Sunday, March 27, 2005
Easter Sunday arrives!
Happy Easter, everyone! I just came back from Easter Vigil at my parish, and it was (as usual) so cool.
Y'know, usually I don't pay much attention to one of the most important parts of the vigil: the second part, when the elect and chatecumens become full members of the Church. I think it stems from the fact that back when I used to alter serve at Sts. Peter and Paul, all that would happen in the back at the font. Only the candle bearers actually went down there, so the rest of us servers were left on our own up in front at the alter. With al l the people in the way, we literally had the worst seat in town.
I'm no longer a server, and no longer at good old SPP, but lately I haven't been paying much attention to the second part of the Vigil anyway. Tonight, however, seeing those elect get baptized really hit home to me how cool it was to be Catholic, and how cool the sacrements were in general. There they were, recieving an indelible mark on their souls, and you couldn't even tell it. I kept wanting explosions to happen or something.
One other part that I enjoyed of the Vigil was the Exsultet, the Easter proclaimation. It's such an amazing poem, and sung on top of it:
"This is the night when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slavery
and led them dry-shod through the sea.
This is the night when the pillar of fire
destroyed the darkness of sin!
This is the night when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin
and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness."
I like the alliteration. There's one other stanza that I also like:
"O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!"
The seemingly contdradictory phrases "happy fault" and "necissary sin" are so darn cool! God bless that deacon that decided to improvise one Easter vigil mass so long ago, thereby giving us one very cool poem (no really, it was improv)!
Anyway, everyone have a wonderful and holy Easter! I'm off to sleep, because I'm tired as heck!
Text for the Exsultet found at Catholic Culture
Y'know, usually I don't pay much attention to one of the most important parts of the vigil: the second part, when the elect and chatecumens become full members of the Church. I think it stems from the fact that back when I used to alter serve at Sts. Peter and Paul, all that would happen in the back at the font. Only the candle bearers actually went down there, so the rest of us servers were left on our own up in front at the alter. With al l the people in the way, we literally had the worst seat in town.
I'm no longer a server, and no longer at good old SPP, but lately I haven't been paying much attention to the second part of the Vigil anyway. Tonight, however, seeing those elect get baptized really hit home to me how cool it was to be Catholic, and how cool the sacrements were in general. There they were, recieving an indelible mark on their souls, and you couldn't even tell it. I kept wanting explosions to happen or something.
One other part that I enjoyed of the Vigil was the Exsultet, the Easter proclaimation. It's such an amazing poem, and sung on top of it:
"This is the night when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slavery
and led them dry-shod through the sea.
This is the night when the pillar of fire
destroyed the darkness of sin!
This is the night when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin
and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness."
I like the alliteration. There's one other stanza that I also like:
"O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!"
The seemingly contdradictory phrases "happy fault" and "necissary sin" are so darn cool! God bless that deacon that decided to improvise one Easter vigil mass so long ago, thereby giving us one very cool poem (no really, it was improv)!
Anyway, everyone have a wonderful and holy Easter! I'm off to sleep, because I'm tired as heck!
Text for the Exsultet found at Catholic Culture
I usually avoid the Easter Vigil Mass becuase its so long! And in a way, it saddens me to see so few being accepted into the Church. I know how much it means, even for one person to come in, but still, there are so many out there, and so few come in, it is kinda sad. Oh well, thats not so optimistic. Remember how much emphasis Lenzini used to place on the "oh happy fault" line. Its important for a reason! I didn't know it was improv tho... thats awesome!
Thanks for the marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you happen to be a great author.
I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back down the road.
I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great writing, have
a nice afternoon!
Feel free to surf to my web blog ... Zahngold
# posted by 
: 11:23 AM
: 11:23 AM 
