5 Ways to Continue the Easter Celebration
It’s been just over a month since Easter Sunday, and though the secular world has already hung up their bonnets, for us Catholics, the Easter season is only a little over half way through.
I’ll be honest. I’ve forgotten it’s Easter. Easter Sunday passed me by, and I sunk back into my everyday routine. I gave in to the daily drone of life and forgot that it is not Ordinary Time. The feast of the Easter Season has not yet passed.
There are times for fasting and sorrow, times for the everyday, the simple and the ordinary, and times for celebration. The Church has given us the liturgical seasons because she knows that the human soul needs all three, and because she acknowledges that life exists as a delicate balance between the mundane, the extraordinary, and the tragic.
To help you make these last few weeks count, here are five ways you can continue turning your heart towards Christ and celebrate his resurrection.
1) Pray: Prayer is the lifeblood of the Church, and perhaps the most important thing you could do with your day. Remember this if you ever feel like you are struggling in your life: if you have prayed today, you have already done enough.
The Easter Season is a great time to pray the Glorious Mysteries of the rosary. If saying a rosary is a bit much for where you are spiritually, try committing to a short novena, or simply spend five minutes each day thanking God for the blessings he’s given you–no matter how small.
Here are some great novenas for this time of year:
The Divine Mercy Novena (Technically you are supposed to begin this on Good Friday and end on the following Saturday, but it’s never too late!)
2) Spend time in nature: It doesn’t matter if you plant a garden or take a walk, just make sure to take some intentional time to enjoy the great outdoors. Springtime is like God’s way of celebrating!
3) Serve up an Easter feast: The Church doesn’t call its celebrations feast days for nothing. Whether you invite some friends over or just sit down at the dinner table with family, good conversation and good food is a wonderful way to celebrate the resurrection.
4) Start a gratitude journal: What better way is there to celebrate than to reflect on everything you are grateful for? To give this classic a more Easter-like spin, try sitting down every night (or morning) and reflecting on the resurrection and what it means to you. How would life be different if Christ hadn’t been raised from the dead? What parts of your life have been impacted by the resurrection? Where do you see God in your life, and for what are you grateful to him for?
I love the daily reflection journal from Blessed is She. I don’t have one myself, but I have heard so many great things about their products, and I love what the company stands for.
5) Celebrate the feast days: A number of feast days in the Church happen during the Easter season. There’s Pentecost, Divine Mercy Sunday, The Feast of the Ascension, and The Feast of the Holy Trinity, to name a few. That doesn’t even take into account all of the Saint feast days that occur. Take note of the days, and make an effort to do something on them–even if that something is as simple as a short prayer or reading about a specific Saint.
How have you been celebrating Easter? Is there anything you would add? Let me know in the comments below!
Christ is risen!
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