The festival of Easter coincides with spring. Both, Easter and the spring season remind us of renewal; resurrection; the cyclical form of nature, where everything that perishes is renewed.
Easter is the Sunday when Jesus returned to life, three days after being crucified on Friday, thus marking it as the Day of Resurrection.
What is the real meaning of Resurrection? It is the liberation from the cycle of birth and death that is attained while living in this earthly body. This liberation leads to the grand life beyond both – life and death.
Jesus could resurrect himself because he had accepted death with open arms in divine surrender to the will of God. His life is the unequivocal proof that resoluteness has nothing to do with one’s age. Jesus was able to remain undeterred and resolute at an early age of thirty-three. His life is the perfect example of how high faith can be placed. In his words, “If you have faith, of the size of a mustard seed, you can tell the mountain to move, and it will.”
People were waiting to behold the manifestation of Jesus’ prophecy; only then would they believe his words to be true. They would believe him only if they saw him resurrect himself on the third day with their own eyes. When people first heard that Jesus had risen again, they refused to believe it. They told his disciples that they would believe it only when they saw him, and the wounds caused by nails that had pierced his hands and feet with their own eyes.
It is a sign of sound logic that one believes only what one sees, nothing more. However, being able to keep faith without having seen, requires a higher state of consciousness. “Blessed are those, who have not seen, and yet believe,” said Jesus.
It is easy to believe in something when you are furnished with all the proofs. It is believing without seeing that counts. Faith and belief have the highest place in the life and teachings of Jesus. If you try and bring out even a little of the faith that lies latent within you, you can work miracles! Faith can bring about miracles!
It is also true that – As our faith, so our feelings; as our feelings, so our actions; as our actions, so the results; and as the results, so our faith.
When one perceives Jesus’ life, the power of faith that Jesus dwelled in can be referred to as Divine Faith, faith that is steadfast. Such faith is not dependent on any action or outcome. Here only faith reigns by itself without dependency on the external factors.
We cannot see what happens in the unseen, unless we learn to contemplate deeply. We go from birth to death without ever realizing our unseen purpose on earth; our earthly mission.
“Whatever happens, does happen for the good.” However true this statement may be, we find it difficult to believe it because the result of what has happened is yet unseen. It is only when we look back at the incident, that we are able to believe that, whatever happened did in fact benefit us. When we contemplate over this and apply it to every incident we come across, the belief is substantiated by conviction and it turns into unshakable faith.
Jesus resurrected himself after his death. From death, he rose to eternal life. Every seed has to sacrifice itself before it can sprout. His death made him immortal.
Jesus rose to life on Easter. Jesus not only resurrected himself but also met many followers, who had come from far to witness his resurrected form. After his resurrection, he stayed with his disciples for forty days, during which he preached divine wisdom. He prepared them to continue to spread his message even in his physical absence.
At the end of the fortieth day, Jesus ascended to the higher spiritual realm. People still analyze and debate the interpretation of the events of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. But instead of indulging in mere speculation of facts, it would rather be worthwhile to contemplate, understand, and internalize his teachings to inculcate them in our lives.
Easter can be celebrated in earnest when we contemplate over Jesus’ life and his teachings.
- How much have we understood of Easter and its significance?
- What is born in reality and what really needs to die?
- How can we resurrect ourselves from the illusion that we are living in?
- What are the beliefs or illusions that we are entangled in?
- What are we doing today, that is delaying our salvation?
- Who or what is it that lives on, beyond birth and death?
On the occasion of Easter, let us contemplate on Jesus’ teachings that arose from the highest level of consciousness. May we imbibe the divine qualities of faith, purity, resoluteness, love, bliss, sacrifice, forgiveness.
~ An extract from a discourse delivered by Sirshree on the occasion of Easter
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