Easter Sunday

I. Background Reading

• Remember how Jesus died on Good Friday? What do you think the apostles and disciples felt after Jesus died? 
• Jesus's resurrection is important for several reasons:
• It shows us that Jesus is divine. 
• It shows us that Jesus conquered sin and death. 
• It shows that Jesus has power over death. 
• It shows us that He can raise us from the dead as He promised. 
• Meditate on this passage from St. Paul, 1 Cor. 15, 16-18. 
• "16 If the dead, I say, do not rise, then Christ has not risen either; 17 and if Christ has not risen, all your faith is a delusion; you are back in your sins. 18 It follows, too, that those who have gone to their rest in Christ have been lost."
• The resurrection of the dead is a key component in Christianity. 
• It was believed by one sect of the Jewish faith, called the Pharisees, while the other sect, the Sadducees, did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. 
• Resurrection, however, is the natural result of divine justice, for we know that not everyone suffers the results of their sins while in this life. 
• Just as God raised Jesus from the dead, he will raise us up as well, to one of two fates: 
• Eternal life with God on earth;
• Eternal punishment in Hell. 

II. Read 1 Cor. 5, 7-8

• Passover (called "Pasch" in Greek) was the celebration of when God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He did this by sending the angel of destruction into Egypt and killing all the firstborn within it. However, he told the People of Israel that if they would sacrifice an unblemished lamb and spread its blood on their lintels, the angel of death would "pass over" their house and leave them unharmed.  From that point on, God commanded the Israelites to commemorate that night by sacrificing an unblemished lamb and eating it with unleavened bread. 
• What do you think St. Paul means when he says that "Christ is our Pasch"? 
• We are no longer commanded to keep the Passover. What "leaven" are we told to keep out of our homes as we celebrate Christ, our Passover lamb? 

III. Read Mark 16, 1-7

• Why do you think that Mary Magdalene is called the "first evangelist"? 
• What is the "good news" of Easter? 

IV. Catechism Lesson: 

Penny Catechism, no. 62-67

62. What is the fifth article of the Creed?

The fifth article of the Creed is, 'he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead'.

 

63. What do you mean by the words, 'he descended into hell'?

   

By the words, 'he descended into hell', I mean that, as soon as Christ was dead, his blessed Soul went down into that part of hell called Limbo.

 

64. What do you mean by Limbo?

 

   

By Limbo I mean a place of rest, where the souls of the just who died before Christ were detained.

 

65. Why were the souls of the just detained in Limbo?

   

The souls of the just were detained in Limbo because they could not go up to the kingdom of heaven till Christ had opened it for them.

 

66. What do you mean by the words, 'the third day he rose again from the dead'?

   

By the words, 'the third day he rose again from the dead,' I mean that, after Christ had been dead and buried part of three days, he raised his blessed Body to life again on the third day.

 

67. On what day did Christ rise again from the dead?

   

Christ rose again from the dead on Easter Sunday.

V. Catechism Review Questions (for next week) 

1.  To what part of Hell did Jesus descend? 
2. Whom did he rescue from there? 
3. Could anyone under the Old Law go to Heaven? 
4. When did Jesus rise from the dead? 

VI. Class Activities

• Use the Catechism Review Questions from last week. Remember that you may have many guests this day, so be generous in prompting students to participate. 
• Watch the very end of The Passion of the Christ film, as Jesus is taken down from the cross, buried, rises again. 
• Write "Why did Jesus rise from the dead?" on the board and teach the points under it from the Background lesson. 
• Explain the meaning of "Passover". Tell students that Easter takes place close to the time of Passover each year. 
• Read the lessons from the Mass for today and discuss the questions underneath them as time allows. 
• After meditating on the Gospel, listen to the "Victimae Paschali Laudes" chant. Provide a translation for the students or have them look it up in their missals. What parts of the Gospel story are referenced in the chant? 
• Recite the Catechism Lesson chorally and remind students to study these questions for next week. 
• Hand out baskets with age-appropriate gifts to remind them of the Resurrection.