Easter Sunday

Christ is Risen! Indeed He has Risen! This proclamation, spoken since the first Easter, reminds us of what this day – the Feast of the Resurrection – is truly all about. In our modern world, Easter is often seen as a one-day event of bunnies, candy, pastel colored eggs, and a sumptuous family meal. But these things alone really miss the significance that this day truly holds.

Today is the feast of feasts! This is the day all creation longed for from the fall of Adam and Eve. God and humanity are once again made whole. Christ, by his Passion, death, and Resurrection, bridged the chasm between God and humankind caused by sin. The sacrifices we made during Lent should now make way to celebrating the overwhelming abundance of God’s grace and mercy. And as Catholics, we celebrate the Easter season for not just one day, but for fifty days! For one thing, as a Church we celebrate the Octave of Easter beginning on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord on Sunday, March 21st , and running through Divine Mercy Sunday on Sunday, March 28th . Each day within the Octave is celebrated as Easter Sunday itself! Further, the liturgical season of Easter continues until its conclusion on Pentecost Sunday, June 9th. The Scripture Readings at Mass during this time will focus on the postResurrection appearances of Jesus, and the events of the early Church from the Acts of the Apostles.

As we celebrate, it is interesting to realize that according to the Scripture accounts, none of the disciples actually saw Jesus rise from the dead. Much like us, it was their encounters with the Risen Christ that gave the Apostles and others (like Mary Magdalene) the courage to proclaim to the world that Christ is Risen! It is through our encounters with the Risen Christ that we receive the grace necessary to share the Good News with others.

For some people, this day may mean nothing significant. But we, who celebrate today as a special recognition of the Resurrection of our Savior, know that it signifies our hope of eternal life with God. For us, it provides a perfect opportunity to be renewed in the Lord as we open our hearts more fully to him. This will enable us, in turn, to share the power and the promise of the Resurrection with others, and thus to share more fully in the Easter joy. Saint Augustine declared many centuries ago, “We are an Easter people, and ‘Alleluia!’ is our song.”