Easter: Feast after the Fast with Laura Kelly Fanucci
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In this special Easter episode of Ave Explores, host Katie McGrady welcomes Laura Kelly Fanucci to discuss her new devotional, *Living Easter*, a 50-day guide to embracing the full joy and significance of the Easter season. The conversation unpacks the common tendency to treat Lent as a self-improvement sprint culminating in a brief Easter celebration, only to return to ordinary life. Fanucci argues that Easter is not a one-day event but a profound, extended season of resurrection joy meant to be lived intentionally. She emphasizes that feasting after the fast—through hospitality, gratitude, prayer, and celebration—is not indulgence but a theological necessity, a way to honor the resurrection’s transformative power. The episode explores how modern culture’s 'treat yourself' mentality and constant access to instant gratification have dulled our capacity for meaningful celebration, urging listeners to reclaim the sacred rhythm of anticipation, waiting, and joyful fulfillment. Drawing on personal anecdotes, liturgical insights, and the example of Mary Magdalene as the 'apostle to the apostles,' the discussion calls listeners to see themselves as 'Easter people'—people made for resurrection, healing, and hope in every area of life.
Treat Easter as a 50-day season of joy, not just a single Sunday celebration.
Feasting after Lent is not indulgence—it's a spiritual practice of gratitude and resurrection joy.
Lent and Easter are reciprocal: fasting deepens our appreciation for Easter feasting.
We are called to be 'Easter people'—living with hope, healing, and the belief that new life is possible.
Small acts of joy, hospitality, and beauty (like hanging a resurrection art piece) can sustain Easter joy.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Easter as a Season, Not a Moment
“We're not meant to dwell there. We are made for Easter and we're made for resurrection.”
The Problem with Lent: From Performance to Purpose
Katie and Laura discuss how Lent often becomes a performance of self-improvement—focusing on small, visible sacrifices like giving up chocolate or social media—rather than deep spiritual conversion. They critique the performative nature of public fasts and the danger of equating Lent with personal achievement.
From Fasting to Feasting: The Theology of Celebration
“Our society does not know how to feast well. You know, we think we're giving ourselves pleasure in these lesser ways, but we don't actually know how to feast with joy and abundance and in ways that are uplifting and healthy for our bodies and actually do, you know, give glory to God.”
Mary Magdalene: The First Witness and Model of Easter Faith
“She's become like a tower in my faith and in my understanding of Easter because I just think, wow, you know, a tower and a rock. We got some steady folks to hold on to as saints, as models through everything that shakes us in this life.”
Reclaiming Joy in a Broken World
“We get to follow in Jesus's footsteps. And if he could still have joy and laughter and love and the pleasure of good company, we get to do that to sustain us in the hard work of caring for those who are suffering because he did that too.”
“Our society does not know how to feast well. You know, we think we're giving ourselves pleasure in these lesser ways, but we don't actually know how to feast with joy and abundance and in ways that are uplifting and healthy for our bodies and actually do, you know, give glory to God.”
“We get to follow in Jesus's footsteps. And if he could still have joy and laughter and love and the pleasure of good company, we get to do that to sustain us in the hard work of caring for those who are suffering because he did that too.”
“We're not meant to dwell there. We are made for Easter and we're made for resurrection.”
Host
Guest
Jesus Christ
person
Katie McGrady
person
Lent
other
Laura Kelly Fanucci
person
Mary Magdalene
person
Easter Sunday
other
Ave Maria Press
organization
Pope Francis
person
Easter Octave
other
St. Jerome
person
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