Octave of Easter / Divine Mercy Sunday

While there are a fair number of saints who normally would have been celebrated during this week:


April 23 - Saint George, Martyr

April 23 - Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr

April 24 - Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr

April 25 - Saint Mark, Evangelist


ALL of them, including St. Mark, are suppressed this year in favor of the Octave of Easter.




April 20 - EASTER SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD

April 21 - Monday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER

April 22 - Tuesday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER

April 23 - Wednesday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER

April 24 - Thursday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER

April 25 - Friday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER

April 26 - Saturday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER

April 27 - SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER or DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY


This is because for the major feast days, and Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord is by far the greatest, the Church celebrates for an Octave (for a full week, and one day more).  During this time, the Liturgy is part "in suspended animation," it's as if time "stops" in part during this time.


In the Liturgy of the Hours, the same psalms along with the same antiphons during Morning Prayer, during the entire Octave of Easter.   Afterwards the Reading for the particular day's morning prayer changes along with the intercessions.   But the response to the reading remains the same.


In the Mass, the Gospel Reading changes for each day, but thematically it remains the same: Each day a different account of Jesus' post Resurrection appearances to the disciples is proclaimed.  The effect is that the Octave becomes something of a "parade" of the Resurrection.


The Octave comes to an end on the Second Sunday of Easter.  


At the Canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska in 2000, the future St. John Paul II designated the Second Sunday of Easter as also being the "Sunday of the Divine Mercy" (or "Divine Mercy Sunday") something that St. Faustina had promoted for much of her life.  The designation caused something of a stir in liturgical circles, as the future St. John Paul II made the designation largely on basis of "private revelations" (visions) that St. Faustina had experienced during the course of her life.  


Yet the future St. John Paul II made the point that while the other that the Church celebrated always seemed to have beginning and closing Feasts, the Octave of Easter did not.  Declaring the Second Sunday of Easter, which closes the Octave of Easter to be "Divine Mercy Sunday" rectifies this, and perhaps more interestingly adds something to the understanding of Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord. To the critical question of WHY did Jesus rise from the Dead, Divine Mercy Sunday reminds us that it was out of God's (Divine) Mercy that he did ... to show us that not even death has the final word on our lives, that the final word belongs to God and that God's final desire is that we live with him, forever.


So clearly, I have no particular problem with Divine Mercy Sunday.  I've found it a lovely addition to our understanding of our Faith reminding us that Jesus didn't rise from the dead simply because he was "better than us" or "stronger than us."  Instead Jesus rose from the dead to show us that this gift can be ours as well if seek to walk with him in this life.


Happy Octave of Easter / Happy Divine Mercy Sunday to all!

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