If you want to know how to celebrate, look no further than the Catholic Church. Yes, we are
asked to prepare in a quiet, reflective, and repentant way for a long time. That preparation
can be four weeks (Advent) or 40 days (Lent), but the celebration is always longer than the
preparation.
Easter is not just the one Sunday after Good Friday. It is so much more!
Easter has an Octave, 8 days of celebration, and each of those 8 days is celebrated as if the
“day” of Easter lasts all 8 days- 8 days in 1! Easter Week is called that because it is one
extended celebration of Easter Day. So, April 1st is Easter Monday, April 2nd is Easter Tuesday, April 3rd is Easter Wednesday, etc.
If that supernatural math doesn’t make your natural mind go, “Wait! What!” add this to the
mix. The season of Easter extends beyond the 8-in-1 celebration of Easter Day. Recall that in
the life of the Church (in the Life of Christ), we celebrate longer than we prepare. Lent is 40
days, but the Easter Season is 50 Days!
Let’s break that down:
Easter Sunday (March 31st) - Divine Mercy Sunday (April 7) - 8 days The Second Monday of the week of Easter (April 8th) - The
Ascension of Jesus (May 9th)- 32 Days
Friday of the 6th week of Easter (May 10th) - Saturday of the
7th week of Easter (May 18th)- 10 Days
So, 8 + 32 + 10 = 50! 50 Days to celebrate and REJOICE in
the Glory of the Resurrection!
Oh, but it doesn’t even stop there! The very next day, this year May 19th, there is even more reason to celebrate- PENTECOST! The day the promised Holy Spirit came upon Our Lady and the Apostles with the sound like a rushing wind and rested upon them in the form of tongues of fire. The Church, which was prepared in the Old Testament, established and built by Christ in the New Testament, is now made manifest to the world on Pentecost. For the first time, the Apostles were given a full understanding of all that Jesus had told them, they were given the spiritual fortitude to PREACH the GOOD NEWS to people and the Acts of the Apostles tells us, “Those who accepted his (Peter’s) message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.” Acts 2: 41.
3,000 people were baptized THAT day…the Church was born! Happy Birthday to the Church, to the Mystical Body of Christ!
Easter isn’t just a day! Jesus has paid the price of our redemption. He suffered death, and conquered it! He CAME BACK! This is the FINAL proof Jesus is God and the reason we can live for all eternity in our true home, Heaven. That is reason to celebrate for the full season of Easter and beyond. Amen? Amen, and Alleluia!
How can families bring the incredible JOY of the entire Easter Season to the daily life of the home?
I hope that the following might be helpful.
CatholicKids.com is a great resource. Their downloads are $0.99 each. Here are three which might be a good fit for your family, but there is much more. Explore the site for Easter as well as seasons throughout the liturgical year.
From catholicmom.com
Here are five that jumped out when I read through the list:
2. Drape your crucifixes in your home with a strip of white cloth
4. Easter Bingo
5. Have a Pentecost cake, for the Birthday of the Church. Use the family baptismal candles as the birthday candles!
Make a Paschal Candle for your home. Bring it to church one Sunday and ask Father to bless it. Throughout the Easter Season, light it during prayer times. Paschal Candle for Home
On a warm sunny spring day, hide some empty Easter eggs around the yard and have a hunt.
The eggs are empty to remind us of the empty tomb! (on a rainy day hide them inside the house).
Make the family calendar with days of celebration within the Easter Season and do one simple but meaningful thing to highlight that day.
April 7th- Divine Mercy Sunday-put a picture of Divine Mercy on the kitchen counter or family table or prayer space. Divine Mercy Image
April 8th- Solemnity of the Annunciation/Incarnation
- this is usually celebrated on March 25th, but this year that date is Monday of Holy Week, so the celebration of Mary saying “Yes” to the announcement from the Angel Gabriel that she was chosen to be the Mother of the Savior has been moved to this date.
April 25th- the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist (gospel writer); Mark is symbolized by a winged lion, so maybe watch a kids nature show on lions, or read a lion themed book, or just have fun roaring like a lion! Here is a nice explanation for this symbol of St. Mark: St. Mark Catholic Church, Tampa FL
April 29th- the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church
May 3rd- Feast of Sts. Philip and James, Apostles
May 9th- the Ascension of Our Lord
May 14th- Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle
May 19th- Pentecost- Have a Pentecost “bonfire” and make s’mores, or a birthday cup-cake
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There are three outstanding preschools in the Jackson Catholic Schools System. All three of our preschools provide a holistic educational experience, with a focus on the academic, social, moral and spiritual development of the children.
For more information or to schedule a tour, please contact:
Queen of the Miraculous Medal (Tinkey’s Tots): Liz Sharlow - lsharlow@myjacs.org.
St. John the Evangelist: Marla Krueger - mkrueger@myjacs.org.
St. Mary Star of the Sea: Nancy O'Neill- noneill@myjacs.org