Why is Easter so important to Christians?
In one of his letters, Saint Paul says that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, our faith is in vain and we are among the most pitiful of people [1 Corinthians 15:12-20]. The reason why Paul makes this point is that he understood that our belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the absolute foundation of our faith in him as God's Son, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. If Jesus had lived and died exactly as has been reported in the Gospels, but never returned to life, then surely there would be no world-wide movement of his followers after two thousand years. He would perhaps still be remembered as a great religious leader, a man to be admired, but ultimately a human being like the rest of us who was taken away by death. Instead, he is proclaimed as the Messiah, the Christ, who has conquered death itself because of his own divine nature. Eyewitnesses in the first generation of Christians bore testimony to the fact that the one who died truly rose from the dead. And they were so convinced of the truth of their testimony that they, too, were willing to die for the sake of Jesus' name. For two thousand years, Christians have continued to offer witness to their conviction that Jesus still lives, that he is alive in the Spirit, and that his presence in our midst is much, much more than a happy memory. The importance of Easter lies in the fact that on that day above all we Christians celebrate the central mystery of faith, our belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

What is the big, tall candle in church called, and why is it lit only sometimes?
That candle is called the Easter (or Paschal) candle because it is lit for the first time each year at the Easter Vigil when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Since Christ is the Light of the World, we regard the Easter Candle as a symbol of Christ present in our midst. That candle is lit at every Mass during the Easter Season (from Easter Sunday to Pentecost) as a special way to symbolize the presence of the Risen Christ in our midst. After Pentecost it is usually put near the baptismal font and then is lit again at every baptism and at every funeral. Both baptisms and funerals are times when we think especially of Christ's resurrection, and so it is fitting to use the Paschal candle on those occasions.

What makes Catholics different from other religions?
Children need to know that there are some ways that our Catholic religion is like other religions as well as some ways that we are unlike other religions. Among all of the religions of the world, we are most similar to other Christian religions. Among the followers of non-Christian religions, one would include Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and followers of Shintoism, Confucianism, and many, many other identifiable groups. Some of those mentioned believe in a single God as we do, while others are polytheist (believe in many gods). Some have a strong belief in an eternal afterlife, while others do not. Some believe God has been revealed to us in an inspired literature, and others do not.

Among the many Christian religious groups, some are very similar to us in what they believe and how they organize and live their faith, while others are less like us in various ways. All Christians share our profession of faith (the Creed), but not all have sacraments as we do, nor leaders who teach with authority (as our bishops and pope do). All Christians would recognize the Jewish roots of our faith and accept the Old Testament as part of the Bible, and all would believe in the New Testament as God's inspired word. But how we interpret the teachings of the Bible sometimes differs among Christians, and we also disagree sometimes on whether specific actions are permitted by God or not. Only Catholics believe in the Pope as the leader of the Church and the one who stands in the place of Jesus Christ as his Vicar.

What is the "ecumenical movement?"
Nearly a hundred years ago among Protestant Christians, there arose an effort to bring together many different Christian denominations around points of agreement and common concerns. Especially as a result of decisions taken at the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the Catholic Church began to get involved in this effort--called the "ecumenical (i.e., universal) movement"—to bring together into one Church the many different Christian groups that are presently separated from one another. There is a growing sense of urgency about this work that is being done to reunite all Christians into one Church, especially as we think about how Jesus prayed at the Last Supper that his followers would be united so that the world might better believe the Christian message. Many dialogues and other efforts are going on today to bring together Christians into a single, united community of faith and love, just as Jesus wished for his followers.