Word and Songs | Easter Symbolizes Life, New Beginning

with Sr. Lines Salazar, fsp

There’s a lot to be happy about and to be thankful for during this Easter season. Jesus has risen. Easter symbolizes life, a new beginning. It also means renewed hope for those who have experienced setbacks in life. Jesus’ resurrection has shattered the bondage of darkness in our world. It means that the darkness has no more power to control us. Jesus’ rising from the dead has empowered us, and strengthened us, so that whatever trials or difficulties we may experience along the way, we will come out of it victorious.

Although life is slowly returning to normal after two years of restricted movements due to the pandemic, the difficult task of rebuilding and regaining what we have lost in many areas of our personal and national life is a formidable challenge that we have to face and overcome. This is actually why Easter is so meaningful because it symbolizes hope; that by the power of God, we would be able to overcome all the difficulties that are before us.

We are facing a crucial time in our nation’s history. Let us vote wisely. Let us not think only of our personal interests and preferences, but the greater good of the country and the future of our people. We have seen and experienced during this period of campaigning how our candidates woo us, the voters. On the other hand, we are also dismayed how rabid supporters would attack other candidates with vitriol and spread lies and disinformation on social media against others without any sense of accountability.

The forces of darkness are at work, thus we are encountering difficulties and uncertainties on many levels. But this is how Easter is experienced in one’s life. We put our trust in God, who makes all things new. It is He who will lead us towards the path of deliverance and freedom.

“Easter is a time to examine what it is we are drawn to.  Do we let ourselves be drawn into the Light?  Are we attracted by those things that brighten our day?  Are we drawn to the many ways that God is present and active in the world all around us?  Hopefully, we are.  But there is most likely some degree of pull toward disorder, sin, and darkness.  There can be an interior conflict that everyone experiences.  It’s good to be aware of this, to identify it as part of our fallen human tendency, and to seek to shed all interest in the chaos and evil all around us.

As a follower of Christ, we are called to keep our eyes on Him and on Him alone.  We are called to penetrate the darkness with our faith and to let our whole being be attracted to and drawn toward Christ Jesus.  Perfection means that even our passions and desires are ultimately drawn to Christ as the Light of our life.”

Let us commit ourselves to the Light this Easter Season.  Let us move our eyes away from the temptation to become drawn in and fascinated by the evil around us, to the joyful vision of our Resurrected Lord alive and at work all around us.  Let us be light to one another - a beacon of light that dispels the darkness around us.

Scriptwriter: Sr. Pinky Barrientos, fsp | Daughters of St. Paul