What would you say if someone asked you which holiday was more important: Christmas or Easter? How we answer this question can shape how we view Jesus and our relationship with Him.

From the perspective of society, Christmas seems much more popular and celebrated than Easter. We don’t have Easter parties all month long, nor do we celebrate in our workplaces, our neighborhoods, or in our hobbies/sports affiliations. Even those who don’t believe in Jesus will decorate a tree in their home and exchange gifts. Christmas preparations and celebrations can last from the middle of November into the beginning of the New Year. Easter seems to be a holiday that is acceptable to celebrate, but not completely embraced. There may be egg hunts, but those are usually activities for children. Children may get their picture taken with the Easter bunny, but the draw is not as intense as it is for Santa Claus, nor will the resulting photo be included in Easter cards that are sent out as holiday greetings.

Theologically, you can’t have Easter without Christmas. However, Jesus being born into the world was not the saving action; His Passion, Death, and Resurrection are what healed the relationship between God and humanity. Mother Church in her wisdom celebrates Easter for 50 days, which is much longer than the Christmas season. For those who attend Mass every Sunday, the Gospel is getting rather repetitive. For three weeks now we have heard the Resurrected Jesus appearing on that first day of the week. For those hoping this upcoming Sunday’s Gospel will be different, you’re only half correct. While the Gospel is not another aspect of Jesus appearing to His disciples, it is Good Shepherd Sunday. The second line is, “A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) Being in the Easter season, it causes us to recall the Holy Triduum we celebrated just a few weeks ago. 

So why is Easter so important? Each year we are called to prepare during Lent for Easter. And each Easter season, we are called to renew our Baptismal promises. We hear again and again about the disciples seeing Jesus in His resurrected form. Each of these is an opportunity to renew our belief in and relationship with Jesus. If we believe that Jesus is who He said He is, the Son of God, then we can’t be satisfied with a wishy-washy faith. He can’t just be a nice man who told people to be nice to other people and had wise things to say. Belief in Jesus calls us to action; we are to be doers of the Word, not just hearers of the Word. At the same time, we can’t just run off on our own and think we know what Jesus wants us to do. We are all called with different gifts and skill sets. In order to act upon His Word, we need a relationship with Jesus, one we pursue as if our lives depended on it — because our everlasting lives do. 

Many think that Easter is long past, having been celebrated last month, and it is no longer relevant.  This couldn’t be further from the truth. Each Mass is both a mini Christmas and a mini Easter, celebrating Jesus coming in flesh and blood — hidden within the bread and wine — and recalls the Words from the Last Supper, the memory of His death and His resurrection. And every time we participate in Mass, we have the opportunity to seek a deeper relationship with Jesus and to give thanks to God for His amazingly generous love and mercy. 

In our ever-changing world, let us not lose sight of who Jesus is for us and pursue a relationship with Him, both in the Easter season and beyond.