April 5 | The Resurrection of the Lord

Easter Sunday is the most important day on the liturgical calendar. It is when the Church commemorates Our Lord Jesus’ Resurrection and the fulfillment of His triumph over death and sin. 

This holy day is the greatest feast of the Church as it celebrates the culmination of the Paschal Mystery. It marks the end of Holy Week and the entrance into the 50 days of the Easter season. Easter Sunday is also followed by an octave (eight days) to prolong the celebration of this joyous feast. 

The Resurrection is recorded in all four Gospels. Matthew  28:1-15 describes it in the following way:  

“Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Easter has been celebrated since the Church’s earliest days. Its date is moveable and can differ between the Eastern and Latin rites. The First Council of Nicea determined in 325 A.D. that Easter must be held on the first Sunday following the full moon after the spring equinox, a date ranging from March 22 – April 25.