Seasonal color: White, although gold may be substituted

Did you know Easter is actually separated into three different events?

• The Easter Triduum - Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday
• Easter Sunday - the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord
• The Easter Season - The weeks following Easter Sunday until Pentecost

We re-live Christ's crucifixion and death especially between noon and 3 pm. Don't worry about which time zone you are in - the suffering, humiliation and death Jesus suffered was the personal saving of each and every one of us. 

If possible, take the entire 3 hours as a quiet time of prayer. If that is not possible, at least take a moment of silence during that time. A silent thank you will do. Any of these will help you focus on just how much God is willing to endure to save you.

This is the longest special season in our Church calendar, and the season which, in our opinion, is completely overlooked. Of course we're all busy with spring cleaning, garden and yard work, and the end of school. We should also take some time to celebrate many aspects of Catholic theology.

1. Learn about the entire Easter Season
2. Keep up those Easter decorations
3. Consider having a Pentecost party

The Easter season is over 7 weeks long. It spans from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. During this time we can share some of the fundamentals of our Church:

• Prepare for the Sunday Scriptures which are read during the Easter Season.
• Divine Mercy Sunday (specific prayer details)
• The Ascension
• The Primacy of the Pope (meaning why Catholics believe we should have a pope!)
• The Sacrament of Reconciliation
• The gifts of the Holy Spirit
• Pentecost

The Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II instituted this celebration at the canonization of St. Maria Faustina, the poorly educated Polish nun to whom Jesus revealed the message of His mercy.

History of St. Faustina

In 1925 a quiet, 20-year-old woman left her home against the wishes of her family and became a nun. She was sickly, had only a 3^rd grade education, and humbly did her menial chores in the garden and kitchen. Her serene smile never betrayed the powerful spiritual encounters Sister Maria Faustina had with Jesus.

Sister Faustina was instructed, by both her spiritual director and Jesus Himself, to keep a diary. After her death at age 33, this diary was revealed to the world. She told of miraculous revelations, heavenly visions, prophecy, and, most importantly, that God has Divine Mercy and will forgive our sins.

So What's the Catch?

God does ask for something in return:

1. Ask Him for Mercy
2. Trust in His mercy
3. Live His mercy.

Now that’s not so hard, is it? Well, maybe it would be, but St. Faustina’s diary actually gives us specific guidelines for how to do these three things, including some new devotions like the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Novena, daily prayer at 3:00 pm daily, and the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday.

How Do We Join the Celebration?

Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated the first Sunday after Easter. On that day our Lord promised to grant complete forgiveness of sins and punishments. It’s a fresh start to get closer to God. We just need to prepare ourselves properly for this incredible occasion.

1. Celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday
2. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Divine Mercy Sunday
3. Truly repent of our sins and trust in Jesus
4. Receive the Eucharist on Divine Mercy Sunday
5. Hold the image of Jesus (right), as described by Sister Faustina, in a place of high regard
6. Be merciful to others

Raging River of Love

There is nothing new in Sister Faustina’s diary. It’s just a powerful reminder that God’s Divine Mercy is unfathomable and deserved by every single sinner. That’s good news! We may think His Mercy is silent and unseen, yet it is as unstoppable as a river. It’s always there if we just trust in Jesus.

If you read the first chapter of Acts of the Apostles, you'll realize Jesus spent the 40 days between Easter and His Ascension teaching the apostles about the meaning of salvation. He reviewed the Hebrew scriptures with them, he shared meals with them, He showed them His glory.

When the apostles were prepared to go on without His constant presence, He ascended to heaven, showing us all that we must die. From the very start Jesus showed us how to be truly human; being human does mean an end with earthly death. It is only by our earthly death that we can experience glory with God.

Prior to His death and resurrection, Jesus told Peter he would be the rock on which the Church would be built. After His resurrection, Jesus spoke with Peter and asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Peter said "yes" all three times. Not only did this help counteract the three denials of Peter during Jesus' Passion, it also was considered a lawful binding agreement.

The 10 days between the Ascension and Pentecost were desperate ones for the Apostles. Jesus was really gone this time, and they were not sure what to do about all their experiences.

Then came Pentecost. The feast of Pentecost was originally a Jewish feast. All the Jews came to Jerusalem for this annual celebration. That was the day the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit (the first Confirmation). As Jesus promised, the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) came from heaven and gave them spiritual gifts. These gifts allowed the apostles to act on their faith.

Pentecost is the birthday of the Church! It is a wonderful day to celebrate! We make a special cake with red decorations and sing Happy Birthday. We also like to have the sense of the Holy Spirit in our midst, so you may want to try this easy project.

Holy Spirit Mobile

Materials:

1. wire hangers
2. red crepe paper streamers
3. orange crepe paper streamers
4. yellow crepe paper streamers
5. window fan*

Instructions:

• While holding the curved part of the hanger, grasp the center of the straight edge and pull gently until the hanger is in the shape of a diamond.
• Cut the crepe paper into 6 foot strips.
• Fold each strip of crepe paper in half
• Make a slip knot with the crepe paper over the wire hanger.
• Mix the colors together on the wire hanger, and use at least 7-8 strips of paper per hanger
• Carefully hook the hanger to the window fan and turn the fan on.
• Watch the spirit fly!

*If you do not have a window fan, simply hang the hanger from a curtain rod, open the window, and let the breeze do the work. Or just let some kids run around with the streamers flying behind them. Whatever method you choose, enjoy celebrating the birthday of the Church!