By: Allison Ramirez
The season of Easter is the most important season in the entire liturgical year as we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant victory over death and glorious resurrection and ultimate ascension into heaven. The first eight days following Easter are known as the Easter Octave, and the total length of the Easter season is fifty days as celebrated from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. For those who aren’t familiar, Pentecost is the Jewish festival of weeks, and in the Acts of the Apostles this is where the Holy Spirit descends on the Apostles in the upper room, giving them the promised Holy Spirit and the strength and courage to go out to the ends of the earth spreading the gospel message of Jesus and beginning to build up his church.
At the Easter Vigil, the final day of the three day Holy Week triduum, we celebrate Jesus’ overcoming the grave, and also this is traditionally the mass where anyone seeking to enter the church through RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) would join the church by one or more of the three initiation sacraments of Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation. I invite you to spend this Easter day, next eight days, and even next fifty days till Pentecost calling to mind all those who have been newly initiated into the church to pray for their continued growth and love for their faith, and also for our own continued spiritual growth and love for being Catholic.
How might you continue celebrating and living out the joy of the resurrection and of your rich tradition of faith throughout the rest of the year? There are many ways to deepen your faith through daily prayer with the scriptures or catechism, attending weekly mass and even, if you are able, daily mass. You can also take part in the sacrament of confession or sign up for a local retreat. You can volunteer your time with a service project, read a book by the saints, learn a new form of prayer, or even sign up for access to the wonderful religious videos on Formed or one of our parish faith formation programs. We as church are here to support you in your faith!