Easter, Jesus rose.
In 2024, the tradition of celebrating Easter will still continue. Christians gather in churches or communities to unite in worship and experience Easter with other people. Easter Day 2024 will be held on Sunday, March 31, 2024, throughout the world. This Easter, ISTTS journalists had the opportunity to get a source, namely the supervisor of the ISTTS Catholic UKK (Spiritual Activity Unit) Mattew Lawrenta S.T. and the head of the ISTTS Christian UKK Gabriella Gonadi gave some of their impressions about Easter.
For Brother Mattew, the meaning of Easter is a reminder that the Lord Jesus gave himself up to atone for human sins, dying on the cross for us. We as Christians are invited to believe in the message of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, an opportunity for us to delve into our hearts and humble ourselves to confess our sins and dedicate ourselves to the Lord Jesus completely.
The most important Easter experience is confession of sins, that is, we as Catholics are not free from worldly sins. Therefore, we who have accumulated sins for a long time are invited to confess our sins so that we are worthy to welcome Jesus at Easter and live a happy life with our burdens lifted. Through Easter, Brother Mattew received a new commitment to carry out for the next year.
The message from Brother Mattew is for people who attend the breath church, namely holding mass in church only at Christmas and Easter, to come to church to worship according to the way, following the existing liturgical order starting from Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday , Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. The hope is that through Easter, people can become new people, better people, and gain a commitment to better understand God's love and be ready to serve Him.
On the other hand, for Ce Gaby, Easter is a meaningful moment that is not just a celebration of worship in the Church, but more than that, Easter is a symbol of victory over sin and death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a reminder that hope is always there, even when we are at our lowest point. Easter is also a moment of self-reflection, where we reflect on Jesus' sacrifice and how it can inspire our lives.
One of Ce Gaby's memorable Easter experiences was when she was shown again a depiction of the story of Jesus' crucifixion and this aroused my admiration and emotion for His sacrifice on the Cross. The experience also strengthened faith and reminded the importance of love and forgiveness in life.
The hope is that we can all reflect on the true meaning of Easter because Easter is not only about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, but also about the resurrection of ourselves. Hopefully we can all rise from old bad habits and start a new life and can make Easter a moment to renew faith, strengthen love, and spread God's love in a real way through our daily lives.