College Chaplain 

Christ has won the battle

Dear brothers and Sisters,

We are now in Holy week, in which the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our friend and redeemer. This week is the most important week of all the weeks in the lives of Catholics. This is the week that changed world history forever, and many historians, theologians, and archaeologists have tried to exhaust this week's events since they occurred, but to no avail. It is a week of profound mystery, a week we are called to contemplate the powerful mystery of our redemption.

This week, the Catholic Church celebrates three crucial days of her life. These three days are called in Latin Triduum, and it starts with Holy Thursday, in which primarily, we commemorate the Last Supper. In this last Supper, we celebrate 1) the anniversary of the first Holy Mass; 2) the anniversary of the institution of the ministerial priesthood to perpetuate the Holy Mass, to convey God's forgiveness to repentant sinners, and to preach the Good News of salvation; 3) the anniversary of Jesus' promulgation of his new commandment of love: "Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34).

Then on Good Friday, we remember the cruel passion and death of Christ on the Cross. Christ had to go through this phase of suffering to identify with us in our joys and sorrows. The Cross then becomes us through which we enter eternal life. The Cross symbolises the loving and sacrificial offering of self for others. Only on the Cross do we see the face of God's love. There is no greater love than that of a person who is willing to die for another, and the Cross tells this love story. The Cross symbolises the remission of our sins: The Bible says that when Jesus died, he took all our sins to himself on the Cross, so he conquered sin and the devil's power forever. Whenever we see the Cross, we should realise that Jesus was bruised, crushed, and died for our iniquities. "But he was pierced for our offences, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed." (Is 53:5). The Cross is the symbol of humble self-emptying for others. It symbolises the cross-bearing Christ leading us in our life's journey of pain and suffering, carrying his heavier Cross and still encouraging, strengthening, and supporting us. Finally, the Cross symbolises the risen Christ, who promises us a crown of glory as a reward for the patient bearing our daily crosses.

Then comes the Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil. “This is the night”, as the Easter Proclamation cries out “, that even now throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones. This is the night Christ broke the prison bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld”. 

This easter vigil which joins Saturday to Sunday, is the very day that gave boldness to our faith. Therefore, we believe not in a God who is dead and forgotten but in one who lives into eternity and invites us to share that eternity with Him. Therefore, the church invites us Catholics and Christians to renew our baptismal vows, to reject Satan and all his works and empty promises. 

This Easter celebration calls us to walk as new creatures in Christ who rose and has given us victory over sufferings, death, and all that oppresses us. Christ has won for us a new life, an eternal life.

Praise be Jesus Christ our Lord.