Easter 2023
04/07/2023
HAPPY EASTER!
The story of the Resurrection is my favorite story in the Bible, next to the Nativity. The celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection has affirmed and reaffirmed
the most important bedrock of the Christian faith: Jesus’s resurrection is the triumph of Jesus over sin and death. This is the triumph for all humankind who have been saved by the merciful providence of a good and gracious God who sent His only son for just this purpose, the son who fulfilled His mission on the cross and is now risen from the dead.
On the eve of April 16, 2006 in COB Speicher, Baghdad, Iraq, we celebrated the Paschal Mass of the Sunday of Resurrection, or Easter Sunday. “Christ has overcome the power of death and shown us the way to eternal life.” These were the powerful words spoken by our priest during Easter Sunday vigil at Destiny Chapel, COB Speicher. According to most ancient tradition, this is the night of keeping vigil for the Lord (Exodus 12:42), when, following the Gospel Admonition (Luke 12:35-37), the faithful, carrying lighted lamps in their hands, should be like those looking for the Lord when He returns, so that, at His coming, He may find them awake and have them sit at His table. The Liturgy of the Easter Vigil is tremendously rich and normally includes baptismal rites for the catechumens; the blessing of the new fire; the blessing of the water with which the catechumens will be baptized, and the Exsultet, or Easter Proclamation. Our priest explained that the prayer for the blessing of the fire reminds us that, through Jesus Christ, “God bestowed upon the faithful the fire of His glory,” expressing the hope that, through our celebration of Easter, we may be so inflamed with heavenly desires that, with minds made pure, we may attain festivities of unending magnificence. There was also a blessing of the water that is used for baptisms after Easter Vigil. The rite of blessing said over water by the priest to make it holy contains prayers of exorcism. It can banish demons, heal the sick, and send unwarranted grace upon all. Yet most of the time, individuals make the sign of the cross with this water without even thinking how holy it really is. Holy water can be used to bless people, places, and things that
are used by the people in their goal of glorifying God with their lives. We prayed during vigil that the love of God may so enflame our hearts that we can share His love with the world, even while in a theater of conflict such as where were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We prayed that we can live with such zeal and dedication that we can someday share in the gift of eternal communion with God, the “festivities of unending splendor” that the saints enjoy in Heaven. During Lent, the focus is on the Kingdom coming, not on the Kingdom already having come.
The Easter vigil was observed at Destiny Chapel in COB Speicher, Baghdad, Iraq, and at sunrise on April 16, 2006, a non-denominational service was held at COB Speicher Airfield that was attended by many soldiers. It was an unforgettable moment. The celebration of Jesus’s resurrection at the airfield was very solemn, and we felt the power of the Holy Spirit among us as we offered peace to each other. It was a remembrance of a lifetime, a renewal of our faith as we battled through challenges in the theater of conflict.
I am glad to be home.
Read more about Easter Sunday and my experiences in Iraq in my memoir Silent Freedom, available on Amazon.
From the Silent Freedom Team, we wish you a HAPPY EASTER, and may the risen Lord fill your hearts with joy, compassion, love, faith, and hope. May the covenant of the Lord with us remains forever.
HAPPY EASTER!
