e—Easter (German, Ostern, Old Saxon Oster, from osten, signifying rising,) is a church festival in commemoration of the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. But the apparent victory which the enemies of Christ had gained was of short duration, the rejoicing of the world did not long continue, the remaining words of our Saviour must needs be fulfilled: “But your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” Now, upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, (Easter morning) the two Marys came to the sepulcher bringing the sweet spices and ointments which they had prepared for the purpose of anointing the body of the Lord Jesus, but were greatly astonished when they saw that the great stone, which they had seen rolled against the door of the sepulcher on Friday afternoon, was rolled away, and an angel sitting upon it whose countenance was like lightning, and for fear of whom the keepers did shake and become as dead men. But to the women he said, “Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified, He is not here, for He is risen.” That you may know for a certainty that He is risen, come and see the place where you saw Him laid only a few hours ago. Now go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and behold He goeth before you into Galilee, there shall ye see Him. And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, and did run to carry the good news to the disciples. But how much greater their joy soon after their departure when Jesus himself met them with the comforting words, “Be not afraid, but go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me.”
The subject for conversation for the past two days had been Jesus and the crucifixion, but now Jesus and the resurrection. Some believed, but some doubted. Others ran to the sepulcher and found it even as the women had said. While the chief priests and elders hired the soldiers to say that the disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept. But how should they know what had become of Him if they were sleeping? The truth was they were so overcome with fear by the brightness of the angels’ countenance that they became as dead men, not knowing what was transpiring around them. But it was truly good tidings and great joy to the disciples of Christ on that Easter morning.
The rising God forsakes the tomb;
In vain the tomb forbids His rise;
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal,
Christ has burst the gates of hell;
Death in vain forbids His rise;
Christ hath opened Paradise.
The spirit of Christ in the prophets had testified beforehand the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow. That morning and that day was not only joyful to the disciples of Christ, but glorious; it was “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Although 1863 years have rolled around since that Easter morning, yet we are as much interested in what then and there transpired as were the Marys, and Peter, and John, who were the first at the sepulcher, and who were permitted the same day to see their risen Lord, whom having not seen, we love; in whom, though now we see Him not, yet believing, we [as well as they] rejoice “with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
Low Sunday. The first Sunday after Easter is so called because it was customary to repeat on this day some part of the solemnity which was used on Easter day, whence it took the name of Low Sunday, being celebrated as a feast, but of a lower degree than Easter day itself. The next Sunday after Easter has been popularly, so called in England, perhaps by corruption for close, (Pascha Clausum) close of Easter. Dominica in Albis, (the Sunday of white garments) a title anciently given to the first Sunday after Easter, because on this day those persons who had been baptized at Easter appear for the last time in the chrysomes, or white robes which they received at baptism. These were laid up in the church as evidences of their baptismal profession.
Rogation Days, (Latin rogare, to beseech,) are the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after Rogation Sunday and before Ascension Day, (Holy Thursday.) About the middle of the fifth century Mamertus, bishop of Vienna, upon the prospect of a great fire that threatened his diocese, appointed that extraordinary prayer and supplication should be offered up to God, with fasting, for averting the impending evils upon the above mentioned days; from which supplications (called by the Latins rogationes) these days have ever since been called Rogation Days. As retained in our present calendar, they are simply private fasts.
f—Ascension Day, or Holy Thursday, one of the great religious festivals of the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, is held on the fortieth day after Easter, and ten days before Whitsun Day, to commemorate the Ascension of our Lord into heaven. Ascension Day has been observed at least since the year of our Lord 64, and perhaps earlier. Saint Augustine believed it to have been instituted either by the apostles themselves, or the bishops immediately succeeding them.
Expectation Week is the whole of the interval between Ascension Day and Whitsun Day, so called because at this time the apostles, according to the command of our Saviour, continued at Jerusalem, in earnest prayer and expectation of the Holy Comforter which was to abide with them forever. The Sunday between Ascension Day and Whitsun Day is called Expectation Sunday.
Pentecost, (Greek, Pentecostos, fiftieth), a Jewish festival; so called because it was observed on the fiftieth day after the feast of unleavened bread, called also the feast of weeks, being celebrated seven weeks from the feast of the Passover. It also commemorated the giving of the law on Mount Sinai upon that day. The origin of the Anglo-Saxon name of White Sunday, which also occurs in Icelandic, is somewhat obscure, for in the Roman churches the Dominica in Albis, (Low Sunday, q. v.) so called from the white robes then worn by the persons baptized at Easter, has always been the Sunday immediately following Easter. It hardly seems probable that there should be another Sunday of White Garments within six weeks. In German it is known by the name Pfingsten, old German Wingsten, old English Whitsun, hence, probably, our word Whitsun Day, not White Sunday.
g—Whitsun Day, or Pentecost, is the last of the four great festivals in the ecclesiastical year, held in commemoration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the infant church ten days after the Ascension. Among the last words of our Saviour to the apostles on the very day that He was taken up, were “Behold I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endowed with power from on high.” After ten days of earnest, believing prayer, and expectation, suddenly, but not unexpectedly, there came a sound from heaven as a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance; and the multitude came together, and were amazed, saying one to the other what meaneth this? Others mocking said, these men are full of new wine. But Peter lifted up his voice and said, these are not drunken as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day, (nine o’clock in the morning,) men are not usually drunk so early in the morning; but this is that which the prophet Joel eight hundred years ago said should come to pass in these last days; the promise of the Father, the baptism of the Holy Ghost for which they had been waiting for the past ten days; something of that glory that should follow the crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus into Heaven, the glory of the Christian church, of the Christian dispensation, and which is destined to fill the whole earth.