The Eighth Day
From the Paschal Vigil on Holy Saturday evening, the Church celebrates an Octave (8 day) celebration. Each day is celebrated as a Solemnity of the Resurrection. Each day’s Masses are as on Easter Sunday, with readings with lead us further into the recognition of the Risen Lord in our midst.
Today is the Octave Day, the eighth day. We celebrate today the truth that while in the Old Testament time was divided into 7 days, with the Resurrection, the eschatological period, the final times, break into the present on this the 8th day. Through the Resurrection of Jesus, we can celebrate that our reality as God’s people is not restricted to life on earth, we are not confined to the days and nights of created reality, rather we live within eternity.
How does this change our living? We are invited to be live with a view which passes through death to eternal life! All our words and actions are to be formed by this eternal context.
The Gospel presents disciples who initially gather in a locked room with fear, who come to peace through thepresence and words of the Risen Jesus. We then receive the gift of Thomas’ words, who speaks on behalf of all of us who were not there. In today’s passage from the Acts of the Apostles, we see a community which lives with the reassurance given to Thomas. A community who lives with the thought of eternity breaking into the present. They thought the Lord’s return would be immediate. And so, their concern for property and possessions was relieved. Their greater concern was living with the care of all in mind for the Lord would soon call them to him.
We live with the knowledge of eternity yet also knowing that we do not know the hour or the day of the Lord’s return. With the passage of time, we could be dulled into focusing purely on the now. And so, the Church calls us to celebrate this 8th Day, as a reminder to live with eternity in our hearts and minds. A day to rejoice, for we will all be “saints among the saints in the halls of heaven.”
Happy Easter!
Prayers, Patrick
