Growing up, my parents didn't take us to Easter Vigil. It was 3 hours long and definitely cut into cocktail hour. I was 26 years old the first time I gathered outside the parish I grew up in with my boss of two years and families I'd known all my life. I remember standing there in the shivering cold as everyone knew what to do and passed around snappable white candles with crisp paper drip-cups. I remember walking into our sanctuary - a sanctuary that I'd been a thousand times to check if I'd shut off a can light, where I received all Sacraments of Initiation, grabbed a kids' coat, hunted for mykeys, saw both my sisters get married - and I felt as if I'd never been there before. Like your dining room set up for a dinner you didn't prepare.
Easter Vigil was like a surprise party God planned for me, twenty-five years in the making. I fell irrevocably in love with the liturgy in that one, liturgy of liturgies, most Catholic night of the year. Where lights are turned on slowly. A process must be trusted. The Baptized are the stars of the show, second only to the paschal lamb. And because of His love.
May your parish become new to you this Easter. God is always, always doing something new.
When I first heard the Exultet sung, I wept uncontrollably and for no reason whatsoever remembered when I was anointed before a biopsy. It made me remember - like a strange, glimpse of your life before death moment - something I once told a teenager. She asked How do you know you're there? How do you know when you're where God wants you to be? I told her - when you spend every minute singing.
The Exultet is a canticle, like the Magnificat or the Song of Hannah. It's too joyous to be read. When I googled the text, I found the "lyrics" to the Exultet to share with you. They changed my life in a profound way because these words changed my Good Friday guilt to Easter joy.
This is the night when the shadow of death looked for us, but could not see us. Reached for us but cannot touch us. Seeks to harm us, but we will not feel its sting. Death, transformed to victory instead of eternal loss. Because of one. One remnant, who stood obedient for His father's will.
Jesus, I love you. I will stand with you when all other lights go out.
Help me to move on from things you do not want me to hold on to.
Remember me, and help me to remember you, as you stand entered into your kingdom.
I want to be the remnant with you at your feet. One you can trust.
Jesus, this always has been, always will be, about me and you.
Me, you and your beloved people.
This is the night.
Easter Vigil was like a surprise party God planned for me, twenty-five years in the making. I fell irrevocably in love with the liturgy in that one, liturgy of liturgies, most Catholic night of the year. Where lights are turned on slowly. A process must be trusted. The Baptized are the stars of the show, second only to the paschal lamb. And because of His love.
May your parish become new to you this Easter. God is always, always doing something new.
When I first heard the Exultet sung, I wept uncontrollably and for no reason whatsoever remembered when I was anointed before a biopsy. It made me remember - like a strange, glimpse of your life before death moment - something I once told a teenager. She asked How do you know you're there? How do you know when you're where God wants you to be? I told her - when you spend every minute singing.
The Exultet is a canticle, like the Magnificat or the Song of Hannah. It's too joyous to be read. When I googled the text, I found the "lyrics" to the Exultet to share with you. They changed my life in a profound way because these words changed my Good Friday guilt to Easter joy.
This is the night when the shadow of death looked for us, but could not see us. Reached for us but cannot touch us. Seeks to harm us, but we will not feel its sting. Death, transformed to victory instead of eternal loss. Because of one. One remnant, who stood obedient for His father's will.
Jesus, I love you. I will stand with you when all other lights go out.
Help me to move on from things you do not want me to hold on to.
Remember me, and help me to remember you, as you stand entered into your kingdom.
I want to be the remnant with you at your feet. One you can trust.
Jesus, this always has been, always will be, about me and you.
Me, you and your beloved people.
This is the night.
Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven,
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation
sound aloud our mighty King's triumph!
Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.
Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lightning of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.
(Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty,
that he, who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me his light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle's perfect praises).
(Deacon: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.)
Deacon: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Deacon: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right and just.
It is truly right and just,
with ardent love of mind and heart
and with devoted service of our voice,
to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten.
Who for our sake paid Adam's debt to the eternal Father,
and, pouring out his own dear Blood,
wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness.
These, then, are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers.
This is the night,
when once you led our forebears, Israel's children,
from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.
This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin.
This is the night
that even now throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin,
leading them to grace
and joining them to his holy ones.
This is the night
when Christ broke the prison-bars of death
and rose victorious from the underworld.
Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.
O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault
that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!
O truly blessed night,
worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!
This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness.
The sanctifying power of this night
dispels wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.
On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants' hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.
But now we know the praises of this pillar,
a flame divided but undimmed,
which glowing fire ignites for God's honour,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees
to build a torch so precious.
O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed to those of earth,
and divine to the human.
Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honour of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.
May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death's domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation
sound aloud our mighty King's triumph!
Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.
Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lightning of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.
(Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty,
that he, who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me his light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle's perfect praises).
(Deacon: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.)
Deacon: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Deacon: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right and just.
It is truly right and just,
with ardent love of mind and heart
and with devoted service of our voice,
to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten.
Who for our sake paid Adam's debt to the eternal Father,
and, pouring out his own dear Blood,
wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness.
These, then, are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers.
This is the night,
when once you led our forebears, Israel's children,
from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.
This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin.
This is the night
that even now throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin,
leading them to grace
and joining them to his holy ones.
This is the night
when Christ broke the prison-bars of death
and rose victorious from the underworld.
Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.
O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault
that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!
O truly blessed night,
worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!
This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness.
The sanctifying power of this night
dispels wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.
On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants' hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.
But now we know the praises of this pillar,
a flame divided but undimmed,
which glowing fire ignites for God's honour,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees
to build a torch so precious.
O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed to those of earth,
and divine to the human.
Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honour of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.
May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death's domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.