I just love that the miracle and mystery of Easter is too big to be limited to just one day of celebrating!! For 50 days we get the joy of wishing each other HAPPY EASTER!! The news is just that AMAZING! This week is called the Octave of Easter, and though I'd heard the term before, I never really thought much about it until now. If you would like more information about the Octave of Easter, I found this article on the Catholic Culture website to be quite informative:
FROM THE ARTICLE:
"Each day of the Octave the liturgy dwells on the mysteries of the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection through the sacrament of Baptism."
We plunge into the water to die with Christ and rise again to new life. Ahhhh, the refreshing, renewing, transforming, life-sustaining waters of Baptism! Do you ever really think much about water? I mean we turn on the tap and out it comes, right?
Water seems like such an ordinary thing, but there isn't another substance on the planet like it! It is the only matter on Earth to occur in all three states naturally. It's particular properties of cohesion, adhesion, ability to dissolve all kinds of matter, high heat capacity, and a higher density in liquid form than solid, allow for life as we know it to exist! Fifty to sixty percent of our bodies are composed of it. It is essential to cellular composition and function. We can only live about 3 days without water. (Did I ever mention that I used to be a middle school science teacher???)We are truly saved and sustained physically by water and spiritually by the waters of baptism. WOW!!!! God the creator is AWESOME!
Seems like a good reason to give praise with a song!