Christians around the world fill church pews on Easter Sunday to participate in one of the most holy and important celebrations of the liturgical year. Although every Sunday presents opportunities to share in the word of God, Easter Sunday is an especially significant date on the Christian calendar.

Each Easter, Christians celebrate the miracle of Christ’s defeat over death through his resurrection and ascension to his father’s side in heaven. However awe-inspiring, Easter is much more than this event and its retelling. Easter actually is the core of the Christian religion as it has come to be known, including inspiring the rituals and teachings that have been shared for nearly 2,000 years. Without the events that unfolded during Holy Week, the Christian faith would not exist as it was prophesied. Christ’s selfless sacrifice on the cross for others’ sins, as well as his miraculous resurrection, are the anchors upon which all of Christianity has been built.

In 1 Corinthians 15:17, St. Paul wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” Pope Benedict VVI similarly summarized St. Paul’s words, indicating that if the resurrection were taken away, it may be possible to piece together ideas about God and men, but the Christian faith would be “dead.” In his book, Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict further wrote, “Jesus would be a failed religious leader… he would then remain purely human, and his authority would extend only so far as his message is of interest to us.”

According to Christianity.com, Easter is part of the redemptive plan of mankind. It is worthy of celebration because it proved to people that Jesus is the Son of God. This gives Christians confidence that there is life after death, and they will have the same power working in them that raised Jesus from the dead.

Out of Holy Week and Easter also came the start of Christian masses. On Holy Thursday, Jesus introduced his disciples to the bread that they ate at the Last Supper as “his body” and the wine as “his blood.” This would serve as the basis for the Christian celebration of Holy Communion, which remains a vital component of the faith and religious services.

Easter is a significant date on the Christian calendar that inspires Christians across the globe to celebrate their faith.