What does the term Paschal refer to?

• A. Passover and liberation through sacrifice.
• B. A Jewish festival celebrating harvest.
• C. A Latin term for forgiveness.
• D. A Greek word for bread.

Answer: (A)

Paschal centers on Passover and the liberation that comes through sacrifice. The word comes from Hebrew Pesach, meaning “to pass over,” referring to the decisive act of God saving the Israelites when the plague passed over their homes during Egypt’s exodus, aided by the sacrificial lamb. In Jewish tradition, this marks the festival of Passover, a remembrance of deliverance through that sacrifice. In Christian usage, Paschal extends to the Paschal Mystery—the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus—seen as the ultimate deliverance from sin and death. The term’s lineage from Pesach into Latin and Greek forms underlines this theme of salvation tied to sacrifice, which is why the option describing Passover and liberation through sacrifice is the best fit. The other options point to concepts (harvest festival, forgiveness, or bread) that do not capture this specific sense of Passover liberation and its salvific significance.