Many people think that Christmas is the most important day in the Catholic liturgical calendar, but from the earliest days of the Church, Easter has been considered the central Christian feast. As Saint Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:14, "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." Without Easter—without the Resurrection of Christ—there would be no Christian Faith. Christ's Resurrection is the proof of His Divinity.

Easter is not only the greatest Christian feast; Easter Sunday symbolizes the fulfillment of our faith as Christians. Through His Death, Christ destroyed our bondage to sin; through His Resurrection, He brought us the promise of new life, both in Heaven and on earth. His own prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven," begins to be fulfilled on Easter Sunday.

That is why new converts are traditionally brought into the Church through the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion) at the Easter Vigil service, on Holy Saturday evening. Their baptism parallels Christ's own Death and Resurrection, as they die to sin and rise to new life in the Kingdom of God.

What Is the Easter Duty?

Most Catholics today receive Holy Communion each time they go to Mass, but that wasn't always the case. In fact, for a variety of reasons, many Catholics in the past very rarely received the Eucharist. Therefore, the Catholic Church made it a requirement for all Catholics to receive Communion at least once per year, during the Easter season. The Church also urges the faithful to receive the Sacrament of Confession in preparation for Easter Communion, though you're only required to go to Confession if you have committed a mortal sin. This reception of the Eucharist is a visible sign of our faith and our participation in the Kingdom of God. Of course, we should receive Communion as frequently as possible; this "Easter Duty" is simply the minimum requirement set by the Church.?

Just as Easter is the most important Christian holiday, so, too, the Easter season is the longest of the special liturgical seasons of the Church. It extends all the way to Pentecost Sunday, the 50th day after Easter, and encompasses such major feasts as Divine Mercy Sunday and Ascension.

In fact, Easter sends ripples out through the liturgical calendar even after the Easter season ends. Trinity Sunday and the feast of Corpus Christi, which both fall after Pentecost, are "moveable feasts," which means that their date in any given year depends on the date of Easter.