Easter Sunday Mass concludes Sacred Triduum, begins season of celebration
The light coming out of the darkness.
“In the sadness of the passion and death of the Lord we were in darkness. But now, in the light of the newly lit Paschal candle, symbol of the Risen Christ, we are in the light,” Bishop Robert Deeley said.
Hundreds gathered at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Portland to celebrate Easter Sunday. The Easter Sunday Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord is celebrated with great joy and music. The tomb is empty, death has been conquered for all time. We renew our baptismal promises and celebrate the life that comes with believing in the Risen Lord.
“With Christ you have died in baptism. With him you are also risen. Your life is now joined with his. You are part of his Body, the Church. For us, as Christians a new way of life is opened up. We live according to what we believe. We have a new vision of time – it is eternal,” Bishop Deeley said.
“And because of that new horizon we have hope. We look at reality through the lens of resurrection and life. We live our lives in the world like everyone else. We encounter difficulties and joys, we suffer and are hurt, we encounter challenges, we suffer the loss of loved ones just as do those who do not believe in the resurrection,” Bishop Deeley said.
“The difference is that we meet these events with faith and hope, and not despair. We trust that the Risen Jesus is with us, and, in the eternity of the relationship we have with him Christ is always with us giving meaning to our lives which we live in the confidence of an eternal relationship with him,” Bishop Deeley said during the mass.
Easter celebrates that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to Mary Magdalene, who witnessed her vision to the apostles; Peter and John ran to the empty tomb; they saw and believed.
The feast of Easter is at the heart of the Christian faith. It is a celebration of Christ’s victory over sin and death. Our faith as Catholics flows from our belief in the resurrection.
Easter marks a season of celebration. The first eight days, known as the Octave of Easter, beginning on Easter Sunday and concluding on Divine Mercy Sunday, are considered one continuous celebration and a time of feasting.
Forty days after Easter, we celebrate Christ’s ascension to the Father, the culmination of the Paschal Mystery. Then, 10 days after that, the Easter season concludes on Pentecost Sunday, a celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
