Tantum_ergo April 3, 2010, 2:45am #2 why is christmas more important than easter? Consider what the Catechism has to say regarding the importance of this feast: “Therefore Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the ‘Feast of feasts,’ the ‘Solemnity of solemnities,’ just as the Eucharist is the ‘Sacrament of sacraments’ (the Great Sacrament). And Jesus had to endure an unimaginable amount of suffering in order for us to receive it. April 19th, 2014. jackima: Easter is important but if Jesus was not born we will not have Easter. I feel as though everyone decorates and talks about and makes christmas a bigger deal than easter. But what if I told you that choosing between the two of them is kind of like forgetting that there are four bases in baseball? The biggest reason why Easter beats Christmas … Easter is he celebration of our salvation, and Jesus Christ is the SAVIOR. Easter is a promise of new life, both in heaven and on earth. The average church person believes this to be true because those two days are the most … There’s nothing in the Bible about seasons. Father.” Don’t miss it. - posted in What Do You Think? It’s that time of year again. This is especially apparent following Easter Sunday. Why Easter Is More Important Than Christmas. It may come as a surprise to many to learn that in terms of religious importance, Easter is in fact regarded as the most important biblical eventon the calendar. However, I found family movies of my first Easter. Give me your opinion. So Christmas is the most important. Three important parts of the events of Jesus Christ’s life: One first event is the trial of Jesus Christ, the Second event is the death of Jesus and, Third and last event is … This is why Origen speaks so harshly about the commemoration of birthdays. Pentecost is important. Non-Christians also celebrate the gift-giving part of Christmas and since you get lots of presents, it's a big deal for everyone. Non-Christians also do the Easter Bunny thing, but a basket of jelly beans just isn't quite as exciting. He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5-6). Our taste buds knew it was Easter when we savored the lamb. Shouldn't Easter be the more important thing to celebrate? However, this does not make Christmas any less religious. But Trevin, isn’t every Sunday a resurrection Sunday? If this act of savation did not take place the birth (Christmas) would not have any meaning. Christmas was only the beginning, however. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. While many people in secular society celebrate Christmas with a big dinner and party, it is mainly Christians that celebrate the day of our Lord Jesus’ Resurrection each year. Rabbits don’t lay eggs, they bear live young. Christmas and Easter are good examples of how celebrations can become more important than the religious beliefs behind the festival. Christmas marks nothing less than the coming of God’s Son into the world. However, Jesus being sinless, his birth is somewhat different on this account from our own. Without the last of these, we would still be distant from the Lord. Next, we must also consider that Christians started celebrating Easter well before they started celebrating Christmas Day. This is why we eventually see Christians celebrating Christmas, and why we should celebrate this feast of his birth. And when He began preaching, people flocked to hear Him because He told them about God’s love for them. Easter more important than Christmas Easter is this weekend. And all this is because of the great chance that our Lord Jesus has given us; that we may become like him. : Can I answer as a heathen, yet cultural white Anglo Christian? True that we wouldn't have one without the other, but here are 15 life-altering results of the resurrection (which we celebrate at Easter) from 1 Corinthians 15. But why the reason for not giving Christ’s birth precedence over other feasts? Birth and Rebirth. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Truly, at that moment, the Word had become flesh. So they cover the bases, so to speak, and go to church for both. Nicholas is a cradle Catholic and hopes to give a unique perspective on life in the Church as a millennial. Both are equally important, because both were an essential part of God’s plan. Our ears knew it was Easter because the greeting “Christ is risen, He is risen indeed” was standard for more than a month after Easter Sunday had passed. Since baptism allows us to take part in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we too die to our old selves and are reborn as a new creation. A few months later. Remember the story of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection. The average church person believes this to be true because those two days are the most heavily attended days on the church calendar. (Nicene Creed, 325 C.E.) Easter remains the more religiously serious holiday. Christmas marks nothing less than the coming of God’s Son into the world. The celebration of Christmas spread throughout the Western world over the next several centuries, but many Christians continued to view Epiphany and Easter as more important… There are many reasons, but in reality Easter is more important. If Easter had not happened, Christmas would have no meaning. Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost are Equal in Importance, Easter Sunday: How Jesus’ Resurrection Changed the Church (video), Rejoice! Something about a fertility celebration? But the way that the Church talks about Easter just puts this solemnity on a completely other level. Our first indication of this comes from our weekly worship each Sunday. Every year, Christmas generates over $400 billion of economic activity, with a large percentage of that being spent the day after Thanksgiving, “Black Friday.” Then, for the next four weeks, the frenzied shopping continues, with the hustle and bustle of buying and baking and decorating and cooking, until by the time Christmas gets here, most of us have lost our sanity and our savings. "We bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this day he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus." (Trevin, how dare you tell me to enjoy this more!) Without Christmas, there would be no Easter—and without Easter, Christmas wouldn’t matter. Have you received this gift into your life? Next, we must also consider that Christians started celebrating Easter well before they started... New Life. Both are equally important, because both were an essential part of God’s plan. Advent Meditations with the Holy Family. But we must never overlook the fact that we have that “little Easter” to celebrate each weekend. "On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures." By that same Resurrection, Christ set us free from sin, and this notion is something that we must keep at the forefront of our minds every day. As Mary made her “Yes” to God’s will, she became pregnant with her very creator. Again, our culture today puts a lot of emphasis on birthdays into the natural world, but not so much on truly important days, such as the date of one’s baptism. Looking past the consumerist clutter, Christmas as a remembrance of the birth of Christ has rich significance, theologically and spiritually, for all humankind. The Christmas season lasts about four weeks, is kicked off by “Black Friday,” and is characterized shopping, spending, and dec… As the Ukrainian Catholic catechism, Christ Our Pascha recounts: “The Incarnation of the Son of God reveals the purpose of the created world.”. As a secular holiday, Christmas gets a lot more attention than Easter because it’s been much more commercialized. Without Christmas, there would be no Easter—and without Easter, Christmas wouldn’t matter. No one is found to have had joy on the day of the birth of his son or daughter. (Nicene Creed, 325 C.E.) It wasn’t Christian, but it got mixed in. For indeed we find in the Old Testament Pharaoh, king of Egypt, celebrating the day of his birth with a festival, and in the New Testament, Herod… But the saints not only do not celebrate a festival on their birth days, but, filled with the Holy Spirit, they curse that day.”. Although this argument may only apply to those with Christian beliefs, it is still a point worth respecting when looking into the significance of the Easter festival compared to Christmas. One day, God-willing, we will become like Christ, and this is only a possibility because of the triumphant Resurrection. As sons and daughters of God, we share in his likeness, and that even includes the way that he appeared following the Resurrection. Why is Christmas celebrated and enjoyed more than Easter, if Easter plays a far more important role in the religion? The Passion and Resurrection are the primary purpose for which Christ was born. Which is more important - Christmas or Easter? This is why it is acceptable for us to relax our penances on Sundays during Lent. Perhaps that’s why, Easter eggs and Easter chocolate and Easter dresses notwithstanding, it’s been more difficult to commercialize. Last updated 2009-06-22. Although it is celebrated as the day of birth of Jesus Christ, it also symbolizes deep significant truth of the moral and spiritual life to all Christians. It’s true that Christmas is a holiday that is celebrated more than Eid, Hannakah or any other religious festival. It is much more fitting to focus on one’s new life instead of their old. I agree that Easter is the more important of the two. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 3 - Is Easter or Christmas more important? Surly they should be equally as important but it doesn't seem to be the way it is. But the tomb could not hold Him! Christmas marks nothing less than the coming of God’s Son into the world. For Christians, Easter is more important than Christmas. When some of His followers came to the tomb later, they found it empty. It’s already on a weekend, it’s not a national holiday, and no one is singing Easter carols! Stores care less about Easter … Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Jesus has prepared the way for us, and it only makes sense that we recognize Easter Day as the greatest of all feasts.While you might be hard pressed to find people gathering around a table singing Easter hymns outside of Church, it’s clear that Easter is the largest festival that we as Christians celebrate. But since we live in the world, a corresponding commercialization of Easter has led many Christians, including Catholics, to see Easter as somewhat as a “lesser” holiday. The Sabbath was no longer observed on Saturdays, but on Sundays in remembrance of the Resurrection. If each Sunday give us a little taste of the great feast of Easter, then it’s no wonder that we are able to … well, feast! If the tomb is not empty, the cradle makes no difference. Chikena! Christmas marks nothing less than the coming of God’s Son into the world. Someone told me the story of a pagan holiday combined with Christianity. Through the coming of the Spirit we are made members of Christ’s family, and in the Spirit we are able to cry out, “Abba! “There’s a … How you are born is accident, how you die is achievement, therefore worth celebrating. Also, if Christ had not risen, the Christian faith would have no foundation. St. John the Baptist leapt in his own mother’s womb as he found himself in close proximity with the unborn Jesus. He told them, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. “Feast of feasts” is certainly a very accurate way of describing Easter. Easter is more important than Christmas because it is the foundation of Christian belief. Easter reminds us of God’s amazing sacrifice. But the commemoration of the Lord’s birth was something that came relatively late. Do we have the hopeful expectation that we will reign by our Lord’s side in heaven? All rights reserved. I SWEAR YOU’LL NEVER SEE ANYTHING LIKE THIS EVER AGAIN ! Alternatively, since we have found ourselves baptized into new life, we now have a taste of that resurrection that Christ underwent, looking forward to the happy day when we share in this reality in its entirety upon our entry into heaven. So this begs the question: is Easter actually more important than Christmas? In time, however, His enemies put Him to death on a cross (a cruel means of execution reserved for criminals). And you’re right, there is nothing in the Bible that says we must spend extra days and weeks in celebration of the empty tomb. Crazy, Twirly, Fist-Pumping Christmas Joy, When God Drew Near: Entering into the Joy of Christmas. April 19th, 2014. Exchanging gifts, whether the Christmas custom derives from the gifts the Wise Men gave the baby Jesus or from the pagan Roman holiday of Saturnalia or from both, is something most people enjoy and also something easy to make money out of. But Christ came into the world to free us from all these—and He did this by dying on the cross for our sins and then conquering death by His resurrection from the dead. Easter is the most important celebration, season or festival for Christians. Easter is more important than Christmas because it is the foundation of Christian belief. With death now completely trampled and conquered, Jesus gives us a glimpse into how our own lives will be one day, so long as we love him by keeping his commandments. There, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (or Divine Liturgy) is not celebrated on any other day of Lent except Sundays and major feasts like the Annunciation. This is because it is the remembrance and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Which Is More Important? And no, I’m not being a legalist, unless telling someone to have an extra portion of dessert is somehow being a rule-keeper. 4 Reasons Why Easter Sunday Is Very Important. It would be entirely proper to say that each and every Sunday of the entire year is a “little Easter”. Therefore easter is more important than Christmas. Whether or not that Sunday falls in Advent, Ordinary Time, or Lent, each Sunday celebrates the Resurrection, the day of new creation. Jesus suffered immensely during his passion and crucifixion. The average church person believes this to be true because those two days are the most heavily attended days on the church calendar. These are pretty severe words for Westerners today who sometimes like to celebrate “birthday weeks” or even “birthday months”. Both are equally important, because both were an essential part of God’s plan. The reason that Christmas, rather than Easter, became the “cultural Christian” holiday may well be prosaic. One of the Church Fathers, Origen, explains why: “Not one from all the saints is found to have celebrated a festive day or a great feast on the day of his birth. Copyright © 2021 Ascension Press. By John Partridge. This is God’s gift to us—the gift of eternal life through Christ. Easter is more important than Christmas because without Easter we would not be able to enter heaven. Has Ascension's free media strengthened your faith? Christmas is more commercialised, because stores can get a lot of money that time of year from people buying presents. Does this sound familiar to you? In fact, many local Churches celebrated the Epiphany of the Lord before the date for Christmas had become solidified on the calendar around the third century. The login page will open in a new tab. The early Christians were well aware that the day of the Lord’s Resurrection, Sunday, was now a special day. Update: This a question not a statement (or its not meant to be read that way) Update 2: that's not true you get easter eggs (nothing to … When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, most people took no notice; what difference did one more baby make? So as we can see, Jesus’ presence in the world was felt long before his actual birth into the world. The early Christians were very much aware of the fact that the world was the domain of the prince of darkness. His body was taken down and put in a borrowed tomb. Yes, we were all born to human mothers just like Jesus was, but it was Jesus’ life as a whole that we truly have solidarity with. Much closer to the minds of the early Christians was the Incarnation itself. This is particularly apparent in the Eastern Catholic Churches. An angel appeared (just as at His birth) and said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? In the church, we observe a handful of “holy days” but really make a big deal about two of them: Christmas and Easter. Do we represent to others the hope that comes from knowing we will have a glorified body one day, just like our Lord’s? I’m simply sa… We have rebelled against God, and as a result our lives are enslaved by evil and sin and death. Why do Christians celebrate Christmas more than Easter, which is the most important feast day in the liturgical year? Why Easter Is More Important Than Christmas. They see it as a kind of preparation or welcoming of springtime. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then he really is just a misguided Jewish rabbi with delusions of grandeur. GREAT POSITIONING AND TIMING ON THE ONE JEFF ! As the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it: “After that first sin, the world is virtually inundated by sin.”. Of Easter, the scripture says that without the Resurrection being true, there would be no reason to be a Christian. In truth, many people in our Western culture overlook Easter as just another day. Both are equally important, because both were an essential part of God’s plan. We read in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Church: Christmas. I mean isnt the resurrection of jesus more important than his birthday? Conquering Death’s Sting. In one way, we should be happy about this, as the religious connotation to Easter has not been totally removed. goDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD In the church, we observe a handful of “holy days” but really make a big deal about two of them: Christmas and Easter. It certainly is a most important feast, and actually ranks second in degree of solemnity throughout the Church, but we must be aware that other feasts like the Annunciation and the Epiphany are very important moments in the life of Christ as well. Thanks. This season, let’s be more aware of the great significance of Easter Sunday, and really, for the entire forty days of Easter. Easter Sunday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and this is celebrated with great joy by millions around the world. For Christians, Easter is more important than Christmas. Death and Hell had been conquered, and our salvation had been won. The reason was because God sent an angel to them to announce Jesus’ birth. Often we enjoy Christmas more than Easter. Privacy | Permissions | Contact Us. Yes, every Sunday is a celebration of our Lord’s resurrection. Add to Bin. Christianity came about not just because Jesus was born, but from his … Religions. Like most Christian “holidays” it is unlikely that it is actually the anniversary of the weekend Jesus died and rose again, merely the week we celebrate or remember that event. Because of that, in the early church, Easter was considered the more important of the holidays, and people often used that time for spiritual renewal through baptism. ... An important part of today's Christmas is the myth of Father Christmas (called Santa Claus in America). 100% sure, Easter is more important than Christmas to Christians! Please log in again. But the most important reason why Easter is better than Christmas is not about religion, or the weather, or even getting to avoid your family. Ladies, although we should celebrate Christmas as fervently as ever, we should celebrate the day Jesus rose with more zeal than Christmas. St. Athanasius calls Easter ‘the Great Sunday’ and the Eastern Churches call Holy Week ‘the Great Week.’ The mystery of the Resurrection, in which Christ crushed death, permeates with its powerful energy our old time, until all is subjected to him.”. Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost are the three great feasts of the Church. At Easter, however, we celebrate the reason for Christ’s coming into the world. We celebrate the Incarnation on the same day as the Annunciation. But on that night one group did take notice: the shepherds. Why Easter is More Important than Christmas In the church, we observe a handful of “holy days” but really make a big deal about two of them: Christmas and Easter. Why, as a Christian, Easter is more important to me than Christmas Frances Coleman-Williams Christian, mental health writer, patient turned professional, blogging to … St. Paul reminds us: We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. That is why Christmas is celebreated so much more than Easter. Christmas is more widely celebrated than Easter. Yes. Jesus grew up—first as a boy with His family, and then as a man. But because he underwent this freely, he knows exactly how we as humans suffer. Find out more about page archiving. In fact, Easter is the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS. Let’s not make legalistic rules of how celebrations go. While both Easter and Christmas Day are solemnities, the highest rank of a feast on the Church’s calendar, the short answer is that Easter is indeed the most important day of the entire liturgical year. In Romania, the evangelical churches (influenced by the Orthodox emphasis on the resurrection) gave much more attention to Easter. © 2021 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Without Christmas, there would be no Easter—and without Easter, Christmas wouldn’t matter. We have hope in Jesus through his resurrection, and it is something we can relate to on a deeper level than his birth into the world. While we celebrate Twelve Days of Christmas every winter, the Easter Season gets a full forty days, not to mention the entire week after Easter Sunday is a proper solemnity in itself. Easter is a more important Christian holiday. Why Easter is the Most Important Christian Holiday. By John Partridge. Since so many people only go to church on Christmas and Easter, I'm guessing it's a tough choice. How do we bring the Easter message to others each week? Sunday is a day set apart specifically because it was the day that our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death’s sting once and for all (see 1 Corinthians 15:55-57). The significance of Christmas is known to many all over the world taking into consideration that it is the major religion of the world with the majority of the followers. But as Origen shows us, commemorating the birth of our Lord was far from their minds. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. This is because we rejoice on each Sunday. Just look at the Easter Vigil, for example, with its copious amount of readings, as well as the welcoming of catechumens and other candidates into the Church. All rights reserved. That’s also why we typically do not observe penitential practices on other Sundays throughout the year. Sin, the Christian faith would have no foundation ” to celebrate birthday. Commemorating the birth of his followers came to the minds of the calendar. 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