IT has been said that the zenith of the Christian faith is Easter Sunday. With good reason. Easter, more importantly the event that it immortal­izes, is the culmination of Jesus Christ's redemptive mis­sion on earth. It is the crowning glory of a sinless life sacrificed to take the place of His doomed creation. It would help to reflect on the significance of Easter. That might appear far-fetched considering that many people have internalized the tradition of its festive atmos­phere, even when they cannot adequately comprehend the basis for the celebration in the first place. The most favorite event to most Christians is certainly Christmas. Perhaps because of the traditional bonuses, or perhaps because it is an excuse for revelry. The desir­able thing of course is that people should genuinely ap­preciate the coming of the Savior who will deliver His people from sure death to certain life.

The holy week has been relegated in many instances as an opportunity to be away from work for four straight days and with it the annual vacations to exotic resorts. For the faithful, it is the occasion for contemplative escape, the season when one takes a break from what­ever he is doing (or not doing for that matter) and em­bark on the journey into deeper consciousness where the physical is consumed by the spiritual. There have been questions about life that have been asked down through the ages, the answers to which man continues to search for especially in the light of disturbing events. Why is there suffering in this world? Why do the ty­rants, big and small, prosper while the righteous fail? Where are we headed for? What is life like after death? There are many who have found the answers, who have in fact embraced the Answer. And yet, there are those who trivialize the answers because they appear sim­plistic and - forgive the candor - even naïve.

Jesus Christ however never intended to come across as an intellectual far too deep for ordinary minds. He has always been plain and simply logical, to the point of be­ing unattractive to many self-important thinkers. Yet, on the first Easter, He conquered death to show that He was not a mere mortal claiming to be god but God Himself. Those who worship Him will do likewise not because they have become gods themselves but be­cause He is their God. This is the reason why we celebrate Easter. Some­day at Easter, there will be no hungry children, no un­happy life. All because of that tomb left empty in the wake of the resurrection. Today's rejoicing should therefore be within the con­text of being a part of His family and the promise of joining Him into that world when our turn comes. As things stand, there will be excessive revelries that mock the significance of the day. There is no earthy law against that. The tragedy however is unmistakable. Those who celebrate but do not take part in the es­sence of Easter are like calves singing their way to the slaughter.