I saw a trend online where someone asked: “If Jesus died on Friday and rose three days later, should not Easter be on Monday instead of Sunday?”
At first glance, it sounds logical but it reveals something deeper: we are trying to interpret a sacred mystery using a modern way of counting time. In the time of Jesus, days were not counted the way we count today. The people of that time understood time through inclusive counting, where even a part of a day is received as a whole. Time was not just measured; it was experienced. So when Scripture speaks of “the third day,” it is not speaking of three complete 24-hour cycles. It is speaking of a divine timeline unfolding within human history:
Friday -He gave Himself (Day One)
Saturday -Silence, waiting, and 7the mystery of the tomb (Day Two)
Sunday -Victory, light, and resurrection (Day Three)
He did not rise after three full days. He rose on the third day, exactly as He promised. Do not forget that for the Jews a new day begins from 6pm . The sabbath, which is on Saturday actually begins the previous day-Friday evening( from 6pm).
And this is where the beauty lies .Sunday is not just a convenient day chosen by the Church. It is the day light broke into darkness. The day hope overcame despair. The day death lost its final word. That is why we celebrate on Sunday. Because Christianity is not built on calculation, but on revelation. Not just on counting days, but on encountering the moment everything changed.
Happy Easter To You All
Sr. Gina King
