Easter is not just one day – it is a season of fifty days or a week of weeks, plus one day—the eighth day. The length of Eastertide is derived from the length of time between Passover and Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, which is celebrated seven weeks after Passover (Pesach). Since the counting of this period begins on the second evening of Pesach, Shavuot takes place exactly fifty days after the (first) seder. Hence, following the Greek word for fifty pentékosté, Shavuot is also referred to sometimes as Pentecost (Gk. πεντηκοστή). Although its origins are to be found in an ancient grain harvest festival, Shavuot has long been identified with the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
In the Liturgical Calendar, Eastertide begins at sunset on the eve of Easter and ends with Pentecost, the day when the Church celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit. Easter season is more than an extended celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. In the early church, Lent was a season when persons who wished to become Christians were learning how to live the way of Jesus and preparing for baptism on Easter Sunday. Christians have referred to this time of formation as “catechesis” or “echoing the way of Jesus.” The original purpose of the Easter season was to continue the formation of new Christians in the faith. Christians have historically referred to this formation process as mystagogia or “leading people into the mysteries.” As we approach the end of this extended season of Easter, it has been meant to give the faithful time to rejoice and experience what is meant when saying that Christ is risen and to gain a better understanding that, as the church, we are the body of the Risen Lord. This has been a season for focusing on the core doctrines and mysteries of the faith and for preparing for the ministries the Spirit has empowered each of us, according to our state in life, to undertake in Jesus’ name.
According to the Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year, the second and longer part of Ordinary Time “begins again on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday and ends before First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) of the First Sunday of Advent” (UNLYC, no. 44). Before the numbered Sundays in Ordinary Time resume, the season following Pentecost incorporates Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi: The Body & Blood of the Lord and concludes with Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday. The purpose of Ordinary Time is for the faithful to grow and mature in the daily expression of the faith manifested in the paschal mystery, to support the spiritual work of using the gifts we have been given in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Nature and dignity 