Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Jesus Christ is Risen Today!
Updated April 23, 2024
"We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:9-11)
Happy Easter! The word "Easter" comes from Old English, meaning the "East." The sun, which rises in the East, "bringing light, warmth and hope, is a symbol for the Christian of the rising Christ, who is the true light of the world." This year Easter Sunday is celebrated on March 31. The greatest of all liturgical seasons, Easter is a time to rest in "the joy of glorified life and the victory over death, expressed most fully in the great resounding cry of the Christian: Alleluia!" I The Exsultet: The Proclamation of Easter
Easter Season Lasts 50 Days
"The word, 'Pascha,' or 'Pasch,' comes from the Greek word for the 'Passover.' The early Christians used the word to describe the resurrection of Jesus as the Christian Passover. Today, we sometimes refer to the death and resurrection of Jesus as the Paschal Mystery, which is derived from the word, 'Pasch.' Orthodox Christians still use the word, 'Pascha' when referring to Easter. Learn more from Simply Catholic.
The proclamation of Easter does not end with Easter Sunday: That is only the beginning. The Easter season, known as Easter Time, is celebrated for 50 days. It culminates with the celebration of Jesus' ascension into heaven, and Pentecost, which marks the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and birthday of the Church. The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is Thursday, May 9, but since it is a moveable feast, it is transferred in many dioceses, including the Diocese of Little Rock, to Sunday, May 12. Pentecost will be celebrated Sunday, May 19.
Via Lucis (Way of Light)
The "Via Lucis" ("Way of Light") is a meditation on 14 stations that begin with Jesus rising from the dead and conclude with the celebration of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. It was developed in 1988 and has become a popular devotion during the Easter Season. Unlike the Stations of the Cross, this mediation, also known as the Stations of the Resurrection, are all based on events recorded in Scripture. See this guide on how to pray these stations.
More Easter Resources
We hope the following resources help you get the most from this joyous season of victory over death.
50 Ways To Celebrate 50 Days of Easter with Kids
Catholic Icing offers lots of creative ways to teach your kids how to celebrate the entire season of Easter from Easter Sunday to Pentecost.
Four Ways for Adults to Rejoice All Season Long
The Catholic Company offers four practical suggestions to continue to experience Easter joy through Pentecost.
The biblical themes of light removing darkness and life overcoming death runs through the entire Mass, which consists of four main parts: the Service of Light, the Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of Baptism and Liturgy of the Eucharist.
"Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?"
The resurrection of Jesus is the be-all and end-all of the Christian faith. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, all bishops, priests and ministers should go home and get honest jobs, and all the faithful should leave their churches immediately, because Christianity is a fraud and a joke. As Paul himself put it: “If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain.”
Among the popular Easter symbols, the lamb is by far the most significant of this great feast. The Easter lamb represents Christ with the flag of victory. The origin of the Easter Egg is based on the fertility lore of the Indo-European races. To our pre-Christian ancestors it was a most startling event to see a new and live creature emerge from a seemingly dead object. To learn more, see The Significance of Easter Food and Signs of Symbols of Easter.
Easter Symbols Found in Creation
Ever wonder what the Easter Bunny has to do with the resurrection? From butterflies to bees, peacocks to rabbits and eggs to pomegranates, Catholic Culture explains how nature came to represent the celebration of Easter.
Tradition of Blessing Easter Baskets and Easter Lilies
In many cultures, families bring food that will be eaten on Easter Sunday to church in a basket for a special blessing on Holy Saturday. The tradition of decorating with Easter lilies came into practice in the 1800s. The white flower is a symbol of purity and new life that heralds the resurrection of Jesus. I Easter Basket Blessings in Arkansas
We offer these resources for families with young children to teach about the meaning of Easter. Faith Catholic offers this recipe for resurrection rolls that sounds yummy. How about learning about the holiness of Easter eggs? Teaching Catholic Kids offers lots of ideas about how to celebrate a faithful Easter and Catholic Icing has arts and crafts projects for all 50 days of the season.
Tradition of Wearing New Clothes
Ever wonder why getting a new Easter outfit was traditionally part of celebrating this feast? Our Sunday Visitor tells us "new clothes publicly stated that, in celebrating Easter after faithfully observing Lent, the wearer really and truly was a new person."
