Why do we celebrate
Easter for 50 days? As we look back on
our faith tradition we see that our ancestors found great symbolic meaning in
these 50 days of Easter. Think about
the fact that 50 days is seven weeks — a week of weeks plus one day. That extra
day symbolizes the day of resurrection, the day that symbolized eternity.
While 50 days of
unmitigated joy seems hard for us to sustain today, with all the sadness in our
world, the season still has meaning. It’s the time when we are meant to
experience what it means when we say Christ is risen. It is the season when we hear and ponder the story
of the beginnings of our Church, the gifts of the Spirit, and the meaning and
mission of discipleship, on what joining in the Eucharist commits us to be and
do. For no matter how glorious this 50-day taste of the heavenly banquet is
meant to be, God eventually calls us out of the celebration and reminds us to
move on and live what we’ve celebrated in all the moments of our lives. Let us relish the Easter joy in all we do
during the 50 days ahead!
Pat Schifini, OSU
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