The symbols of Easter are rich in meaning. When we enter churches for worship at Easter, we find white flowers in full bloom, sometimes even in places where the ground is still frozen and covered with snow. It is the other end of the austerity and the symbols of emptiness we see during Lent. Darkness is chased from every nook and corner. Water flows freely, often bringing the sounds of running streams into the worship experience. Color is everywhere. All of these symbols are meant to shout out the good news that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and that death has once and for all been conquered. They are symbols of a transcendence we know of but don’t always physically see. It unequivocally signals the death of a certain existence and the rising of a new type of life. In the Gospel of John, while teaching a man named Nicodemus about the kingdom of God, Jesus proclaimed, “I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (Jn 3:5). He continues, “What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit” (Jn 3:6). The death of a certain type of life so we can have a new one is a key part of Jesus’ teaching and is reflected in the stories of Christ raising people from the dead. The story of the raising of Lazarus in John 11 is a foretaste of Jesus’ own physical death and resurrection. Like Jesus, Lazarus would lie in a tomb for days, and then, “the dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, ‘Untie him and let him go’” (Jn 11:4). At Easter, symbols remind us of this transcendence to a new life as children of God. Through baptism, Jesus claims us as his own and away from the world of sin. For Christians, the act of baptism, ever so present in the Easter Vigil, begins a new life, a new risen self. We see this in the catechumens baptized at the Easter Vigil. As they are plunged under the water (or water is poured in a deluge over their heads), these men and women give witness to the power of the sacrament. Through this action, they accept a new life. As St. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” Through symbols, we get an understanding of the divine, of what awaits us. One of the most powerful Easter symbols and actions comes in the form of light. At the Easter Vigil, the new fire is lit to symbolize that Christ, the light of the world, is with us. The light of the world was not extinguished by physical death. During the liturgy, light is quickly transferred from the fire pit to an enormous Easter candle that signifies the presence of Christ in our midst. The light from the fire is slowly shared until all members of the community have a piece of this new light of Christ in their hands. We grasp its meaning at the Easter Vigil when we see the entire church go from darkness to light, one candle at a time — the light of Christ spreading from person to person, filling our hearts and setting them on fire anew. Admittedly, the symbolic value of the passing of the light is most powerful at the Easter Vigil, when all is dark. But we still light candles on Easter morning to acknowledge that Jesus is risen, and we will be, too, someday. Customs have developed over the centuries to signify this new life. Some buy new clothes (or hats) to demonstrate leaving old lives behind. Some dye eggs from plain white to a colorful new hue, an extremely powerful symbol of new life. We decorate our homes and church with blooming flowers to celebrate the new life that is returning to the world following the death brought on by winter. All of these are potent symbols of the resurrected Christ. Unfortunately, at times, symbols can lose their power as people lose touch with the symbol’s meaning. An Easter bonnet can become a statement of pride and status instead of a proclamation of becoming a new person. But how have we become new people in ways that others can’t see? Fortunately, at Easter, we have a chance to explore how the experience of Lent, the power of repentance and renewal can help us recommit to a new life as Christians. We have the opportunity, with Christ, to rise again.