by David Varella
I was just going over some emails from a month ago, and I got one from Robert Ritchie of America Needs Fatima. This is part of that email:
"Easter is a truly magnificent time, full of the pomp, splendor and beauty of Holy Mother Church… So, I ask you, what do fuzzy chicks and fluffy bunnies have to do with Easter?"
Allow me to politely disillusion those who believe the secular celebrations and traditions surrounding Easter have nothing at all to do with Christianity. One of my acquaintances recently began attacking the Catholic season of Easter. At the heart of her arguments was a fixation on the word "Easter." In her mind, Easter is a pagan holiday which has nothing whatsoever to do with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I responded that the word "Easter" is derived from an early Germanic word for "spring" (modern Germans also have a similar word for this time of year). The true Catholic title for the Feast of the Resurrection is "The Paschal Feast," Eastertide being called "Paschaltide" or "The Paschal Season".
I argue that the secular celebrations and traditions of Easter mean a lot, if understood properly as symbols and not as ends in themselves, and I exhort everyone to baptize these celebrations and traditions into Christian symbols in their own homes. The key here is a proper catechesis in the domestic church, which is the Christian home.
Easter Bread: My aunt makes Easter Bread every year, and distributes this bread after the Solemn Easter Vigil Mass. This bread has an egg in the center and there is a cross made of bread "sealing" the egg into the bread, as Christ was sealed in the tomb by the stone rolled over the entrance, preventing anyone from going in or coming out. When the bread is eaten, this cross over the top must be broken in order to get the egg out, which has a twofold symbolism: Christ defeating death (the destruction of the cross), and Christ "breaking out" of the tomb as the "firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18).
Easter Eggs: The boiled Easter Egg has a rich symbolism indeed. The shell represents the tomb of Christ, the egg whites represent the burial cloth around His Body, and the yolk represents Christ Himself. As the egg is eaten, the eggshell is cracked, representing both the earthquake at the death of Christ and the earthquake at His Resurrection. The eggshell also represents the tomb being opened and Christ coming out of both the burial cloths and the tomb.
Easter Lamb (also called "The Victorious Lamb"): Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who was slain for us, who paid the penalty we owed for our sins. The lamb was the central part of the meal during the Paschal celebrations of ancient Israel -- this was under the old law and the old covenant. The paschal lamb of the old covenant was a type of Christ, the Paschal Lamb of the new covenant; this covenant was ratified in His Blood on the Cross and given life through His resurrection. This is also why some families eat lamb on Easter, and the lamb to be cooked is brought to a church for a special blessing by the priest after any of the Easter Masses. The Victorious Lamb symbol (like at the top of this page, where Christ the Lamb has a standard with a flag that has the Cross on it, which was the tool He used for the salvation He won for us) is often seen atop cakes and pastries on Easter Sunday and also throughout the Octave of Easter.
Easter Egg Hunt: This reminds us of the women who went to the tomb early in the morning to put the spices of burial upon Christ's Body, but they did not find Him there because He had risen from the dead. It reminds us of Mary Magdalen, who went searching for her Lord, and when she did not find Him, she wept so much that the tears in her eyes caused her to suppose that Jesus was the gardener. Thus, we have eggs that are difficult to find during the hunt. There were two other disciples also, on the road to Emmaus, who encountered Jesus even though they were not looking for Him. Thus, we have eggs that are easy to find during the hunt.
Rabbits (also called "bunnies"): If you've ever heard the phrase, "breed like rabbits," you'll know why this is so important as a symbol of Easter for Catholics. Many enter the Catholic Church through the Sacrament of Baptism, and others are brought into the fullness of communion in the Catholic Faith, at the Easter Vigil. Thus, at the Easter Vigil, the Catholic Church truly "breeds like rabbits" by the rebirth of so many souls in the waters of Baptism, and through others entering the fullness of unity in the Catholic Church. Rabbits also breed in the spring, and spring is the season of nature wherein the Jewish Feast of the Pasch and the Catholic Season of Paschaltide occur.
Newly-Hatched Chicks: The simple beauty of watching a chick hatch from its shell is, unfortunately, not the experience of many today. It symbolizes Christ breaking out of the tomb. But what does not readily meet the eye is that no one can help the chick to break the shell or to come out of the shell; those chicks that are helped in any way through this process usually die soon thereafter. That the chicks must hatch on their own and not have any outside help is a reminder that the Lord Jesus Christ, through His own power as God, was the only one capable of breaking out of the tomb and crushing death forever: "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Coloring or Decorating Easter Eggs: Springtime is the most magnificent time wherein nature shows us the beautiful hand of God, who created her. In the mind of God, all things came into being and order, and all the colorful, beautiful flowers of the field bring to our mind the beauty of God who created them. During Holy Week, Catholics are reminded of the ugliness of sin, and its hideousness is brought to the fore as Pilate presented the scourged and thorn-crowned Body of our Lord to the Jews. Coloring the boiled eggs in the bright, beautiful colors of spring, we are reminded that our Lord Jesus Christ restored our souls to beauty through His grace, which comes to us through all the Sacraments, beginning with Baptism.
The Paschal Candle: During springtime, the days begin to get longer and warmer after a dark, cold winter. The Paschal Candle represents the Light -- Jesus Christ -- who came into a dark, sinful world, which grows darker and colder as it drifts further from God. The light and warmth of the Paschal Candle represent just that! And after Catholics have gone through the Offices of Tenebrae after dark during Holy Week (wherein a candle is extinguished after each Psalm until there is only one candle left, which is removed from the candelabrum for a time and then replaced to its position at the top), the light of the Paschal Candle (and of the small candles that are held by each individual), is especially poignant.
So, we must not too readily dismiss the secular culture: we Christians must strive to bring it into the Light of Christ. We should not withdraw into isolation from the secular culture we live in, or we will not yield the fruit that Christ commanded us in His missionary mandate; rather, we must be the salt, light, and leaven of the world.
What other celebrations and traditions of Easter are in the culture around you? Can those celebrations and traditions be baptized as Christian symbols? Feel free to post in the comments below!
I was just going over some emails from a month ago, and I got one from Robert Ritchie of America Needs Fatima. This is part of that email:
"Easter is a truly magnificent time, full of the pomp, splendor and beauty of Holy Mother Church… So, I ask you, what do fuzzy chicks and fluffy bunnies have to do with Easter?"
Allow me to politely disillusion those who believe the secular celebrations and traditions surrounding Easter have nothing at all to do with Christianity. One of my acquaintances recently began attacking the Catholic season of Easter. At the heart of her arguments was a fixation on the word "Easter." In her mind, Easter is a pagan holiday which has nothing whatsoever to do with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I responded that the word "Easter" is derived from an early Germanic word for "spring" (modern Germans also have a similar word for this time of year). The true Catholic title for the Feast of the Resurrection is "The Paschal Feast," Eastertide being called "Paschaltide" or "The Paschal Season".
I argue that the secular celebrations and traditions of Easter mean a lot, if understood properly as symbols and not as ends in themselves, and I exhort everyone to baptize these celebrations and traditions into Christian symbols in their own homes. The key here is a proper catechesis in the domestic church, which is the Christian home.
Easter Bread: My aunt makes Easter Bread every year, and distributes this bread after the Solemn Easter Vigil Mass. This bread has an egg in the center and there is a cross made of bread "sealing" the egg into the bread, as Christ was sealed in the tomb by the stone rolled over the entrance, preventing anyone from going in or coming out. When the bread is eaten, this cross over the top must be broken in order to get the egg out, which has a twofold symbolism: Christ defeating death (the destruction of the cross), and Christ "breaking out" of the tomb as the "firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18).
Easter Eggs: The boiled Easter Egg has a rich symbolism indeed. The shell represents the tomb of Christ, the egg whites represent the burial cloth around His Body, and the yolk represents Christ Himself. As the egg is eaten, the eggshell is cracked, representing both the earthquake at the death of Christ and the earthquake at His Resurrection. The eggshell also represents the tomb being opened and Christ coming out of both the burial cloths and the tomb.
Easter Lamb (also called "The Victorious Lamb"): Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who was slain for us, who paid the penalty we owed for our sins. The lamb was the central part of the meal during the Paschal celebrations of ancient Israel -- this was under the old law and the old covenant. The paschal lamb of the old covenant was a type of Christ, the Paschal Lamb of the new covenant; this covenant was ratified in His Blood on the Cross and given life through His resurrection. This is also why some families eat lamb on Easter, and the lamb to be cooked is brought to a church for a special blessing by the priest after any of the Easter Masses. The Victorious Lamb symbol (like at the top of this page, where Christ the Lamb has a standard with a flag that has the Cross on it, which was the tool He used for the salvation He won for us) is often seen atop cakes and pastries on Easter Sunday and also throughout the Octave of Easter.
Easter Egg Hunt: This reminds us of the women who went to the tomb early in the morning to put the spices of burial upon Christ's Body, but they did not find Him there because He had risen from the dead. It reminds us of Mary Magdalen, who went searching for her Lord, and when she did not find Him, she wept so much that the tears in her eyes caused her to suppose that Jesus was the gardener. Thus, we have eggs that are difficult to find during the hunt. There were two other disciples also, on the road to Emmaus, who encountered Jesus even though they were not looking for Him. Thus, we have eggs that are easy to find during the hunt.
Rabbits (also called "bunnies"): If you've ever heard the phrase, "breed like rabbits," you'll know why this is so important as a symbol of Easter for Catholics. Many enter the Catholic Church through the Sacrament of Baptism, and others are brought into the fullness of communion in the Catholic Faith, at the Easter Vigil. Thus, at the Easter Vigil, the Catholic Church truly "breeds like rabbits" by the rebirth of so many souls in the waters of Baptism, and through others entering the fullness of unity in the Catholic Church. Rabbits also breed in the spring, and spring is the season of nature wherein the Jewish Feast of the Pasch and the Catholic Season of Paschaltide occur.
Newly-Hatched Chicks: The simple beauty of watching a chick hatch from its shell is, unfortunately, not the experience of many today. It symbolizes Christ breaking out of the tomb. But what does not readily meet the eye is that no one can help the chick to break the shell or to come out of the shell; those chicks that are helped in any way through this process usually die soon thereafter. That the chicks must hatch on their own and not have any outside help is a reminder that the Lord Jesus Christ, through His own power as God, was the only one capable of breaking out of the tomb and crushing death forever: "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Coloring or Decorating Easter Eggs: Springtime is the most magnificent time wherein nature shows us the beautiful hand of God, who created her. In the mind of God, all things came into being and order, and all the colorful, beautiful flowers of the field bring to our mind the beauty of God who created them. During Holy Week, Catholics are reminded of the ugliness of sin, and its hideousness is brought to the fore as Pilate presented the scourged and thorn-crowned Body of our Lord to the Jews. Coloring the boiled eggs in the bright, beautiful colors of spring, we are reminded that our Lord Jesus Christ restored our souls to beauty through His grace, which comes to us through all the Sacraments, beginning with Baptism.
The Paschal Candle: During springtime, the days begin to get longer and warmer after a dark, cold winter. The Paschal Candle represents the Light -- Jesus Christ -- who came into a dark, sinful world, which grows darker and colder as it drifts further from God. The light and warmth of the Paschal Candle represent just that! And after Catholics have gone through the Offices of Tenebrae after dark during Holy Week (wherein a candle is extinguished after each Psalm until there is only one candle left, which is removed from the candelabrum for a time and then replaced to its position at the top), the light of the Paschal Candle (and of the small candles that are held by each individual), is especially poignant.
So, we must not too readily dismiss the secular culture: we Christians must strive to bring it into the Light of Christ. We should not withdraw into isolation from the secular culture we live in, or we will not yield the fruit that Christ commanded us in His missionary mandate; rather, we must be the salt, light, and leaven of the world.
What other celebrations and traditions of Easter are in the culture around you? Can those celebrations and traditions be baptized as Christian symbols? Feel free to post in the comments below!
