Understanding the Day
Season
Eastertide
Week
Week 1 of Eastertide
Rank
First-class feast
Easter Sunday (Dominica Resurrectionis) opens the season of Eastertide and is the principal feast of the Christian year, celebrating Christ’s resurrection. In family terms, this day is the summit of the liturgical cycle: joy replaces the penitential focus of Lent, and the paschal mystery — Christ’s dying and rising — is the center of worship and Christian hope. Its rank, “Double of the I Class,” indicates the highest level of solemnity in traditional Catholic celebration: the Mass and the Office are celebrated with full ceremonial, and other observances give way to this feast. The day belongs to the first week of Eastertide and is also the first day of the Octave of Easter, meaning Easter is celebrated as eight continuous days of the one feast; every day of the octave is liturgically treated as Easter itself.
Daily Prayer
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Weekly Prayer
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Weekly Formation
Beatitude 9
The Beatitudes
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
This Beatitude applies the promise of persecution personally to those insulted, opposed, or falsely accused because of Christ. Their joy rests not in the pain itself but in union with Christ and the promised reward that earthly hostility cannot take away.
Saint & Feast
Principal celebrationCalendar title
Easter Sunday
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Today in Church History
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Catechism
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of faith in Christ, fulfilling what God promised to the fathers and standing at the heart of the Paschal mystery with the cross. The New Testament bears witness that it is a real historical event. The empty tomb, while not proof by itself, was an essential sign that led the disciples toward recognizing the Resurrection. Mary Magdalene and the holy women were the first to encounter the Risen One and to bring this message to the apostles; Jesus then appeared to Peter, the Twelve, and many others. Though the disciples were at first saddened, frightened, and slow to believe, their faith in the Resurrection was born, through divine grace, from their direct experience of the risen Jesus. As we reflect together, may we receive this central truth of faith with the witnesses who handed it on.
The “communion of saints” is a profound aspect of our faith: the Church is the assembly of all the saints, united as one body with Christ as its head. In this communion, the faithful share in Christ’s riches, especially through the sacraments, which unite us with one another and with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also gives special graces for the common good. Practically, this calls Christians to recognize that what we have is entrusted to us by the Lord and to be ready to help neighbors in need. When we live with charity, we share in a communion where the suffering and joy of each member matter to all, strengthening our bonds with God and one another.
The Catechism teaches that the Church exists in three states: the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven, all united in Christ. This communion strengthens our spiritual journey, as the saints intercede for us and share their merits, helping us grow in holiness. Families can foster this connection through prayer and remembrance, particularly by praying for the deceased and honoring the saints, which enhances their bond with one another and with God. Ultimately, as members of one family in Christ, we are called to live out our faith together, supporting each other in love and worship.