Fr. Kurian KollapallilEASTER; every year is an invitation for us to rise from our periodical decay and death to taste the transformed grandeur of the immortal human nature.

Exult. We begin the Easter celebration with the singing of the exultet. The lit paschal candle reminds us of Christ’s presence amidst us. All years, seasons and times belong to Him, and it is marked by the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabets; Alpha and Omega. Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come the Almighty.” Christ has conquered death and sin, darkness is removed with the bright light of the sun, grace is restored by washing away the faults, and brought joy to the mourners. Redeemed from sin and rescued from death all earth dwellers join the hosts of angels to sing the new song of the Church Alleluia (praise Yahweh Revelation 19:1).

Acceptance. Easter celebration is a call to accept Jesus Christ as the Savior and author of life. Acceptance means that you perceive reality accurately and consciously and acknowledge what you perceive. Many people will acknowledge Jesus Christ as a good man, a great teacher, or even a prophet of God. These things are definitely true of Jesus, but they do not fully define who He truly is. The Bible tells us that Jesus is God in the flesh, God in human form (John 1:1, 14). God came to earth to teach us, heal us, correct us, forgive us—and die for us! Jesus Christ is God, the Creator, and the sovereign Lord. Have you accepted this Jesus?

Surrender. Easter invites us to surrender our lives to Jesus. The new life brought by the death and resurrection of Jesus is manifested in the renewed life of the faithful. Day by day bearing witness to the risen Christ by our words and deeds we show this surrender to Christ.

Thanks living. Easter does not end with just one night celebration. It is an invitation to thanks- living. In everything giving thanks to God who has rescued us from the power of sin and from its punishments

Evangelize. Easter celebration initiates our responsibility to evangelize. The women who were at the tomb carried the Easter good news to the disciples. The Emmaus disciples, who went away from Jerusalem as they recognized Jesus, returned to Jerusalem to share the good news with the rest of the disciples. Easter impels us to evangelize. Our faith is not just a gift, but a responsibility. It is not just ours to keep, but ours to share with others. The Challenge to: GO and TELL.

Renewal. Easter is the celebration of hope in the midst of a world often submerged in doubt and despair. It is an invitation for us to continue with the growth we have begun at Easter with the study of the scriptures, deepening our faith, welcoming the opportunities of self-development. Our faith is alive and active when we live it every day, when we strive hard to remove ignorance and never cease to learn. Static faith is the seed faith; it will produce nothing unless and until it is open to the new realities.

“The good thief transformed a bad cross in to a cross of Jesus Christ. Let us then, like the good thief, unite our sinner’s cross ,with the cross of Him who has saved us; and by this loving and devout union of our sufferings ,with sufferings and cross of Jesus Christ, we shall enter, like so many good thieves in to His friendship and company in paradise.” St. Francis de Sales.