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Easter Octave Update

Christus Resurréxit! Resurréxit Vere! The Octave of Easter, which we are now in the middle of, is one of the most important weeks of the liturgical year, with the exception of Holy Week, and Christmas. According to the St. Andrew Daily Missal, the Octave is essentially one continuous Easter feast and in earlier periods servile work was forbidden during this week, while the new converts to the faith, as well as parents and children were offered the opportunity to attend Mass daily and receive Holy Communion (something not as common before the 20th century).

For the remaining days of this Octave, the faithful in Charlotte do at least have a few days to assist at Latin Mass:

Easter Octave Latin Masses

  • Easter Wednesday, 6pm (St. Ann)
  • Easter Thursday, 10am (St. Thomas Aquinas) (*the 7pm Latin Mass is canceled this week)
  • Easter Friday, 7am (St. Ann) or 12:30pm (St. Mark)
  • Easter Saturday, 8am (St. Ann) – the Respect Life Mass with prayers at Planned Parenthood, or a Holy Hour of Reparation in the Church, afterwards
  • Low Sunday/Octave Day – 11:30am (St. Thomas), 12:30pm (St. Ann)

In closing, we share an article posted at Rorate Caeli blog which presents a meditation on the joy of paradise by St. Alphonsus Liguori for this Easter celebration:

A MEDITATION ON PARADISE for the Paschal Festivity:

“To understand how great the joys of paradise are, it is enough to know that in that blessed realm resides a God Omnipotent, Whose care is to render happy His beloved souls. St. Bernard says that paradise is a place where “there is nothing that thou wouldst not, and everything that thou wouldst.” There shalt thou not find anything that is displeasing to thyself, and everything thou dost desire thou shalt find: “There is nothing that thou wouldst not.” In paradise there is no night; no seasons of winter and summer; but one perpetual day of unvaried serenity, and one perpetual spring of unvaried delight.

No more persecutions, no jealousies are there; for there do all in sincerity love one another, and each rejoices in each other’s good, as if it were his own. No more bodily infirmities, no pains are there, for the body is no longer subject to suffering; no poverty is there, for everyone is rich to the full, not having anything more to desire; no more fears are there, for the soul being confirmed in grace can sin no more, nor lose that supreme good which it possesses.”

Read the entire meditation here: https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2022/04/ex-oriente-lux-dominica-pasch-in.html#more