Very early on the morning after the Sabbath, when the sun has just risen, they came to the tomb, alleluia (Antiphon, Canticle of Zachary, Easter Sunday).
The sun has inspired many religious reflections from the Jewish people. Although the sun had always been considered a creature of God, Israel needed to resist the temptation to deify it like their neighbors had. In a good sense, the sun was a theophany, a manifestation of God. The light of the sun, like the presence of God, made people feel alive and protected from nocturnal evils. Winged, present everywhere and seeing all, the sun symbolized the judgment of God which sees everywhere by its penetrating rays. The constancy of the sun was a reminder of the invincible force of divine justice, embodied in the king. The sun also marked the liturgical seasons for Jewish worship. It is not surprising, then, that the first Christians used the sun as the symbol of the Risen Christ. Christ rose from the tomb on the Sabbath, breaking through the dark barriers of evil, like the sun rose over the chaos at the beginning of creation. Full of light, Christ has inaugurated the New Day, making the earth fruitful and restoring the vital energies of humanity that were asleep during the long demoralizing night. Christ’s love has shone on every human person, inviting a decision for or against him. The Sun of Justice is the judgment of the world. Christ, dead and risen, remains always visible in the horizon of human life, the constant call to true adoration of God and the compass of the Kingdom.
A person who has light does not eat cockroaches. (Shi)
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