Let us pray as Christians thirsting for the risen life. Heavenly Father and God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life. From the waters of death you raise us with him and renew your gift of life within us. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ and help us to grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Easter Season refers to the Great Fifty Days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday, a celebration of our participation in Christ’s resurrection which brings us from the death of sin to a life of grace. Its last ten days (Ascension Thursday through Pentecost) focus on the promise of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The fiftieth day (pente-) is seven (the perfect number) squared plus one (the first day of the New Life). The word Easter probably has roots in the Norse term Eostur, the season of the rising sun, or the time of the new birth of spring. Both these meanings lent themselves well to Christian symbolism for the new life of the risen Christ, the eternal light.

The eight-day week beginning with Easter and ending the following Sunday is one of the octaves kept by the Church. It is traditional to consider the octave day as belonging to the feast, so that Easter would last eight days, including two Sundays: Easter itself (the high feast) and the following Sunday (the “low” one, thus “Low Sunday”). It was once common practice for those who had been baptized during the year, especially those initiated at the Easter Vigil, to wear white clothes to Mass during the octave. In fact, this symbolic clothing of the neophytes inspired all members of the faith community, clothed in Christ, to celebrate this grace by wearing new clothes at Easter. With everyone called to rise and shine, it is no wonder that the Easter octave was called Bright Week.

Do you know how the date of Easter is determined? ● To most of us, knowing the date of Easter Sunday is a simple matter of looking at a calendar. Some of us may remember that it is the first Sunday after the paschal full moon. It is hard to believe that the computation of the Easter date has a long and complicated history, combining knowledge of the dates of Passover, of knowing the differences of the Julian and Gregorian calendars, as well as understanding solar and lunar cycles. Even today, the Orthodox celebration of Easter is usually a week later than the Roman Easter due to differences in calendars and calculations. How lucky we are to have the date determined by learned minds rather than leaving it up to every parish or denomination! Instead of having great theological arguments about the date of Easter, we can focus on the “reason for the season,” the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. The Lord is risen, Alleluia!

Celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord by listening to the Easter Proclamation (the Exsultet) and meditating on icons reflecting the baptismal images that recall Jesus’ death and Resurrection and his glorious reign in heaven.

Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven,
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation
sound aloud our mighty King's triumph!

Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.

Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lightning of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.

(Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty,
that he, who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me his light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle's perfect praises.)

(V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.)
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, with ardent love of mind and heart
and with devoted service of our voice,
to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten.

Who for our sake paid Adam's debt to the eternal Father,
and, pouring out his own dear Blood,
wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness.

These, then, are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers.

This is the night,
when once you led our forebears, Israel's children,
from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.

This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin.

This is the night
that even now, throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin,
leading them to grace
and joining them to his holy ones.

This is the night,
when Christ broke the prison-bars of death
and rose victorious from the underworld.

Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.

O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault
that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!

O truly blessed night,
worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!

This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me,
and full of gladness.

The sanctifying power of this night
dispels wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.  
On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.

But now we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God's honor,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees
to build a torch so precious.

O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed to those of earth,
and divine to the human.

Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honor of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.

Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.

May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death's domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.

R. Amen.