This Easter, plan on going on your own Emmaus walk. Photo via geograph.org.uk.

As you probably already know, Easter is not just a one-day holiday in the Catholic Church. It is a 50-day season of celebrating and meditating on Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, the event on which our entire faith is centered.

During the Octave of Easter, which is the eight days between Easter Sunday and Divine Mercy Sunday, it is as if each day is Easter Sunday! If you are reading the daily Gospel readings each day, you probably already have noticed that all of them are related to the various accounts of the Risen Lord.

Fifty days is a long time to celebrate something. But when we recall that what we are celebrating is the most important aspect of our faith, we are grateful that in the  Church’s wisdom, we are given ample time to focus on what the resurrection means in salvation history as well as what it means to us, personally.

We do not have to keep the party going for 50 days, though! After all, most of us have jobs, school and chores to attend to, not to mention the upcoming spring sports schedule and various family commitments to incorporate into the daily routine.

But if we can sprinkle a few key celebratory moments into our normal schedule, then perhaps we can still maintain a spirit of Easter between now and Pentecost Sunday (May 24). And perhaps celebrating the Easter season will allow our faith to become an even more intricate part of our everyday life, well into Ordinary Time and beyond.

Over at CatholicMom.com, I suggest five simple things to do this Easter season to keep the joyous celebration of Christ’s Resurrection alive in the hearts of you and your family. Please click on over! And also join the conversation by sharing some of your favorite Easter activities.