Happy Easter, friends! Yes, it has been five days since Easter Sunday, but it is still the Easter Season. We are in the Octave of Easter. We should still be celebrating. And why wouldn’t we! Jesus has Risen!! We spent 40 days in the desert, so why keep the celebrations to one day? I’m pretty sure the Apostles celebrated more than just that first day.
The thought of celebrating Easter throughout all fifty days made me wonder what people most like about this time. So I asked some friends and I got a pretty nice list of Easter Season favorites. What would you add to this list?
#1 Taking comfort in our sacrifices. When Lent starts we often aren’t too keen on giving something up for 40 days. But by the end of Lent, some of us have not just accepted our Lenten sacrifices but have embraced them. Our Lenten sacrifices should be something that provides us a spiritual benefit. When I discussed this with one friend we agreed that by the time we reach the Easter Season going back to our old habits may not always be the best course. What an amazing comfort it is to embrace the fruits of the desert so much that you want to continuing living in that way! I’ve been contemplating this in the days since my friend first mentioned it and it is giving me some deep food for thought for next year’s Lent.
#2 Spring cleaning!! No really. A good, deep cleaning can be rejuvenating and therapeutic.And really what better time to do a big clean than spring. Just as we hopefully cleaned up our souls during Lent, now is a good time to clean up, air out, and freshen up our living spaces to give us some further evidence of a fresh start.
#3 Chocolate and Jelly beans!! Do I need to say any more?
#4 Rebirth. The flowers are blooming, the grass is greener, rabbits and birds and squirrels are showing up in the yard, the beauty of Spring is all around us. All of it is a perfect reminder of the season of joy that have now entered.
#5 The Easter Candle. Okay, so this one had me thinking, “huh?” It is a pretty cool candle, but I wasn’t quite sure why someone would say it is one of their favorite things about the Easter Season. So I asked and her explanation is much better in her words than in mine: “I love the prayers said over it at the Easter Vigil (“Christ is the Alpha and the Omega”), the liturgy of light at the Easter Vigil, the fact that the candle is present at OUR “beginning” and end (Baptism and Funeral), the way its presence in the altar all season helps to tie in Christ’s rebirth with our own….”
#6 Chocolate bunnies … oh wait, did we say this already? Well, let’s just say all those things we gave up for Lent that we’re really missing. Whether it’s beer, bread, sugar, coffee, your favorite soda, or that chocolate, they are all so much sweeter now after 40 days of abstinence.
#7 Hope, even in death. Easter reminds us that Jesus has conquered death for us. It’s a season of hope. This year especially, we witnessed the death of Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN, on Easter Sunday. How incredibly special that she went to her eternal reward on the day that we celebrate Jesus Resurrection from the dead. Even so, Mother would be the first to tell us, pray for her!! What an extraordinary life she had and an amazing legacy she leaves behind. Her life is truly a remarkable example of always listening to God’s will with complete trust in Him. This Easter Season it has been one of my favorite things to listen to EWTN and hear all the incredible stories of her life as those that knew her and worked with her recount their memories.
What are your Easter Season Favorites? Tell us in the comments. And then go visit Kelly over at This Ain’t the Lyceum for more Friday Quick Takes.
NUMBER TWO:
Blue is the color of the Blessed Mother. It reminds me of peace and motherhood, since my first baby boy was wrapped in light blue blankets with a stretchy blue cap on his head. Blue is the color of sea and sky and morning glories, and most importantly, my husband’s eyes. White is brilliant and of course invokes images of brides and my favorite, white roses. For me, it is reminiscent of the Transfiguration when Christ’s clothes became brilliantly white. That is the kind of white that to me is perfection, just as the Holy Spirit is.
Mountains. I am fortunate to live in a city surrounded by beautiful mountains. We always are certain of our sense of direction because of the huge mountain east of the city. Visitors are told, “Mountains are east.” The mountains are our landmark; our view is always based on the mountain; the view is either OF the mountain or FROM the mountain. Hiking the mountain is an exercise in resilience; climbing its majesty is triumphant. Sitting within the forest of the mountain is peaceful, filled with the smell of pine and the chirping of birds and the colors of flowers. Mountains are proof that God exists. The small mountains to the west of the city are dormant volcanoes, which at one time, 100,000 years ago, held such power within, they exploded under the pressure and left remnants throughout the valley. Mountains signify simultaneous strength and beauty, quite the way I imagine God Himself to be—steadfast and my landmark as well.
