PASCHALTIDE - Historical Note for Easter

From the St Andrew Daily Missal

In the liturgy for Paschaltide, we follow our Lord in His different appearances: near the Holy Sepulchre, at Emmaus, at the Cenacle and in Galilee. We see Him laying the foundation of His Church and preparing His disciples for the mystery of His Ascension. On the day after the Sabbath, while it was still night, Mary Magdalen and two others of the holy women went to the sepulchre, reaching it at sunrise. This was on the first day of the Jewish week, or Easter Sunday.

An angel had come and rolled away the great stone which closed the tomb, and the terrified guards had fled. Mary Magdalen, seeing that the tomb lay open, hastened to Jerusalem to tell Peter and John, while the angel was informing two more of the holy women of our Lord's rising from the dead. The two disciples came running to the sepulchre (see Plan), and satisfied themselves that our Lord was not there. Mary Magdalen, having returned to the tomb, was the first to see our Lord after His resurrection. Towards evening the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus also saw the risen Christ, and returning at once to inform the apostles were told that the Lord had appeared to Peter.

In the evening of the same day Christ showed Himself to His disciples, who were gathered together at the Cenacle, eight days later He appeared again, convincing Thomas who had doubted until then.

A few days after Easter the disciples returned to Galilee. One day, when seven of them were fishing in the Lake of Genesareth, our Lord appeared to them again. Moreover, He showed Himself to five hundred disciples on a mountain which He had named to them. Perhaps this was Mount Thabor, or more probably, a hill by the lake side, such as the Mount of the Beatitudes. In the Gospel for the Second Sunday after Easter is read the parable of the Good Shepherd, spoken by our Lord in the third year of His ministry, during the Feast of Tabernacles at Jerusalem. The Gospels for the three following Sundays are drawn from our Lord's discourse at the Last Supper, as given by St. John.

The ideas which the Evangelist develops in the whole passage are as follows: I went forth from the Father and am come into the world: again I leave the world and go to the Father Rejoice, for I go to prepare a place for you in heaven, so that there where I am, you may be also. Yet a little while and you shall see me no more, and then you shall be plunged into sadness. But I will not leave you fatherless, I will come to you again through my Holy Spirit, for if anyone love Me in this Holy Spirit, my Father will love him and We will come to him and make our abode with him.

I will, therefore, ask My Father to send you the Holy Ghost, and you will then rejoice always. And when this Holy Spirit is come, He will give testimony of Me and you will then ask the Father in My name (that is, resting on my merits all the efficacy of which you will then understand), for I have strengthened you that you may go forth and bear fruit.

I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abideth in Me and I in him, he bringeth forth much fruit. And you shall be purged that you may bring forth still more, for as the world has persecuted me, so it will persecute you also. But fear not, for the Holy Ghost will speak by you and by your moutn He will convict the world of sin, showing by you that with Satan it is already judged, because it has rejected Him whom the Father sent and glorified (Resurrection and Ascension), and that in rejecting the Son it has rejected the Father, for he sees also the Father who sees the Son.