Easter is 50 Days
Alleluia, Christ is Risen!
We are now in the midst of the fifty days of the Great Celebration of Easter which begins with the first celebration of Easter at the Easter Vigil and concludes with the final service on the Sunday of Pentecost (which means fifty). The Paschal candle, first lit at the vigil from the new fire, stands lit in a prominent place at all services during the Great Fifty Days on the liturgical north of the sanctuary. The Easter Acclamation (Alleluia, Christ is Risen….) is used at the beginning of the eucharist and Alleluia is added to the dismissal. The Gloria has returned to its place at the beginning of the service and during the breaking of bread (Fraction) Alleluias are commonly used and many hymns and anthems containing Alleluias are sung during this season, including the Celtic Alleluia in our parish during the Gospel procession.
In our parish you will also notice that the service music is now the St. Denis mass setting and the Eucharistic prayer used during Easter is Prayer Three used with the Easter preface. An Easter blessing is used at the end of the service and the Confession of Sin and the Collect for Purity are not used as we are in one great celebration of the Lord’s Day of Resurrection. Easter is seen as both the first day of the week and the eighth day, both the creation and the end times. In some parishes, the Council of Nicea’s (325) prohibition on kneeling is followed and everyone stands for those parts of the liturgy during which they are accustomed to kneeling at other times of the year.
The fifty days of Easter is a baptismal season, and a time for teaching about the mystery and sacraments of the church as well as living out the new life of the resurrection while those baptized during Easter can be prayed for by name during the season. During Easter, lessons from the Book of Acts are read at each service and the Gospel is always from John, regardless of what liturgical year we might be in. The liturgical color is white and the use of the festal vestments and those trimmed with gold and silver are appropriate. Likewise, the church may be adorned with spring flowers and other symbols of the resurrection.
The fortieth day of Easter is know as Ascension Day, the time when Jesus ascended to Heaven. It is a major feast day of the church and the principal feast is usually in the evening. The fiftieth day of Easter is know as the Feast of Pentecost. It marks the end of the fifty days of Easter. The Jewish precursor was a celebration of the giving of the Law while the Christian feast celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit into the world. It is one of the days set aside for baptism and the liturgical color is red, the color of the Holy Spirit. The Paschal candle is lit throughout the service and afterwards can be moved back adjacent to the Baptismal font. Following Pentecost we move into the period know as “After Pentecost” or “Ordinary Time” which runs until Advent.