Liturgy Lesson for the First Sunday After Easter: Eastertide

April 14, 2007

This is the first Sunday in Eastertide, the oldest festival of the church year - and one that rightly enjoys a far greater emphasis than Lent, which is, more than anything else, a spiritual examen to prepare us to receive the joys and empowerment of Resurrection life made possible by Easter’s victory. In ancient times, there was one long festival between Easter and Pentecost, correctly linking the two great holidays as one spiritual event - the birthing of the Church Militant by the conquest of sin and death and subsequent coming of the Holy Ghost. The early church called Easter “Pascha,” derived from the Hebrew word for Passover and our faith’s Hebraic roots. The liturgical color of the season is white, honoring our Lord’s purity and royalty. The symbols of the season are pleasant, in contrast to the hard symbols representing the unpleasantness of our falleness we discover and overcame in Lent. Eastertide symbols tie to the Resurrection - typified by the lilies decorating our nave and sanctuary areas. This flower represents the season in two ways: (1) it blooms at the appropriate time and (2) the seeming decay of the bulb before its growth, beauty and fragrance is an icon of the Resurrection. Alleluia!

Posted by Father Chip | Filed Under Liturgy Lessons