The Easter celebration at my church was beautiful: the glorified body of Jesus statue was processed into the church amidst the sounds of trumpets, little girls in their white communion outfits preceded the statue with flowers, and the sacristy was filled with flowers. The church was packed. The incense filled the altar with the prayers of the faithful praising and worshiping.
We celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead on Easter Sunday. For seven more days the Church celebrates the solemnity of Easter every day during the octave. or 8 days with Easter being day 1. Every day of the Octave is treated the same as the original solemnity of Easter. Friday in that octave is not a day of abstinence because it is a solemnity of Easter. The eighth or octave day is the second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday.
Easter season or Eastertide is for 7 weeks up to Pentecost.
We cannot confine the joy and excitement of the amazing gift of Jesus Christ conquering sin and death by His death to one day. Each day of the Octave the liturgy dwells on the mysteries of the Resurrection of Christ. At my church there were 16 catechumens who received their own resurrection through the sacrament of Baptism.
Jesus reminds us, "Do not be afraid." God wants us to be filled with faith and hope, not fear. No matter what we struggle with, He has lived it, He endured it in His agony and death. He is our strength, our Savior who will not let us down nor allow us to fail if we turn to Him for help in faith. Remember, death has no victory!
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