The Paschal greeting, also known as the Easter acclamation,
is an Easter custom among Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern
Catholic Christians, as well as among some Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians.
Instead of “hello” or its equivalent, one is to greet another person
with “Christ is Risen!”, and the response is “He is Risen
Indeed” (compare Matthew 27:64, Matthew 28:6–7, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:6, Luke
24:34).from Wikipedia (so you know you’re getting the best possible information)
How I Came to Love the Crunchy Simple Life (with a side of Mennonites)
1. What did you and your family wear to Mass on Easter Sunday?
If this is of interest to you, please check back at around 2pm Pacific, as I plan to update this post with family Easter dress photos after we all get back from Mass.
Until then I will subject you to some grainy iPhone photos of last night’s third-grade-and-up + one-year-and-down Vigil brigade.
Here’s the gang:
And more importantly, here’s my friend Tami holding baby Lulu’s BFF baby Phoebe as Tami was received into full communion with the Catholic Church. This made me so, so, so happy.
Congratulations to Tami and to the rest of you awesome folks who were received into the Church at the Vigil this year. Welcome, welcome, welcome.
PLEASE say hi in the comments so we can all give you some love!
Update! Here we are in our Easter
finery . . .
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| the cousins |
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| with my parents, my sister, and her family |
2. Easter Bunny: thumbs up or thumbs down?
Thumbs up here.
Not way, way up like for Santa, and leprechauns.
Mostly because, jeesh, how creepy are Easter Bunnies?
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| via Huffington Post |
But I stand firmly behind magical holidays and fairy tale childhoods, so the bunny it is.
Although I’m not all that good at it. The husband had to intercept a rabbit’s foot key-chain I had picked up for Gus, since he’s a big fan of all things soft, and suggest that to put a rabbit’s foot in an Easter basket from the Easter Bunny would fall somewhere between inappropriate and insane on the old Easter-Basket-Continuum.
So don’t listen to me. Listen to my friend E at Teaching Sam + Scout instead:
Jesus + Bunnies
All those things? The pastel colors, the painted eggs, the “baby bunnies”? We will have them, and we will enjoy them; but, we will also talk about how they are only symbols of the NEWNESS and LIFE that Jesus’s death and resurrection bring to our everyday. They will be packed up and sent to live in the basement on Monday, but the new start and full life that we get from Jesus at Easter is FOREVER. Before the cross, we were lifeless and doomed. After it, we start FRESH with the hope of life eternal. THAT is worth celebrating. Heck, that is worth wearing our finest clothes and cooking a ham and eating a few too many jellybeans. Am I right? So… Our Easter includes bunnies and eggs, but it is about Jesus.
3. Do you prefer to celebrate holidays at your own house or at someone else’s house?
I like both, but I prefer to have them at our house. Especially since my mom almost always comes up and does all the cooking so . . . best-of-both-worlds much?
We spent the first five or six years of kid-dom taking turns going back and forth between the different grandparents’ houses for holidays. Which was lovely.
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| Easter 2005 in Chicago. That baby that looks exactly like Lulu is Betty. |
My mother and mother-in-law are both generous hostesses and excellent holiday cooks, but there came a time when I really began to long for our own family holiday traditions.
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| Easter 2006 in San Diego. New and improved, now with baby Bobby. |
I wanted my kids to have memories of spending holidays at our house.
So, for the most part, we now have major holidays here, with an open invitation to any and all family members to join us.
4. What is your favorite kind of candy?
I have a huge sweet tooth. I really, really like candy. I may have a pack-a-day Reese’s peanut butter cups habit when I’m pregnant.
But even better than regular Reese’s peanut butter cups are holiday Reese’s peanut butter stuff.
The peanut butter to chocolate ratio is improved in the eggs and trees that you can only get for the holidays. Improved, I say.
5. Do you like video games?
I do not. I don’t really GET video games. I like to have something to show for my time spent, and video games don’t really have anything to offer in that department.
My kids DO like them.
I also don’t get that.
But, so far, they can stay. I wrote more about it here:
WHY WE WII
6. Do you speak another language?
Here’s where I would love to go super-geek and be able to tell you that I speak elvish, or Klingon, or even Latin.
But alas, all I speak is I-was-raised-in-Southern-California-so-I-kinda-picked-it-up Español.
—————————
For next week I’m tagging:
Elise at In Endless Song. Post to check out =
Will you join her in a novena to St. Gianna Molla? {p,h,f,r}, holy week & an invitation
Annery at Annery at Home. Post to check out =
The Dirt {TT} Why I’ve Been Quiet
So, please, answer this week’s questions for yourself in the comments. If you have a blog, answer the questions there, link back to this post, and link your blog post up below. Thanks for playing along.
Last night I was baptized and then received into full communion with the Church. It was an indescribable experience.
And Reese's are one of my favorites too, but in recent years I've come to like Take Five a little more. Caramel, peanut butter, pretzel, covered in chocolate. Yum.
Congratulations Amy! We're so happy to have you!
I had totally forgotten about Take Five. Yum.
Thank you!
I'm happy to have given you a change to eat more candy.
I saw this post when I got up this morning, and this series of thoughts ran through my head:
"Wow, Kendra posted already? WAIT EVEN IF SHE POSTED IT THREE SECONDS AGO IT IS FOUR A.M. ON THE WEST COAST. Do they go to some pre-dawn Easter Mass that I've never even heard of? Should I be going to pre-dawn Mass? Does she have magical children who don't need to sleep?"
And then I saw that you need to update with Easter morning pictures and I felt inexplicably relieved for all involved.
1. Happy clappy music? Depends on the song. I'm a more traditional gal myself, but growing up with grandparents living with us who only attended the Latin Mass, subscribed to "The Wanderer," and refused to believe that anything good happened in the Church after Vatican II, I keep an open mind 🙂 Grew up going to catholic school in the 1980s, so we had all the typical stuff, some of which I like and some of which I hate. My kids sing in the parish choir, which is definitely modern in style, but the choir director incorporates traditional songs as well – the kids learned "Panis Angelicus" for Holy Thursday.
2. I like sleeping better than eating (I would live off of "Futurama's" bachelor chow if I could!)
3. The younger two and I drink lowfat cow's milk (non-organic) and the older two had issues with dairy when they were younger so drink soy milk.
4. I am a huge reader, so it's hard for me to think of one off of the top of my head, but I'd have to say, "The Power and the Glory," by Graham Greene. As a compliant and very religious child, it was easy for me to "be good" — not many temptations back then! So I think as I entered adulthood I definitely had a view that I could be righteous just be sheer willpower — I did not really have an understanding of God's grace and how we need it. This book made me think deeply about that and approach mine and other's weaknesses in a new way.
5. It's hard to choose! But I think right now I would have to say St. Francis Borgia. Just look at his last name! I love his story, and love that this beautiful saint came out of a family so notorious for their sins!
6. Introvert, for sure. My oldest is an extrovert, and it was a very interesting adjustment to motherhood!
Happy Easter!
Son Mom, thanks for answering all the questions! I have saved your comment and will put them in the comments next week.
Ohhh I love those peanut butter eggs… I'm definitely making an Easter candy run tomorrow, and probably a few days later when we've eaten all the starburst jellybeans, and then a few days later when we've eaten them all again… Gotta observe the Octave, right?
Happy Easter, Kendra! And I'll be sure to join you next weekend – fun!
Happy Easter! Your Easter dress was perfect! You're such a beautiful mama with a beautiful family! Hoping to join the link-up this time around and excited 🙂
My husband and I joined the Church at the Vigil last night. 🙂 We come from a nondenominational background and this was our first Easter Vigil- so beautiful! Our two sons will be baptized in a few weeks. It's so surreal that we're really Catholics now! ha
Congratulations Shannon. Welcome! I still feel the same way.
I went through the sacraments of initiation last night. It was wonderful!
The funny thing with me and Reese's is that plain old peanut butter cup variety is "meh" for me. I only get excited and can't get enough when they are in egg form. I have been known to sit and slam 6 in a row.
Yay Maggie, we're so glad to have you!
My peanut butter eggs are all eaten and I'm starting to eye the kids'.
Kendra, the family picture is absolutely lovely! I love the girls dresses!
The bunny in that picture is totally creepy. I think that bunny is my new boggart! Eek!
Hey, thanks for the shout-out! 🙂 And I love love lerrrve your fascinator! So classy. So classy.
(And AMEN to the peanut butter reese's things. Heaven.)
Also, that Resurrection picture was on my first communion cake years ago. I should start thinking out my responses before I hit "publish."
I love the color coordination! I tried to get Bret to go matchy-matchy with me, but he made the "Not happening" face.
That's all my mom. We're like paper dolls!
Long time stalker and first time commenter. Hi!!! Or rather He is risen! My husband and I were received into the Church for Easter. Kendra, your blog has really helped to see what catholic is like on a daily basis with a family and life etc. Thank you!
He is Risen Indeed Malisha! Congratulations and welcome and I'm so glad to be helpful.
Everyone looks lovely Kendra!
Two things… One, you guys look GREAT for Easter! I love your fascinator – not just anyone can pull that off, but you totally did! 🙂 Second, THANK YOU for linking to my post here. What an honor! 🙂
I had to google to see what the word fascinator meant. I was going to tell you, Kendra, that I love your hat. However, let me say – I love your fascinator!!! 🙂
Your whole family looks lovely! I love the hat!
I went to my first Easter Vigil Mass this year. It was very beautiful. Hoping that next year I'll be "in" it!
For Easter I am thumbs way up for Jesus and His resurrection and Ok with the Bunny if it brings joy to the kids. If there were no baskets how could I get all of the new shoes and bathing suits for the kids each year? I love all of the outfits for the kids and the match so perfectly….. Thanks Gymboree for making such cute collections. Isn't Frankie just the cutest in his little man outfit. That's what drove the entire choice. Betty, Anita and I had a great time picking it all out at the UTC store in La Jolla. Had to be there the first day it was offered to get all the sizes for nine kids. Being good shoppers we had our coupon and gymboree visa and now have gymbucks to spend. Being with granddaughters priceless!
Lovely picture – you look beautiful!
(P.S. Sorry for the early answers – I got a little confused about when were supposed to respond. Thanks for saving them 🙂 )
You family photos are gorgeous. How did you get them so perfect – no one poking their nose or yawning. Amazing. 🙂 That chocolate egg is making me drool. I love those but didn't buy any. I am seriously about to break my resolve and see if Target has any more on clearance. I could totally see you speaking elvish … you look like you'd live in Rivendell… tall, fair and gorgeous. I think I'd feel a little more at home in the Shire with the hobbits. 😉 Happy Easter!!
I also love your matching outfits: Adorable! And that fascinator, with the dress: swoon. Send me the pattern or the shop link of the dress so I can make/buy it? Pretty please?
Thanks! It's from ModCloth. They tend to have a really quick turnover with particular dresses and I don't see that one there right now. But there are many similar ones. I am a big fan of ModCloth, they've got a cute vintage-y vibe. The fascinator is from Amazon. Unless you're made of money don't look for one on etsy.
So much fun to read. This was the first year in a while we did not go to Easter Vigil. Our new parish offered the Vigil in Spanish but we attend the Latin Mass and it was offered at 11am…so no Vigil. I really missed the dark, candle lit church. We are an Easter Bunny family, although to me it seems like alot of work just to give the kids some candy and a gift, especially when the 5 year old starts asking things like: Where does the Easter Bunny live? Is it a boy or a girl? Is it married? Who makes the candy and toys? Santa's elves? What color is the bunny? and so on and so forth.
He is Risen Indeed!
My favorite Easter treat: mix one bag of pistachios (shells on) with one bag of jelly bellies and put on the table as a whole family treat. The salt from the pistachios improves the jelly bellies I think. And I find that the pistachios slow down the sugar consumption substantially; you can't just grab a handful of candy, you either need to pick them out (frowned upon) or grab a small handful that turns out to be mostly nuts. The shells are tricky with little kids though 🙁 I don't cheat on the jelly bellies, but I suppose you could use whatever jelly beans you prefer.
Apart from this exception I always prefer chocolate over any other treat. Reeses are definitely my fave and I do enjoy the eggs if they are given to me but when I'm buying I remain faithful to the cups. Dark chocolate cups are best if they can be found but milk chocolate ones are fine too.
Beautiful photos and family (of course). I also love Reese's Peanut Butter…the Easter Eggs are the best because they are bigger than just your run-of-the-mill peanut butter cup. 🙂 I am not against video games, but like you…I just don't "get" most of them.
Wow, such lovely Easter photos of the family!
While I do enjoy a good Reese's peanut butter cup, I prefer them atop a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
I laughed when I read your post because I was talking in mine about chocolate to peanut butter proportions in Reese's (also my fav), and thinking how ridiculous that sounded, and then there you are saying the same thing, haha. Although I was talking about my lack of love for the mini Reese's– will have to try the eggs next year.
By the way, amazing how much Betty looks like Lulu!
Reese's eggs are far superior to regular Reese's, which themselves are awesome. Where are the girls dresses from, or did y'all make them? I had to shop around for a while to find matching ones for my two. I love Betty's gloves too.
The kids' stuff is all from Gymboree. My mom is their best customer!
Huzzah! Linked up under the wire! Because I like my life on the edge…or something…
Okay thoughts on Peanut Butter M&Ms? I tried them bite-by-bite with a Reese and I must say the M&Ms kinda won out in my mouth!.
Hats off to the boys and their ties! Do you have them wear ties to church every Sunday? Love that the cousins are even coordinating. If we EVER have a boy I think I would have them in bow ties after seeing a family at church who had their boys in bow ties.
Hmmm, I've never tried them. We always get the Reese's Pieces carrots in our baskets.
To Sunday Mass, my boys always wear chinos, a collared shirt, a belt, and dress socks/shoes. They can choose to wear a tie or not. Gus usually does, because the ladies seem to like it, and he's the only one of my boys who notices that kind of thing.
whew! I just squeaked in with my post/link. Thanks for a fun link-up 🙂
I'm a little late to the party but am going to try to join in regularly. My too late link for this set of questions is here: http://lesliesholly.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/answer-me-this/
He is risen! I hope you said or wrote this today or the response, “He is risen, indeed!” I am so happy to have found your site. I wish you and yours all the best and Happy Easter. He is risen! Truly, He is risen. Thank you, God.