By Chinwendu Nnamani
The Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, Priests and Lay Faithful, gathered together on 20th April 2025 mark the joyous celebration of Easter, a season that underscores the core of the Christian faith — the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In a powerful Easter message themed “At Last, It Is Easter,” Bishop Onaga reminded all that belief in the resurrection is not merely an element of the Christian doctrine, but its very foundation.
Quoting a well-known reflection, the Bishop said“If Easter says nothing to us today, it says this — you can put truth in a grave but it won’t stay there. You can nail truth to the cross, wrap it in linen, and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise. Truth cannot be put down.”
The Easter celebration followed six weeks of intense spiritual preparation during the Lenten season. “When Lent began, Easter felt distant,” theBishop said. “But as always, the joy of Easter feels like a first-time experience because of its deep significance.”
He went on to say that the journey to Easter began on Ash Wednesday, marked by the faithful receiving ashes as a sign of repentance and a reminder of human mortality. He noted that Friday Station of the Cross, a ritual that vividly recalls Christ’s suffering, saw a constant increase in attendance because of the significance of Easter.
Recounting the events that led to Easter, he said that “Palm Sunday we saw a glimpse of the resurrection, the triumph and glory of Christ. Yet that joy was short-lived, as the same crowd that shouted “Hosanna” would soon cry “Crucify Him,” ushering in Holy Week which he described as the “week of all weeks.”
Holy Thursday brought the Chrism Mass, during which sacred oils were blessed and priests renewed their vows. The Last Supper was commemorated later that evening, highlighting the intimate bond between Jesus and his disciples, who were given the commandment to love one another — symbolized by Jesus washing their feet.
The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, the homilist said, continues to bind Christians to Christ even today.
Good Friday reopened “our primordial knowledge of the wounds of Christ,” he added. “Hope seemed lost as we watched the Messiah die. The cross became a symbol of sorrow, and many wondered if that was the end.”
But Easter morning brought the long-awaited answer.
“It was women who first brought the news of the resurrection,” the homilist emphasized. “They went to anoint Christ’s body and found the tomb empty. The stone had already been rolled away”.
Bishop Onaga said that Jesus began appearing to his disciples, including Thomas, who doubted his resurrection until he saw the risen Lord. And as a result, Jesus said to him, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing”, that is all of us gathered here — God says, ‘You are most blessed.’”
The resurrection, he explained, brings both proximate and immediate hope. “If God can raise Jesus from the dead, then He can do anything. He can fix our country. He can disarm death, bandits, and kidnappers, if only we believe.”
Bishop Onaga addressed the growing skepticism, especially among young people who dismiss Christianity as a “scam.” He warned against using religion for profit or mocking those who believe, stating firmly: “You cannot abuse God and go free.”
“We have every reason to believe,” he concluded. “Even the air we breathe is a miracle.”
As Easter unfolds, he urged the faithful to reflect the risen Christ not just in words, but in their ways, thoughts, and actions.
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