Some Easter Observances in Daily Life

Christ is risen!

For those desiring to live out the Easter season in their daily life, here are some ways to do so:

· Offer the daily prayers in the Prayer Book (morning and evening), using those options which emphasize the Easter season.

· Take home some of the baptismal water from the font at church for use in your daily prayers. It is holy water and greatly valued.

· Greet fellow-Christians with the words: “Christ is risen.” See what they do!

· Begin your e-mails, notes, letters, &c. with the salutation: “Christ is risen!” during the 50 days of Easter.

· Use a special table grace during the season. One might be: Blessed are you, O Lord our God; you have given us the risen Savior to be the Shepherd of your people: Lead us, by him, to springs of living waters, and feed us with the food that endures to eternal life; where with you, O Father, and with the Holy Spirit, he lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen, Alleluia!

· Have festive decorations at the table, with candles burning for meals

· Make arrangements of flowers and place by icons and crosses.

· Invite Fr. Brandon to bless your home/apartment during Eastertide. This can be a short and simple event, or can be made into a lavish occasion – it’s up to you.

· There is no fasting during the 50 Days of Eastertide. This is not license for gluttony, but an invitation to enjoy food graciously and with a special gratitude. It is also an excellent time of the year to invite people to your home for a meal, especially those you have not invited in the past.

As with all of the Church Year, it is up to Christians truly to live out our faith in daily life. Rather than being a perfunctory “ritual,” the Liturgical Year is a continual opportunity to incarnate the Gospel in our choices, actions, and environment. It is both a gracious invitation and a tremendous challenge in our secularizing age to “come and see” what the Christian life can be about.