Easter Sunday – Feast of the Resurrection

Apr 21, 2019 by Jill

EASTER SUNDAY – Feast of the Resurrection

 LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: One of the great hymns of Easter is the anthem by Richard Hillert entitled the Festival Canticle but better known as “This is the feast of victory of our God. Alleluia!” The words of that hymn beautifully tell of the struggles, hopes and desires we have which have found their ultimate meaning in the fact that the tomb is empty and sin and death do not have the final say in our lives. As Saint Paul said, “If Christ be not risen, your faith is vain” [I Cor. 15:14, 17].

Thus, Easter is the pinnacle of all feasts of the Church year, which began with Advent, or the expectation of the coming of the Messiah, sent by God to provide the means for our Salvation. The culmination of the entire liturgy is the Easter feast. Families who attend Mass on Easter Day join millions of Christians all over the world — past and present — in joyous affirmation of our redemption through the love of Christ, our hope of salvation, and our faith in the resurrection from the dead and the life of the world to
come.

MEDITATION FOR THE DAY In order to fulfill the scripture, the true word of God in the Bible, God sent his only son to earth. This Son, Jesus, took on our nature–he was both a human being and yet God’s son. He lived among us, yet did not sin. Truly, humiliatingly, shamefully having died as a man and Son of God that he was, Jesus was laid in a tomb. He was not whisked off the cross into heaven. His body was not stolen from the tomb. The Lamb rose in victory. Since the payment for sin was accepted by God, death no longer had a claim on him. He rose to life again in glory. That is proof of his purchase and of his victory which he allows us to share in and become part of this victory celebration

PRAYER OF THE DAY :  O God, who on this day, through your Only Begotten Son,
have conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity, grant, we pray, that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection may, through the renewal brought by your Spirit, rise up in the light of life. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 ANCIENT WORDS: “Christ went down into the deepest abysses…when he went into the lowest Hell to fetch forth the souls of his elect. Before this, this depth was a prison, not a way…But God made of this abyss a road” —St. Gregory of Nyssa

 EASTER DISCIPLINE: The egg has represented mystery, magic, medicine, food and omen. It is the universal symbol of Easter celebrations throughout the world and has been dyed, painted, adorned and embellished in the celebration of its special symbolism. With the advent of Christianity, the symbolism of the egg changed to represent, not nature’s rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose. Make an egg and share it with everyone you cherish.

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