Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
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"If Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, is your faith."
(1 Corinthians 15:14)
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Easter Sunday
Easter is the celebration of Christ's Resurrection from the dead, culminating in his Ascension to the Father and sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. It is celebrated on Sunday, and marks the end of Holy Week and the end of the Sacred Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil), and is the beginning of the Easter Season of the liturgical year.
Easter is characterized, above all, by the joy of glorified life and the victory over death, expressed most fully in the great resounding cry of the Christian: Alleluia! All faith flows from faith in the resurrection.
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"Resurrectio Domini, spesnostra."
"The Resurrection of the Lord is our Hope."- Saint Augustine, Sermon 126
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The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
As we know from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day following his crucifixion, which would be Sunday. His Resurrection marks the triumph of good over evil, sin and death. It is the singular event which proves that those who trust in God and accept Christ will be raised from the dead.
Since Easter represents the fulfillment of God's promises to humankind, it is the most important holy day on the Christian calendar.In the Gospels, the precise details of the Easter narrative vary slightly, but none of these variances are critical to the main story. In fact, it is argued that the variances are simply matters of style and not substance. Despite the variances, the key aspects of the Easter story all match. Above all, they agree that the tomb of Christ was indeed empty, which is the most essential fact.
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But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, "Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day."
(Luke 24:1-7)
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What is the saving meaning of the Resurrection?
The Resurrection is the climax of the Incarnation. It confirms the divinity of Christ and all things which he did and taught. It fulfills all the divine promises made for us. Furthermore, the risen Christ, the conqueror of sin and death, is the principle of our justitification and our Resurrection. It procures for us now the grace of filial adoption which is real share in the life of the only begotten Son. At the end of time, he will raise up our bodies.
-Compendium, Catechism of the Catholic Church
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At Easter, we celebrate with hearts filled with joy that Christ is our hope. We do this with certainty based on a historical fact: Jesus Christ, crucified and buried, is risen with his glorified body. Jesus is Risen, that we too, believing in him, may have eternal life.
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When is Easter celebrated?
Based on direct evidence from the mid-second century, it is believed that Easter was regularly celebrated from the earliest days of the Church. The Easter date is movable and always falls on a Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th. Easter in the Catholic Church is always on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.
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What are the holy days leading to Easter Sunday?
Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil are the most solemn days in which the Paschal Mystery is celebrated over these three days. The Paschal Mystery is Christ's work of redemption accomplished principally by His Passion, death, and Resurrection. These are the three holiest days of the entire liturgical year and are also known as the Sacred Paschal Triduum.
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"but Who do you say that I am?"
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Readings of the Mass
LISTEN HERE for the Audio recording of the Readings of April 9th, 2023, Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord.
SELECT HERE for the Readings of April 9th, 2023, Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord. -
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VIEW HEREthe Mass Times on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter.
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