Easter Sundays

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Triptych of the Miraflores Altar by Rogier van der Weyden

As Misericordia Sunday in different count of the Christian denominations are the Sundays between Easter and Pentecost , respectively.

count

The Protestant Church knows six “Sundays after Easter”; counting begins on the Sunday after Easter and ends on the Sunday after Ascension Day ; Easter ends on Pentecost Sunday.

In the renewed liturgy of the Roman Catholic and Old Catholic Churches, as well as in the mainly English-speaking Lutheran churches that follow the Revised Common Lectionary , the Sundays after Easter are counted as "Sundays of Easter" including Easter Sunday , so that - together with Pentecost  - a total of eight Sundays.

The earliest possible date for Easter Sunday is March 22nd, the latest possible April 25th.

The Sundays after Easter in the western church liturgy

In the Protestant liturgy, names are used for the individual Sundays. They are based on the beginning of the antiphon of the Introit on the respective Sunday.

A motto for memorizing the six Sundays after Easter is the sentence "Young Christians must eat quinces raw."

Quasimodogeniti - 1st Sunday after Easter or 2nd Sunday of Easter time

“ Quasi modo geniti infantes , alleluia, rationabile sine dolo lac concupiscite, alleluia.”

"Like newborn children, hallelujah, longs for sensible, unadulterated milk, hallelujah."

- 1 Petr 2.2a  EU

The text recalls the beginning of a new life in Jesus Christ given the feast of Easter . Believers, especially the newly baptized , should feel “like newborn children” after death was conquered by the resurrection of Jesus. Here the Easter Vigil sounds like a traditional baptism date.

The Old Testament reading Isa 40 : 26–31  LUT emphasizes the hope that God gives. The epistle 1 Petr 1,3–9  LUT as well as the reading of series IV ( Col 2,12–15  LUT ) justify the hope with the rebirth through the raising of Jesus from the dead. The Sunday Gospel Joh 20,19-29  LUT mentions the mission and the absolute power of the disciples as a result of the gift with the Holy Spirit as well as the overcoming of the faith doubts of the disciple Thomas . As in the Gospel of the third row of pericopes, it is about the appearance of the risen Christ to the disciples ( Jn 21 : 1–14  LUT ).

In the Catholic liturgy, this Sunday, the 2nd Sunday of Easter, is celebrated as the octave day of Easter and is traditionally referred to as White Sunday (Dominica in Albis). Pope John Paul II designated it "Mercy Sunday" in 2000.

Misericordia (s) Domini - 2nd Sunday after Easter or 4th (until 1970 the 3rd) Sunday of Easter time

"Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo."

"Of the deeds of your grace, Lord, I will sing forever."

- Ps 89.2  EU

This second Sunday after Easter is marked by the motif of the Good Shepherd and is therefore also known as Good Shepherd Sunday or Shepherd Sunday . Alttestamentliche reading ( Hes 34.1-2 (3-9) 10-16.31  LUT ) Epistel ( 1 Pt 2,21b-25  LUT ) and gospel ( Joh 10.11 to 16 (27-30)  LUT ) speak of God as the good shepherd and from experiences with bad shepherds. The readings in series V ( 1 Petr 5,1–4  LUT ) and IV ( Joh 21,15–19  LUT ) warn the elders and Peter to be good shepherds.

Psalm for this Sunday is Psalm 23 .

“The Lord is my Shepherd,
I will want nothing. He grazes me on a green meadow
and leads me to the fresh water. He refreshes my soul. He leads me on the right road for his name's sake. And if I already wandered in the dark valley, I fear no misfortune;
for you are with me, your staff and staff comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the face of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil and pour me full.
Good and mercy will follow me all my life,
and I will abide in the house of the Lord forever. "

Since the Old Church had set the Gospel readings for the individual Sundays, the second Sunday after Easter was under the sign of the Good Shepherd (so until today in the Lutheran and Reformed as well as in the Old Catholic Church). The Roman Catholic Church moved to the liturgical reform in 1970 the Sunday of the Good Shepherd for a week on the fourth Sunday of Easter to the first three Easter Sunday reserving the actual Easter Gospels (encounters with the Risen). The texts of the 3rd and 4th Sunday were swapped. On the 3rd Sunday of Easter, the Introitus is Jubilate Deo, omnis terra.

In the Catholic liturgy, the introit on the following Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Easter, is:

"Misericordia Domini plena est terra."

"The earth is full of the Lord's grace."

- Ps 33,5 b  EU

The Lutheran and the Catholic liturgy therefore differ on the respective Misericordia (s) Sunday, since the Catholic introit begins with a different, similar psalm quotation (with the ablative of misericordia ) than the introit of the Lutheran agenda (with the accusative).

Jubilate - 3rd Sunday after Easter or 3rd (until 1970 the 4th) Sunday of Easter

"Iubilate Deodorant, omnis terra."

"Shout before God, all countries of the world!"

- Ps 66,1  LUT

The readings on Sunday are due to the praise of the Creator. In Psalm ( Ps 66  LUT ), the Old Testament reading of the first creation ( 1 Mos 1,1–4a (4b-25) 26-28 (29-30) 31a (31b); 2,1–4a  LUT ), the Epistle from the new creation ( 2 Cor 4,14-18  LUT ) and the Gospel ( Joh 15,1–8  LUT ) play a central role.

In the Catholic liturgy, the introit on this Sunday is:

"Misericordia Domini plena est terra."

"The earth is full of the Lord's grace."

- Ps 33,5 b  EU

Cantata - 4th Sunday after Easter or 5th Sunday of Easter time

"Cantate Domino canticum novum."

"Sing a new song for the LORD."

- Ps 98,1  LUT

Psalm ( Ps 98.1–9  LUT ), Old Testament reading ( 1 Sam 16.14–23  LUT ), epistle ( Col 3.12–17  LUT ) and Gospel ( Lk 19.37-40  LUT ) address the praise of God . As a weekly song , the song EG 302: You my soul, sing or EG.E 19: I'll sing my song to you is sung.

The central content of the cantata service in the Protestant churches is singing in praise of God and the appreciation of singing and church music . In many places the Sunday cantata is celebrated there as a musically specially designed church service.

Vocem iucunditatis / Rogate - 5th Sunday after Easter or 6th Sunday of Easter

“Vocem iucunditatis annuntiate, et audiatur.”

"Announce it with joy so that one hears it!"

- Isa 48.20  EU

Sunday vocem iucunditatis (also vocem jucunditatis ) is also Rogate ( Latin surrogates , "praying / requests") or Bittsonntag called. Historically, the name Rogate derives from the processions for a good harvest, which are common on the three days before Ascension Day as corridors across the fields in rural areas with a predominance of Catholicism.

Thematically, the Sunday Rogate in the evangelical reading order is oriented towards prayer , the weekly saying comes from Ps 66.20  LUT : "Praise be to God who does not reject my prayer nor turn his goodness away from me." All readings on this Sunday speak the prayer or asking to ( Joh 16,23b – 28 (29–32) 33  LUT ; Mt 6,5–15  LUT , Sir 35,16–22a  LUT ; Lk 11, (1–4) 5–13  LUT ; 1 Tim 2,1-6a  LUT ; 2 Mos 32,7-14  LUT ).

The song EG 344 Our Father in the Kingdom of Heaven or Our Father from the Evangelical Hymn Book Supplement (EG.E), No. 9 is sung as a weekly song in the service .

In many places, Rogate Sunday is celebrated as Mission Sunday.

Exaudi - 6th Sunday after Easter or 7th Sunday of Easter time

"Exaudi, Domine, vocem meam, qua clamavi ad te."

“Hear, O Lord, my loud calling; be gracious to me and answer me! "

- Ps 27.7  EU

The liturgical texts of this last Sunday before Pentecost already point to the near feast of Pentecost. The focus is on the expectation of God's saving action.

Evangelical pericope order

In the Sunday Gospel of the evangelical pericope order , Jesus points to the coming Comforter ( Joh 16,5 - 16,25  LUT ), the same applies to the reading of the third row Joh 7,37-39  LUT . The certainty of the Holy Spirit determines the Sunday epistle Eph 3,14-21  LUT , the Old Testament reading Jer 31,31–34  LUT and the reading of the fourth row of pericopes ( Rom 8,26–30  LUT ).

Catholic reading order

The reading order of the Roman Catholic and the Old Catholic Church takes up the story of the praying waiting for the Holy Spirit by the disciples between Ascension and Pentecost ( Acts 1,4–14  EU ). Further readings in series A address the - sometimes painful - waiting for the glorification of the end times ( 1 Petr 4,13–16  EU , Joh 17,1–11a  EU ). The texts of the C series - Joh 17.20-26  EU , Acts 7.55-60  EU , Rev 22.12-14.16f.20  EU  - take up this motif. The B series - Joh 17,6a.11b – 19  EU , Acts 1,15–17.20ac – 26  EU , 1 Joh 4,11–16  EU  - focuses on abiding in Christ.

Catholic liturgy

Special features of the Catholic reading order are:

On Sundays, the priest can sprinkle the congregation with baptismal water ( Asperges ) in the entrance part of Holy Mass , for which the antiphon Vidi aquam is sung.

Orthodox eight-week rhythm

In the Orthodox churches, Easter is repeated as an eight-week rhythm ( octoechos ) with the first Sunday after Pentecost, which in the western churches is dedicated to the memory of the Trinity (see Trinity ), continuously until the beginning of the great fast .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jörg Buchna: 1 × 1 of the church year. Church festivals throughout the year. Self-published, Norden 2005, ISBN 3-87542-052-7 .
  2. ↑ Liturgical Conference for the EKD (Ed.): Pericope Book. According to the order of worship texts and songs. With introductory texts on Sundays and public holidays. Luther-Verlag, Bielefeld, 2018, ISBN 978-3-7858-0741-5 , pp. 297-302.
  3. ↑ Exception: Third Sunday of Easter, reading years A + B (Luke 24).