On this Easter Saturday, Catholic churches around the world have held vigil masses to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I find that this mass is the most beautiful one of the year, with the emphasis of Christ’s light guiding the way for worship. The mass begins in a dark church which becomes gradually brighter as each member of the congregation lights their candle from the holy fire: the flame is passed from person to person as each candle is lit until the church glows in a golden hue.
At this time of year, it is easy to lose sight of what Easter truly means. To most it means the hunt for chocolate eggs that the Easter Bunny has hidden rather than the death and resurrection of Jesus. Despite the beauty of this Easter Vigil mass, not every seat in my local Catholic church was filled. This led me to ask the question, why have people have stopped coming to celebrate what Easter is truly about?
I asked the Parish priest of St Francis de Sales’ Church in Hampton Hill, Father Wojciech Stachyra, whether people in England have forgotten the true meaning of Easter. He replied, “Absolutely yes, and not only in this country but probably in every single Christian country. For us as Christians, this (Easter Saturday) is the most important night because after forty days of preparation, we can finally hear the beautiful ‘Alleluia’ which is very uplifting and it tells us about new life in Christ and new life in general”. In response to this, I then asked if there was anything that could be done to make people aware of Easter’s true meaning. “I think we could be better witnesses of Christ in the modern world so, keeping our traditions strong and praying a little bit more”.
