Easter morning is as bathed with mystery as this window is with light.
The light bursts from the tomb that should be utterly dark with death.
Truly, the darkness has not overcome the light. The angel at the
entrance tells the women and disciples that Jesus is alive and will come to
them. Near the opening of the sepulcher a lily catches the resurrection
light in its delicate petals. Being a spring flower, the lily has long
been associated with the resurrection. It also was a fascination that
such a beautiful flower could sprout from a seemingly dead bulb buried in the
ground. There are two trumpets in the heavens heralding the triumph of
Christ over death, presumably being played by angels. This indicates that the
resurrection is not simply unfolding on the human landscape, but that the
victory of Christ over the forces of death and evil has cosmic consequences.
The minor theme from the Gospel of John is "I am the resurrection and
the life! (John 11:25). The standing lamb bearing the cross emblazoned banner
of victory came to signify very early in Christian art the resurrected Christ.
The lamb is called the Agnus Dei, Latin for the "Lamb of God."
This imagery of the sacrificial lamb was most important for the early church
as they viewed Christ's death in the light of the Passover -- the night in
Israel's history where the death of the lamb meant life for their ancestors.
Early Christians would say in the eucharistic liturgy, "Christ is our
Passover." Recalling also the imagery from the Book of Revelation
that Christ is the Lamb who is crowned in glory (Revelations 21:22-26).
His divinity is noted by the nimbus. The banner he carries is a swallow-tailed
pennon and the staff has a cross on top.
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