 When Easter falls in such a way that March 25th, the usual date of the Annunciation, is in Holy Week, the Easter Triduum, or the Octave of Easter, the Annunciation is moved to the Monday after the Octave of Easter.
 “The Lord is risen, alleluia!” The Invitatory Antiphon for Easter Sunday proclaims the exultant joy of the whole Church, the triumphant Bride of Christ, as she rejoices in the victory of her Redeemer. On this first day of the week, Jesus rose from the tomb, defeating not merely physical death, but its much more sinister source: the prideful rejection of God’s love which is the temptation of every fallen human heart. Ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, each soul has been subject to fear, bound by a warped understanding of God’s power and inclined to reject His providence in favor of her own plans. Yet now, “the splendor of Christ risen from the dead” (as stated in the First Antiphon for Morning Prayer) illuminates the very darkness in which the soul has shrouded herself and she, redeemed by his blood, may freely rise to greet Him.
 In the cycle of the liturgical year, the Sacred Triduum stands out in a class all its own: Holy Thursday as a day of unparalleled liturgical catharsis, Good Friday as one in which contrition cannot but pour out as tears; all of which reaches its pinnacle on Easter, the Solemnity of Solemnities. Holy Week catches us up into the drama of our redemption and God’s infinite love for Man—and it is this very theme which is the inescapable motif of the entire affair: love.
 "But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Romans 6: 8 - 11  Eugène Burnand: Peter and John Running to the Tomb One of the gifts of Holy Mother Church to her children is the gift of the Octave. For high liturgical feasts such as Christmas and Easter, the feast is so splendid, so marvelous that one day is not sufficient to celebrate! Even more particular to the Octave is the fact that each day is celebrated as equally to the feast. During the Easter Octave, for example, every day is celebrated as the day of Christ's Resurrection.
 "Spiritual elevation to union with God through the power of Christ is what this holy night accomplishes...we must believe firmly that now, at Easter, God enters the world and our souls, to consecrate and sanctify." Fr. Pius Parsch
 O God, who through thine only-begotten Son didst on this day overcome death and open unto us the gates of everlasting life: prosper with thine aid the desires which thou didst anticipate with thine inspiration. Through the same Lord. Amen. - Collect
 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, and that preacheth peace...
 Jesus greets His Mother after the Resurrection Mary as Witness to Whole Pascal MysteryAfter Jesus had been laid in the tomb, Mary “alone remains to keep alive the flame of faith, preparing to receive the joyful and astonishing announcement of the Resurrection” (Address at the General Audience, 3 April 1996). The expectation felt on Holy Saturday is
 The Appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene By Alexander Ivanov Mane nobiscum, Domine! Stay with us, Lord! (cf. Lk 24:29) With these words, the disciples on the road to Emmaus invited the mysterious Wayfarer to stay with them, as the sun was setting on that first day of the week when the incredible had occurred. According to his promise, Christ had risen; but they did not yet know this. Nevertheless, the words spoken by the Wayfarer along the road made their hearts burn within them. So they said to him: "Stay with us". Seated around the supper table, they recognized him in the "breaking of bread" - and suddenly he vanished. There remained in front of them the broken bread, There echoed in their hearts the gentle sound of his words.
Living Word of the Father, give hope and trust to all who are searching for the true meaning of their lives. Bread of eternal life, nourish those who hunger for truth, freedom, justice and peace. Stay with us, Living Word of the Father, and teach us words and deeds of peace: peace for our world consecrated by your blood and drenched in the blood of so many innocent victims: peace for the countries of the Middle East and Africa, where so much blood continues to be shed; peace for all of humanity, still threatened by fratricidal wars.
URBI ET ORBI MESSAGE OF SAINT POPE JOHN PAUL II Easter Sunday, 27 March 2005 SAINT JOHN PAUL II, PRAY FOR US! |
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