May 8: The Great Fifty Days

The Church’s belief and practice show us that the joy of Jesus’ Resurrection cannot be contained in a single day – and that is why we have an entire Easter season that lasts 50 days!

Easter Sunday is the greatest of all Sundays, and the Easter season is the most important of the special seasons in the Church’s year. Whereas Advent and Lent prepare us for Christmas and Easter, respectively, the Easter season is all about keeping the joy of Christ’s rising from the dead alive in our hearts. The Church wants us to sense the significance of this extended celebration by giving us plenty of time to soak it in.

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Did you know that the word Easter likely comes from an old English word meaning “east?” And that word likely comes from an even older Latin word for “dawn.” The first light of the new day – the dawn – breaks in the east. And the dawn is symbolic of the Resurrection of the Lord, the Light of the World. “The dawn from on high shall break upon us and guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1, 78