Easter Monday

The Easter “Season”—The period from Easter Sunday through Divine Mercy Sunday is an especially joyful time, but it is just the beginning. The Catholic Church refers to these eight days (counting both Easter Sunday and Divine Mercy Sunday) as the Octave of Easter. Every day in the Octave of Easter is so important that it is treated as a continuation of Easter Sunday itself.

It used to be common to count the days “after Easter,” for example “the first Sunday after Easter.” But the truer way of saying this is “the second Sunday of Easter” or, as with today, “the second day of Easter.” At today’s Octave Mass, the Gospel passage was a continuation of the Easter Sunday Gospel: “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed.” (Matthew 28,8)

Is it possible that the fear of Good Friday was still fresh in the minds of these two women? Is that fear going to be replaced by the realization that He is risen? Apparently, they did not know what to make of all of this, but they knew enough to run and spread the news!

“Risen Jesus, give us the courage to live with joy even when we are afraid, to know you are with us even when we feel alone, and to take your message out into the world where it can heal, comfort, strengthen, and save. Amen.”

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