The Season of Easter

We are now in the second week of the highest liturgical season of the year: Easter. Yes, Easter is more than a day or even three days; it is a season of fifty days! It begins with Evening Prayer I* for Easter Sunday and ends with Evening Prayer II* on Pentecost Sunday. In fact, the word pentecost implies fifty days. 

       This makes the season of Easter longer than the season of Lent, the season that prepares us for Easter. This is fitting, and it is in keeping with one of the guiding principals of Catholic liturgy since Vatican II: the principal of progressive solemnity. This principal states that feasts and seasons of higher importance are to be marked with greater solemnity. Thus, the season of Easter should be longer than the season that prepares for it.

       It also means that those who come into a Catholic church during the Easter season should recognize that this time of year is different and more special than either Lent which precedes it, or Ordinary Time which follows it. Some examples of ways that parishes can do this:

• Use more flowers in decorating the sanctuary. For parishes that find it difficult to keep flowers in the sanctuary year-round, having them just for the Easter season is a worthwhile investment.
• The music at the liturgy should a little more elaborate (note that it already is more elaborate than Lent by virtue of resumption of the singing of the Gloria; the trick will be making it more elaborate than the Ordinary Time that follows when the Gloria is also sung).
• Replace the Penitential Rite with a Sprinkling Rite as a reminder of Baptism. (See below for the connection between Easter and Baptism).
• Have more elaborate banners, altar cloths, and other decorations (of course, using the color of the season — white — along with gold and other festive materials).
• Use images of the resurrection and Christian initiation (particularly Baptism), which symbolize the season.

In keeping with this last point, Easter is the usual season for parish celebrations of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Baptism is celebrated in a big way at the Easter Vigil, when adults are brought into the Church during the memorial of Jesus' death and resurrection. But Baptisms should also be celebrated with the Baptism of infants on other Sundays of the Easter season. In addition, many dioceses hold the bulk of their Confirmation celebrations during Easter, and most parishes celebrate First Holy Communion during these fifty days, as well.

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*Evening Prayer (Vespers) is part of the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office), the official prayer of the Church which is not tied to the administration of any of the seven Sacraments. (For some foundational reading on the Liturgy of the Hours, read Chapter IV of The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.) Evening Prayer I is said in the evening of the day before a Sunday or solemnity; Evening Prayer II is said in the evening at the conclusion of a Sunday or solemnity.

The Season of Lent

The liturgical season of Lent is upon us. As with the change of natural seasons, people should be able to perceive that something is different as we change into another liturgical season. To the point, people arriving at church starting this Wednesday should notice that things are different, and the changes should bring Lent to their minds. The liturgical documents specify the minimum:

• The color of the liturgical season is purple.
• Flowers may not be used to decorate the altar.
• Alleluia and the Gloria is not to be said or sung.
• Musical instruments may only be used to accompany singing.

Beyond that, there are other things that can be done. Here is a short list of other things that some parishes do:

• Change the Mass setting (the musical compositions that are used for the Eucharistic Prayer acclamations and the Lamb of God); some parishes even use the traditional Latin chants for the Holy, holy, holy and the Lamb of God.
• Eliminate all musical instruments except for the organ, played on just one or two stops.
• Use the "Form a" for the Penitential Rite ("I confess to almighty God…"), then sing or chant the Kyrie litany.
• Go beyond just removing the flowers and remove all green plants from the church, replacing them with bare branches.
• Greatly simplify all decorations, such as using a minimal altar covering and very plain banners (if any are used at all).
• Set up an Operation Rice Bowl display to highlight the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and giving.
• Add extra prominence to the Stations of the Cross.

In signs perceptible to the senses, we should know it's Lent right away and throughout the entire liturgy.