(Stock Photo – Canva)
By Marrick Kowalkski
One thing I find beautiful about the Catholic Church is her emphasis on preparation. We spend four weeks in Advent preparing for Christmas, and we spend forty days in Lent preparing for Easter. Catechumens and youth in sacrament preparation programs spend almost a full year preparing to receive the sacraments. And it’s not just about the physical preparation of readying meals, outfits, and our homes; we focus on the spiritual preparation, looking at our hearts and asking Jesus what needs to grow and what needs to be pruned. On the other side of the preparation is the celebration. Just like Christmas, Easter is a season, and it lasts longer than the time of preparation. It is fifty days of remembering and celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. These are the six ways I like to celebrate Easter beyond Easter Sunday that can be done as a family, with friends, or by yourself.
Decorate! Our physical spaces are extensions of ourselves. I like to use white, fresh flowers or a plant and an image of the Risen Christ. It is a visual reminder of why or who I am celebrating.
Use sacramentals! Sacramentals are blessed objects that remind us of the sacraments. Holy Water at home (I keep a bottle in my coat pocket and bless myself when I leave the house) is a good reminder of our baptismal promises. At Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Mass, we renew these promises. Holy Water reminds us that we have been washed clean and belong to God’s holy family. Blessed oil and blessed salt are two other sacramentals that I use regularly.
Eat breakfast (with friends or family)! In the last chapter of John in Scripture, Jesus appears to seven disciples who were out fishing (John 21:1-13). “Jesus said to them, ‘come and have breakfast.’” Jesus provided them with physical nourishment even after the Resurrection. He still cared for them physically and spiritually. Take breakfast as a time in prayer or as a joyful gathering to celebrate together (even if it feels like a random Tuesday morning.)
Visit a cemetery (and take flowers)! Just as the women returned to the tomb on Easter morning to care for the body of Christ, we too can visit the tombs of the people we love. Although we will not find those graves empty, we believe in life eternal with Jesus. Through His resurrection, we have been given the gift of rising with Him.
Music! Get that playlist going! Pick songs specifically focused on the Resurrection and Jesus’s victory and triumph over death. Use it as a reminder throughout the day or as the tunes to your kitchen dance party. Listen to it as you drive, and make it your prayer for the day.
Pray specifically for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost! Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after Easter Sunday and ends the Easter season. We celebrate the birthday of the Church and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and upon all of us. I encourage you to pray for an increase of the Holy Spirit in your heart and lives and see how much can change!
The time of preparation is long, but the celebration is even longer! I encourage you to celebrate intentionally and personally this Easter season. The Resurrection is full of hope and joy. May it fuel us through this Easter season and all liturgical seasons until we celebrate it again. Jesus shall reign victorious forever. May we join in this victory and triumph every day and share the Good News with those around us. Alleluia!
Marrick currently works as the Youth Ministry Coordinator at Christ the King Parish in Regina. She spent two years serving with NET Ministries (one year in PEI, Canada and one year in Cork, Ireland), and misses being close to the ocean. When she’s not planning youth group, in the schools doing classroom visits, or running retreats, you can probably find her at a local coffee shop or at home working on her calligraphy technique.
