Beyond the novelty of Easter eggs

KOTA KINABALU: There is more to Easter than just bunnies and eggs.It is about honouring God, reflecting on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and for Florence Yap, strengthening family bonds.“As Catholics, we celebrate the belief in the resurrection of Jesus.

“It is written in the Bible that the event occurred three days after He was crucified and died.

“To us, His death was part of a divine plan to save humanity.

“Jesus’ death restored the broken relationship between Christians and God… That is a sacrifice He made for us humans, and for that, we are forever grateful,” said Yap, in between her flower arrangement job for the Easter Vigil mass at the St Thomas More Church in Kepayan yesterday.As the chair of the church’s Women’s League, preparations ahead of any masses, especially during Christians’ holy weeks, are also equally important.

Describing themselves as “people behind the scene”, Yap said that Easter is a very significant celebration as it allows believers to reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus and the hope of new life that His resurrection brings.

“That is why we work round-the-clock to do decorations and ensure the House of God is as its best to greet all congregants.”

On the eve of Easter Sunday, these women came early to clean, boil eggs and do floral arrangements for the church.“We divide ourselves into groups. One group will be tasked to do flower arrangements, one will be in charge of cooking and others are tasked to clean and boil eggs.

“Everything must be ready before the Easter Vigil mass at 7pm,” she said.

However, the 57-year-old mother of two said this Easter will not be the same as the traditional family dinner after Easter Vigil mass will be missing a member.

“My daughter is away in Kuala Penyu for work; she won’t be around for Easter Vigil. So this year, it’s dinner for three – my husband, son and myself.”

Another dedicated congregant, Irene Malinggi, 74, said serving God through her church work has been very satisfying.“I was the St Thomas More Women’s League chairlady for 12 years; that is four terms in a row.

“I am glad that I passed it on to my successor because it is time the young lead the team,” she said.A civil service retiree, Malinggi, who is in charge of the Easter eggs section, said there are more eggs to give away this year.

“The past few years, we have been collecting money among ourselves to buy eggs. But this year, congregants sent in trays of eggs in response to the Reverend Father’s request,” she said.The senior among all league members, Malinggi has an important message to all: “This week is all about reflection. We must reflect and look at ourselves first before condemning others. There is no room for hate. We must respect one another, in health or in pain.

”No religion teaches its worshippers to be unkind. We must love and respect each other, even if we come from different faiths.”

For Christians, a pivotal period in the calendar is the Holy Week, also called Passion Week, which spans on the last eight days of Lent – from Palm Sunday (last Sunday) to Easter today.It offers Christians across the world a time to ponder on the transformation brought by Jesus’ death and sacrifice on the cross.

The week begins with Palm Sunday, marking Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, followed by the Last Supper with his disciples, betrayal by Judas, conviction by Pontius Pilate, crucifixion and death. It concludes with Easter Sunday, symbolising His resurrection.