Of the Easter of Resurrection
69. What mystery is celebrated in the feast of Easter?
On the feast of Easter the mystery of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated, that is, the reunion of his most holy soul with the body from which it had been separated by death, and his new glorious and immortal life.
70. Because the feast of Easter is celebrated by the Church with such solemnity and joy and continues throughout the octave?
The feast of Easter is celebrated by the Church with great solemnity, and continues for the entire octave, because of the excellence of the mystery, which was the fulfillment of our redemption, and it is the foundation of our religion.
71. Jesus Christ redeemed us with death; as therefore his Resurrection is the fulfillment of our redemption?
Jesus Christ with his death freed us from sin and reconciled us with God; then through his Resurrection you open for us the entrance to eternal life.
72. Because it is said that the Resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our religion?
The Resurrection of Christ is said to be the foundation of our religion, because it was given to us by Jesus Christ himself as the main proof of his divinity and of the truth of our faith.
73. Whence came the name Easter, which is given on the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?
The name Easter given to the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, it derives from one of the most solemn festivals of the ancient law established in memory of the passage of the Angel who exterminated the firstborn of the Egyptians, and of the miraculous liberation of the people of God from the slavery of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who was a figure of our liberation from the slavery of the devil; which festival the Jews celebrated with many rites, but especially with sacrificing and eating a lamb; and now we celebrate above all by receiving the true lamb sacrificed for our sins.
74. What does the word Easter mean??
Easter means passage, and in the ancient law it means the passage of the Angel, than to force Pharaoh to let God's people go free, killed the firstborn of the Egyptians, and passed the houses of the Jews marked with the blood of the lamb sacrificed the day before, leaving them immune from this scourge; in the new law then it means, that Jesus Christ passed from death to life, and that triumphing over the devil, He has transferred us from the death of sin to the life of grace.
75. What must we do to celebrate Easter with dignity?
To worthily celebrate the feast of Easter we must do two things:
1. adore the risen Jesus Christ with holy joy and deep gratitude;
2. resurrect spiritually with him.
76. What do you mean to be resurrected with Jesus Christ spiritually?
Resurrecting with Jesus Christ spiritually means, that since Jesus Christ through his resurrection began a new life, immortal and celestial, so we too must begin a new life according to the spirit, by completely and forever renouncing sin and everything that leads us to sin; loving Dio alone, and everything that leads us to God.
77. What do you mean by the word Alleluia, which is repeated so often on this holy day, and throughout the Easter season?
The word Alleluia means: praise God, and it was the festive cry of the Jewish people; this is why the Church repeats it many times in times of such joy.
78. Because during Easter time we pray while standing?
During Easter time we pray while standing as a sign of joy, and to represent the resurrection of the Lord.
SOURCE – Major Catechism of Saint Pius