Alleluia He is Risen! Alleluia He is Risen Indeed! I would like to wish all of you a very Happy and Blessed Easter!
Sequence
Victimae paschali laudes
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
Gospel
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
We move from Lent, through the Triduum and on to the Resurrection of Jesus. Sometimes it can be hard for us to come into the Resurrection ourselves; it can be hard to move into the beautiful bright Sonlight! Yet, Jesus draws us toward the Light!
Between today and next Sunday is the Octave of Easter, (Octave meaning 8) the Octave ends with Divine Mercy Sunday! I am looking forward to the Divine Mercy Sunday procession from Blessed Sacrament Parish to St. Mary’s Cathedral, with Holy Hour and Mass to follow once we reach St. Mary’s!
The Easter Season itself lasts 50 days; it ends with Pentecost.
Of course leading up to Easter at the Home the children colored Eggs; made a cross Easter cake; and made a favorite raspberry Jell-O salad and colored Triduum and Easter pictures. On Easter 2 of the children served Mass; one for the 1st time serving a Sunday Mass! (He served for the 1st time the Good Friday Service.)
