Living with Strength and Kindliness

Do you know what?  One of my great loves of the Catholic Church and its teachings is the wealth of literary splendor that is shares with the world.

You might ask, what on earth I am talking about?

Well, did you know that this week is known as the ‘Octave of Easter’!  And it is a way for us to celebrate the ‘Solemnity’ of the Easter feast.  What amazing words!

And what does that mean? It means the eight days in ‘Eastertide’. From Easter Sunday til the next Sunday.

In the history of the Church, this week is the greatest week in the Church’s calendar. ‘Christ is Risen.  He is Risen Indeed!’

There are two periods of Octave in the Catholic Church and they align to the two great feasts in Christ’s life – Christmas, with His birth and Easter with His death.  Each of the Christmas and Easter event are followed by what is known as an Octave.

Octave means an eight-day celebration; that is, the prolongation of a feast to the eighth day (dies Octava) inclusive. The feast itself is considered the first day, and it is followed by six days called “days within the Octave.” The eighth or Octave Day is kept with greater solemnity than the “days within the Octave” (With Christ Through the Year by Bernard Strasser, 1947, p. 39).

Of course, we cannot comprehend the fullness of this great Easter mystery in our lifetime, but we are given Easter in eight days to slowly take it  in.  Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! The comprehension and joy of this amazing gift of Christ conquering sin and death by His death and Resurrection cannot be confined to just one day. The Church as a mother understands the needs of man. Within the liturgical calendar there is a built-in pattern that corresponds to human rhythms: times of preparation and penance building up to major feasts with celebrations that are prolonged, and multi-level feast days spread throughout the year. The Easter Octave gives us time to impress upon our souls the mysteries, joys and graces of the greatest feast of the Church. Each day of the Octave the liturgy dwells on the mysteries of the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection through the sacrament of Baptism.

So, what can we think about during this Octave Week? This is Pope Francis’ interpretation of John 20: 1- 9 – from last week’s Easter Sunday Gospel reading.  It is certainly something to think about!

We proclaim the Resurrection of Christ, says Pope Francis, when his light illuminates the dark moments of our existence, and we are able to share it with others when we know when to smile with those who smile, and weep with those who weep: when we accompany those who are sad and at risk of losing hope; when we recount our experience of Faith to those who are searching for meaning and happiness… and there – with our attitude, with our witness, with our life – we say “Jesus is risen” with our soul.

The closing of the greatest week does not mean an end of Easter. The Easter season continues until Pentecost, a sum total of 50 days! The number of days of celebrating is longer than the preparation of the Lenten season, again illustrating the central importance of the Paschal Mystery.  In the spirit of the Easter Octave, let us continue to celebrate the solemnity of Easter.

Let us pray:

Jesus, in times of disillusionment and faded dreams you stand at the door, waiting for me to invite you in.  May the experience of your risen presence bring about a transformation in my daily engagement with others. 

Amen.

Kirrilee Westblade

Catholic Identity Leader