Lent and Easter
We begin Lent on Ash Wednesday, where we are sprinkled with ashes to remind us that we should always be humble before God, because we were made by God from the clay of the soil (Gn 2:7), and when we die, our bodies will deteriorate back into the earth (Gn 3:19). However, our souls are immortal, and Jesus promised us that if we believed in him and were obedient to him, that we would have eternal life and be reunited with our bodies on the last day. Lent is often associated with 40 days, a particularly long period where we are supposed to take control over our appetites, passions, and pains. If you do not count Sundays (always a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ), the 40 days can be added up by counting all other days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. If we follow the liturgical celebrations of the Church, we can see the rich tradition of the Church teachings through the Liturgy of the Word. On Ash Wednesday, the Gospel comes from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (Ch. 6), where he stresses that our actions of prayer, fasting and alms-giving should be performed in secret, so that our heavenly Father, who sees that they are done in secret, will repay us. On the first Sunday of Lent, the Gospel is always the story of Jesus being driven out into the wilderness for 40 days, where he fasted, and at the end, was tempted by Satan. Faced with similar temptations to Adam and Eve as well as the Israelites in the desert after their exodus from Egypt, Jesus does not succuмb to Satan, but rather holds firm to what is true, good and loving. On the Second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel is always the Transfiguration of Jesus. Here we see Jesus being transfigured into the glorious appearance that we will expect to see if we see him in heaven. The Church is showing us the way to follow Jesus during the first Sunday, and then the result, end or goal of following his way during the second Sunday. We also see many of John’s Gospels being read during the other Sundays. We mentioned before that the Church directs us to each of the Synoptic Gospels in the annual cycles A (Matthew), B (Mark) and C (Luke). John’s Gospels are reserved primarily for weeks during the seasons of Lent and Easter. In addition, John’s Gospels during the daily Masses are primarily read during these seasons also. Lent concludes with Holy Week, which always begins with Palm Sunday. Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem on Sunday, but by Friday, he is being put to death. The Church offers a rich tradition of readings during that week including the Suffering Servant passages from Isaiah and Psalms, as well as the Passion narratives of Jesus’ suffering and death. The Synoptic Gospels are read on Palm Sunday, and the Passion according to John is read at the Good Friday Service. The Suffering Servant passages discuss how the sufferings of a just man will eventually triumph with God restoring him to glory.
The Easter Season begins with the Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday, where we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This gives us hope that by living a just life, we can also triumph with Christ and share in his Resurrection glory. The world criticizes Christ for not coming down from the Cross, but we see God’s plan play out if a different way. The suffering of Christ takes on the curses placed on Adam and Eve (Gn 3:16-19), and on all of us who follow their path of sin. The sinless Jesus takes on these curses and heals us of our wounds. The First Reading of the Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent points out the contrast of the worldly wisdom of the Sanhedrin (supreme rabbinical court) and the true wisdom of God (Wis 2:1a, 12-22). Easter Sunday is a victory of Christ over suffering, sin and death.
We also see the sacraments coming from this holy season. Baptism is our dying to sin and rising to new life just as Christ did in his death and Resurrection. The water coming from his pierced side represents Baptism (Jn 19:34). The Holy Eucharist was instituted on Holy Thursday when Christ offers his Apostles his body and blood, which was given up for us. Similarly, it is presented again on Easter Sunday at Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35). His pierced side pours out both blood (Eucharist) and water (Baptism) (Jn 19:34). Christ institutes the priesthood when he gives his Apostles the authority to repeat the Holy Eucharist, saying do this in memory of me (Lk 22:19, 1 Cor 11:24-25), and to forgive sins on Easter Sunday when he authorized his Apostles to forgive or retain sins (Jn 20:22-23). Similarly, the physical healing of the Anointing of the Sick stems from Christ’s obedient actions. Christ marries his Church when he gives up his life for his bride. And the Holy Spirit comes down, like in Confirmation, on the Apostles and others on Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Easter (Acts 2:1-13).
John Carberry is the author of Parables: Catholic Apologetics Through Sacred Scripture (2003) and Sacraments: Signs, Symbols and Significance (2023).
Topic: Lent and Easter (Read 1774 times)