By Brea Cannon
Liturgical Rhythm of Life
“Alleluia, He is risen!’ ‘He has risen indeed!” — The Pascal greeting
April is a month when nature blooms and grows after the dull and desolate winter months and this April begins with the joy of Easter! Many saints and Fathers of the Church have written about Easter since the earliest of times. It has been referred to as the, “peak of all feasts” and “Queen of all solemnities.” St. Gregory of Nazianz (390) even wrote, “This highest Feast and greatest celebration so much surpasses not only civic holidays but also the other feast days of the Lord, that it is like the sun among the stars.”
Easter Sunday is the greatest of all feast days but the joy is not just contained in one day! In the week and month to follow we get to live in the liturgical season of Easter. The Easter season is the 50 days or Eastertide from Easter Sunday to Pentecost.
During Eastertide, the Church rejoices and lives in a state of celebration and joy. In the week of Easter, also known as the Easter octave, the Church celebrates the risen Lord and the events of the life of Jesus that took place in the time after the resurrection.
During this week, it is a great time to take down any leftover Lenten reminders or decorations and garnish your home with hope. Easter decorations are a great way to do this. It can be very simple, spring flowers remind us of rebirth after the winter months, bright colors give us a sense of joy and a cross displayed reminds us that Jesus conquered death on a cross for our salvation. In the week of Easter, refill the candy dish, display some fresh lilies and refresh your home with decorations that lift your heart and mind to the joy of the resurrection.
Easter Monday is known for its “Emmaus Walk,” a custom inspired by the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35. After the resurrection, two of Jesus’ disciples were walking on a road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were discussing the events that had just taken place in Jerusalem when Jesus drew near and began to walk with them. They did not recognize him until he broke bread with them – in that moment their eyes were open and they returned to Jerusalem to share the news with Jesus’ other followers. On this day, take a silent walk around your neighborhood or a park. Imagine yourself with Jesus on your journey. What would you say to him? What would he say to you?
Easter Friday is a great time to… eat meat! Easter Friday is one of two solemnities that regularly falls on a Friday. The solemnity trumps all weekly Friday penance. Throughout Lent, Friday was a day to abstain from meat; as you enjoy a burger, steak, fried chicken or a scrumptious pork chop, be intentional and make a big deal out of the Friday meal and rejoice in the resurrection.
The octave concludes with the church’s celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday. Jesus appeared to a Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska in the beginning of the twentieth century. He appeared to her as the “King of Mercy” and asked her to have an image made of his divine mercy with rays of red and blue flowing from his heart. He asked specifically for the feast of his divine mercy to be the Sunday after Easter. This is a great day to pray a chaplet of divine mercy and reflect on the image of divine mercy. In our home, we always enjoy divine mercy ‘sundaes.’ We use strawberries and blueberries on our ice cream sundaes to symbolizes the rays of mercy that flow from Jesus’ heart.
As the season of Easter continues until Pentecost, fill your days with songs that profess the Alleluia, continue to share the Paschal greeting, ‘He is risen indeed!’ and don’t contain the Easter celebrations to just one day. Traditions in the Church have been around for hundreds and thousands of years. Your home and your family are the domestic church and your own traditions can inspire you and the generations to follow with the reality of the resurrection and the hope of eternal life. May this Easter season be a time of hope and joy for you and your family!