8 things you need to know about Easter Sunday

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-easter-sunday/ Easter, the most important day of the Christian calendar. More important even than Christmas. 1. What happened on Easter? The women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body. They saw angels, who told them he wasn't there. They went to tell the apostles, who initially didn't believe them. Peter and the beloved disciple rushed to see the tomb and found it empty. Mary Magdalen, in particular, had an encounter with the risen Christ. So did the disciples on the road to Emmaus. So did Peter. So did all the apostles except Thomas (who would have one later). Jesus had risen from the dead! 2. Was Jesus' Resurrection a real, historical event or something else? The mystery of Christ's resurrection is a real event, with manifestations that were historically verified, as the New Testament bears witness. 3. What is the significance of the empty tomb? The first element we encounter in the framework of the Easter events is the empty tomb. The disciple “whom Jesus loved” affirmed that when he entered the empty tomb and discovered “the linen cloths lying there”, “he saw and believed”. This suggests that he realized from the empty tomb's condition that the absence of Jesus' body could not have been of human doing and that Jesus had not simply returned to earthly life as had been the case with Lazarus. 4. What significance to the post-Resurrection appearances of Christ have? Mary Magdalene and the holy women who came to finish anointing the body of Jesus, were the first to encounter the Risen One. the women were the first messengers of Christ's Resurrection for the apostles themselves. Everything that happened during those Paschal days involves each of the apostles - and Peter in particular - in the building of the new era begun on Easter morning. As witnesses of the Risen One, they remain the foundation stones of his Church. Peter and the Twelve are the primary “witnesses to his Resurrection”, but they are not the only ones - Paul speaks clearly of more than five hundred persons to whom Jesus appeared on a single occasion and also of James and of all the apostles. 5. What significance does Christ's Resurrection have for us? “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” constitutes the confirmation of all Christ's works and teachings. All truths, even those most inaccessible to human reason, find their justification if Christ by his Resurrection has given the definitive proof of his divine authority, which he had promised. Christ, “the first-born from the dead” ( Col 1:18), is the principle of our own resurrection, even now by the justification of our souls (cf Rom 6:4), and one day by the new life he will impart to our bodies 6. How do we commemorate this day? Mass is to be celebrated on Easter Day with great solemnity. It is appropriate that the penitential rite on this day take the form of a sprinkling with water blessed at the Vigil, during which the antiphon Vidi aquam, or some other song of baptismal character should be sung. 7. What is the role of the "Paschal [i.e., Easter] candle"? The paschal candle has its proper place either by the ambo or by the altar and should be lit at least in all the more solemn liturgical celebrations of the season until Pentecost Sunday, whether at Mass, or at Morning and Evening Prayer. After the Easter season the candle should be kept with honor in the baptistry, so that in the celebration of Baptism the candles of the baptized may be lit from them. In the celebration of funerals, the paschal candle should be placed near the coffin to indicate that the death of a Christian is his own passover. paschal candle should not otherwise be lit nor placed in the sanctuary outside the Easter season. 8. Is Easter a pagan holiday?