Religion column: Church gives the gift of 50 days of Easter

Happy Easter!

Yes, it is still Easter! Though the Easter hats and patent leather shoes have been put away, the chocolate bunnies and marshmallow eggs have been devoured, and the seasonal aisles in the stores are now stocked for Mother’s Day and graduation, it is still Easter!

For 50 days that begin on Easter Sunday and end on Pentecost Sunday, the church celebrates Easter. Why 50 days? The history of the liturgical calendar is long and complex. To summarize the Scriptural and Church tradition, after the resurrection, the risen Lord remained on Earth for 40 days before He ascended to heaven. Pentecost (which means 50), when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Jesus’ disciples, arrived 10 days later. Thus, we have 50 days for celebrating Easter.

The 50 days of Easter follow the 40 days of Lent. St. Augustine said that after 40 days of fasting and penance, it is right and good to feast and celebrate for 50 days the resurrection of Jesus.

For 40 of those days between Easter and Pentecost, Jesus remained on Earth. What was Jesus doing on those 40 days between his resurrection and ascension? He appeared to his followers.

The Gospels provide many and varied accounts of Jesus appearing after his resurrection. He appeared to the women who came to see the tomb on that Sunday following Good Friday. Later that day, Jesus appeared to two followers as they walked to Emmaus. He appeared twice to the disciples in Jerusalem and he appeared to them in Galilee. St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians that Jesus appeared to Peter, then to the 12, and then “he appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”

Even after those first 40 days Jesus appeared, for St. Paul also writes, “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” Jesus appeared in all manner of places and to all kinds of people. Behind locked doors. On the dusty road to Emmaus. At the Sea of Tiberius. On a mountaintop in Galilee. The road to Damascus. At breakfast and at dinner. There was no door so barricaded, no road so desolate, no town so out of the way, no mountaintop so high, no persecutor so out of reach that the risen Lord could not overcome to be with his beloved followers.

The Gospels also tell us that these appearances of Jesus were not mere apparitions. Jesus told Thomas to put his hand in the wound in Jesus’ side. Jesus ate fish with the disciples by the Sea of Tiberius.

For the disciples and others who saw Jesus, it must have been incredible, joyful, maybe even confusing, those first 50 days with Jesus appearing seemingly unexpectedly. Yet, this was another promise kept by the Lord, for he had promised the disciples at their last meal together that he would not leave them as orphans. “I will come to you,” he said.

Thus, the Church celebrates Easter not as a day, but as a single joyful feast that St. Athanasius called the “great Lord’s Day.” Every Sunday is celebrated in the Church as a little Easter, but during Easter every Sunday is celebrated as Easter. Churches often include sprinkling rites for the renewing of baptismal vows and reminder of baptismal promises on these Sundays.

While the Church’s celebrates Easter for 50 days, how long do we celebrate Easter? Does our Easter joy get put away in the closet with our Easter outfits? Does our Easter joy disappear as quickly as the chocolate bunnies and mini eggs? Do we wipe away our Easter joy as we wash the dishes from our Easter feasts?

The Church gives us the gift of the 50 days of Easter not only so that we continue to celebrate on the Sundays of Easter, but also so that we can continue to live the resurrection joy in our daily lives.

Daily living of resurrection joy is not always easy, to be sure. Burdens weigh heavy. Worries are many, and stresses overwhelm in our own lives and the lives of our families, friends and the world. Easter joy can easily fade in the daily struggles.

In an Angelus reflection, St. Pope John Paul II got at the heart of this challenge when he said, “We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery – the mystery of his Death and Resurrection.”

He then says, “Do not despair. We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song! We are not looking for a shallow joy but rather a joy that comes from faith, that grows through unselfish love, that respects the ‘fundamental duty of love of neighbor, without which it would be unbecoming to speak of Joy.’”

“We are an Easter People, and Alleluia is our song!” It is a remarkable affirmation of faith in the midst of all life’s joys and sorrows. It is the truth that opens locked hearts, blooms in the midst of desolations, meets us no matter how far we have strayed, greets us on the road of life whether dusty or clear. It is an Alleluia that cleanses us in the waters of baptism, feeds us in the Eucharist, sustains and strengthens us all of our days, and surrounds us with grace upon grace.

When burdens weigh heavily, do not despair. When worries are numerous, do not despair. When stresses overwhelm, do not despair. If we find that we are in circumstances where we despair and cannot sing Alleluia loudly if at all, Alleluia is still our song and the Church sings for us until we are able to sing it again for ourselves.

The alleluia of Easter joy is the song that rings for all eternity, in all times, for all times, and through all times.

Happy Easter!