Christian Passover

Dear Cathedral Family,

When most church people say “Easter,” they mean the Sunday morning of Easter Day--spectacular flowers, joyous music, fancy clothes, baskets and egg hunts. But Easter is so much more. It is, of course, the whole Great Fifty Days of the Easter season, but before that it is our participation in the whole of God’s saving acts through Jesus Christ.

Originally, Easter was celebrated as a single event including both the passion and the resurrection, the whole of Christ’s dying and rising again. It is the Christian Passover, God’s victory in Christ over sin and death. Our participation in it makes us one with Jesus Christ.

Over time, this unified fast and feast became a series of observances, spanning the whole of Holy Week, culminating in the Good Friday observance and the Easter celebration. For many Christians, Easter’s full joy requires Good Friday participation in the events of Christ’s death. Taken together, in these we participate in Christ’s victory, dying in order to destroy death.

Our Good Friday liturgy will be held as usual at noon on Friday, and this year we will add to our Easter observance a celebration of the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. As the daylight wanes, we will gather in the garden to kindle the Paschal fire, from which the great Paschal candle will be lit. By its light, the light of Christ, we will process into the church and hear the great story of God’s saving acts throughout time. And then, Easter is proclaimed! There will be great noise, and then baptism, and then Eucharist.

Easter Day will be, as always, a beautiful Sunday Festival Eucharist at 10:00 a.m., with the flower cross, our annual Easter photo, and an Easter egg hunt in Mardi Gras Park afterwards.

I look forward to these days with you all of preparing with joy for the Paschal feast.

Faithfully,

Beverly+