April is the Month of the Most Holy Eucharist

In the traditional Liturgical Year, we begin April in Lent, move through Passiontide and the Easter Triduum, and end in Paschal Time (also known as Eastertide).  This is all a snippet of the “Cycle of Easter:  The Mystery of the Redemption,” which extends until Advent.  We will see our collective meditation upon the Redemption pass from penance and Our Lord’s Passion, to the glory of the Resurrection, foretelling our own Resurrection of soul and body after death.  After the sorrowful Holy Week, we enter into what the New Marian Missal calls “a time of uninterrupted joy and feasts.”  Eastertide includes the Octave of Easter (originally consecrated to the newly baptized), the Ascension of Our Lord and Pentecost.  The Paschal Candle, lit on the evening of Holy Saturday, shines until Ascension Thursday, representing the Resurrected Lord upon earth.

The 25th is the feast of Saint Mark and also what we traditionally call the Major Rogation Day.  Rogation Days are very similar to the seasonal Ember Days, but of different origin.  It is strange to have a day of penance during the Octave of Easter, so keeping the Rogation Day in a spirit of joy would be appropriate (pray the Litany of the Saints, see below).  To tie it in with April’s Eucharistic devotion, we might attend Mass or read Saint Mark’s account of the Last Supper, Mark 14:12-26.  Here is the definition of “Rogation Days” from Father John Hardon’s book, Modern Catholic Dictionary:

“Prescribed days of prayer and penance in spring. Two sets of rogation days were kept since early Christian times: the Major Rogation on April 25, the Feast of St. Mark; and the Minor Rogations on the last three days before Ascension Thursday. They were instituted to appease divine justice, ask for protection, and invoke God's blessing on the harvest. The Litany of the Saints was [prayed] in procession and the Rogation Mass followed. The feast of St. Mark, as the more ancient, was also called the Greater Litanies; it Christianized a pagan spring festival in honor of the god Robigus. The three other rogation days were adapted in Rome under Pope Leo III (reigned 795-816). (Etym. Latin rogatio, inquiry, request.)”

Divine Mercy Sunday is always one week after Easter and Our Lord Himself asked Saint Faustina to institute a novena, beginning on Good Friday.  You can find the Chaplet and Novena prayers on our Home page or you can print this PDF which includes the lesser-known Litany to the Divine Mercy.  Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, devoted herself profoundly to the Holy Eucharist and her Chaplet features these words:

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Thy dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”

During this Information Age, it is ironic that so few know and believe the teachings of Holy Church on the Body of Christ.  Holiness starts at home, so instructing those who need help with this is our primary responsibility.  Making reparation for the outrages against the Eucharist is also a wonderful thing.  There are various litanies and prayers-here is one: 

Litany of Reparation to the Blessed Sacrament

Some places have special Eucharistic devotions during Lent.  For instance, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY, is honoring the 40 days of Lent with Adoration at 40 different parishes.  The USCCB’s 3-year National Eucharistic Revival continues until June 22nd.  There may be other activities associated with the Jubilee Year of 2025 (more on this holy year in the coming month on the blog).

Wishing you and your families many blessings as we celebrate Easter, the “Solemnity of Solemnities,” and honor the Most Holy Eucharist, that body both broken and resurrected.

Notable feasts of April:

5th-First Saturday

6th to 19th-Passion Sunday and Passiontide (trad)

13th-Palm Sunday

17th-Holy/Maundy Thursday

18th to 20th-EASTER TRIDUUM (traditionally, no meat is eaten on Holy Saturday)

25th-Saint Mark/Greater or Major Rogation Day

27th-Divine Mercy Sunday/Low Sunday (trad)

28th-Saint Louis de Montfort

29th-Saint Catherine of Siena

30th-Saint Catherine of Siena (trad)

HOMESCHOOLING ACTIVITIES FOR APRIL

1)       Create artwork or make a craft celebrating the joy of Easter.

2)      Write a short essay on the Paschal Candle, explaining its symbols and symbolism.

3)      Compose your own prayer to thank Jesus for the gift of Holy Communion. 

April: Month of the Holy Eucharist

“Iesus Hominum Salvator”

J e s u s, S a v i o r o f M a n k i n d

The image above is the most wondrous gift in all the world, the Presence of Christ Himself. This Sacred Host shows the traditional Christogram (symbol for the Name of Christ) IHS, as it has often been depicted, with the surrounding design. This is a particularly stunning example. This Christogram has its origins in Greek, but later took on the Latin meaning above. Please see an informative article by Fr. William P. Saunders.

This month of the Holy Eucharist begins with Holy Thursday and the Easter Triduum. Traditionally, as of Septuagesima, we have entered The Easter Cycle, when we celebrate the Mystery of the Redemption. This is the second part of the Liturgical Year. We begin the meditation on our Redemption in sorrow and penance, but as of the Easter Vigil, we turn to joy and festivities, as Christ has achieved the victory on the Cross and is now Risen! This begins the Season of Eastertide, which lasts about 2 months, at which time we move to the Time After Pentecost. Easter Week is an octave of solemnities, which includes Easter Friday. The following Sunday celebrates Our Lord’s Divine Mercy, shown to us by Saint Faustina.

April gives us 5 Doctors of the Church, including Saint Catherine of Siena, one of only 4 women Doctors (the other 3 are Saint Therese, Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Hildegard of Bingen).

What can we do to specially honor the greatest of Privileges, the Most Blessed Sacrament, this month? In keeping with the feast of Divine Mercy, please see Divine Mercy for America’s suggestions on this page: Devotion to the Holy Eucharist Adoration, receiving Holy Communion and Reparation are discussed, along with wonderful quotes from Saint Faustina. Here is an excerpt:

The life story of Saint Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament provides us with many shining examples of true devotion to the Holy Eucharist…devotion to Christ Himself, present throughout the centuries in the Sacred Host. Herein is contained “the whole spiritual good of the Church”…and herein lies St. Faustina’s greatest devotion, so much so that she added “of the Blessed Sacrament” to her name.

Here is an exquisite prayer composed by Saint Faustina:

“O Treasure of my heart, the only object of my love and entire delight of my soul, I want to adore You in my heart as You are adored on the throne of Your eternal glory. My love wants to make up to You at least in part, for the coldness of so great a number of souls. Jesus, behold my heart which is for You a dwelling place to which no one else has entry. You alone repose in it as in a beautiful garden.”

+ + +

Here is a sampling of this month’s notable feasts:

4/1-HOLY/MAUNDY THURSDAY, evening begins the EASTER TRIDUUM

4/2-GOOD FRIDAY (fast & abstinence) / First Friday

4/3-HOLY SATURDAY / First Saturday

4/4-+++ EASTER SUNDAY, THE SOLEMNITY OF SOLEMNITIES +++ / St. Isidore of Seville, Doctor, Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages

4/11-DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY / Quasimodo Sunday / Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Unity of the Church

4/16-St. Bernadette, Seer of Lourdes

4/21-St. Anselm, Doctor, Father of Scholasticism, Defender of the Rights of the Church

4/25-Good Shepherd Sunday / Rogation Day (prayer & penance) / St. Mark the Evangelist, Martyr

4/26-OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL

4/27-St. Peter Canisius, Doctor of the Catechism

4/28-St. Louis de Montfort / St. Gianna Molla, 20th Century

4/29-St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor, The Seraphic Virgin, Mystic of the Incarnate Word, Mystic of the Mystical Body of Christ (new)

4/30-St. Catherine of Siena (trad)

Image courtesy https://frbonnie.com