Christ in the Paschal Candle

Pope Zosimus established that a large candle be blessed on the Holy Sabbath of the Pasch, which the deacon blesses after benediction has been received from the priest.

This candle designates Christ: in the wax humanity, in the fire divinity; and as it illuminates it precedes the catechumens to baptism, just as once a column of fire preceded the children of Israel as they crossed the Red Sea, illuminating by fire and shading by a cloud. (Hugh of St. Victor, De Sacramentis, 2.9.5, Deferrari's translation)

H/T to Fr. Charles (not my brother)

Paschal Sermon of St. John Chrysostom

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival.
If anyone is a wise servant, let him, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.
If anyone has wearied himself in fasting, let him now receive his recompense.

If anyone has labored from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward.
If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let him keep the feast.
If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; for he shall suffer no loss.
If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near without hesitation.
If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let him not fear on account of his delay.

For the Master is gracious and receives the last, even as the first;
he gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
just as to him who has labored from the first.
He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first;
to the one he gives, and to the other he is gracious.
He both honors the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward.
O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy!
O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day!
You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today!
The table is rich-laden; feast royally, all of you!
The calf is fatted; let no one go forth hungry!

Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness.
Let no one lament his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn his transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Saviour's death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it!
He descended into hades and took hades captive!
He embittered it when it tasted his flesh!
And anticipating this Isaiah exclaimed,
"Hades was embittered when it encountered thee in the lower regions."
It was embittered, for it was abolished!
It was embittered, for it was mocked!
It was embittered, for it was purged!
It was embittered, for it was despoiled!
It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!

It took a body and, face to face, met God!
It took earth and encountered heaven!
It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen!

"O death, where is thy sting? O hades, where is thy victory?"

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!
For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the First-fruits of them that slept.
To him be glory and might unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Paschal sermon of St. John Chrysostom, Father and Doctor of the Church

The Paschal Triduum - How long is it?

I hear and read many people talking about the Paschal (or Easter) Triduum as "Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday/the Easter Vigil."  Little do they realize that, unlike the "three days and three nights" which the Lord prophesied He would be buried, the Paschal Triduum is actually 72 hours:  three days and three nights... or rather, three nights and three days.

But, as Levar Burton would say on Reading Rainbow, you don't have to take my word for it:  ask the Church!

The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, is continued through Good Friday with the celebration of the passion of the Lord and Holy Saturday, to reach its summit in the Easter Vigil, and concludes with Vespers of Easter Sunday. (Paschalis Sollemnitatis 27)

Just thought I'd clear that up for you.

(By the way, is the document Paschales Solemnitatis or Paschalis Solemnitatis?  Does Solemnitatis have one l or two?  I've seen it written in various ways, although I've never seen the original Latin document.)

P.S. Thanks to Greg for correcting the spelling. It turns out the Adoremus Bulletin corrected its filename to correspond to the proper document title.

Resurrection Roundup

Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!

Christ is risen! Indeed, he is risen!

Here are some homilies and addresses from this weekend:

• Pope Benedict's Easter Vigil homily: "The Church Sings the Song of Thanksgiving of the Saved"
• Pope Benedict's Easter homily: Christ "Is Our Hope, He Is the True Peace of the World"
• The Archbishop of Jerusalem's Easter homily: "Let Us Look for the Signs of His Resurrection"
• Pope Benedict's urbi et orbi message: "The Resurrection Is Not a Theory, but a Historical Reality"

Blessed Easter

Resurrexit Sicut Dixit!

Holy Triduum

(EWTN's online video feed is finally working for me. Now I can watch the Mass of the Lord's Supper from Rome while I work.)

This evening at 7:30 is the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Tomorrow morning, I'm driving down to Berlin, NJ, for a 9:00 AM Tenebrae service at Mater Ecclesiae. Tomorrow at 3:00 PM I will be at Queenship of Mary for the Memorial of the Lord's Passion and veneration of the Cross. Tomorrow evening I will be reading reflections for the Stations of the Cross. Saturday morning I will be at Queenship at 8:00 AM for Morning Prayer, and then at 8:00 PM begins the Easter Vigil.

Whatever you're doing for the Triduum, I hope you are blessed and find time for your private devotions and prayers; and have a blessed and happy Easter!

Lessons learned from Lent

1. Daily Mass is great, especially since I was awake anyway.
2. Eucharistic fasting every day is a discipline that takes a lot of concentration.
   
3. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours is an easy way to revive my personal prayer life.
4. Retreats help me focus on the Lenten journey of Christ.
5. Receiving Communion on the tongue is... something. A good something. I can't think of the noun or adjective to use.
   
6. I love being a Lector.
7. The Triduum never ceases to move me; the Easter Vigil is phenomenal.
   
8. I missed Alleluia.
9. There's a lot of literature from the Vatican; two down, a billion to go.
   
10. It was a crazy idea to be silent on my blog during Lent -- I'm going to be incredibly busy writing posts the whole Easter season.
11. Latin is a beautiful language.
    
12. The Son also rises.

Alleluia, Christ is risen. Amen!