PART ONE: THE SERVICE OF LIGHT
The Blessing of the Fire
Commentator –The darkness that surrounds us symbolizes the darkness of Jesus’ sepulcher. The fi re that we have lit symbolizes the brightness of God’s love which raised up His Son Jesus and made him the light of our lives.
P –Let us pray.
O God, who through your Son bestowed upon the faithful the fi re of your glory, sanctify + this new fire, we pray, and grant that, by these paschal celebrations, we may be so inflamed with heavenly desires, that with minds made pure we may attain festivities of unending splendor. Through Christ our Lord.
All – Amen!
Preparation of the Paschal Candle
Commentator – The Easter candle symbolizes the Risen Christ. Just as this candle is a source of light for all of us, so is Jesus the light that brightens our way to the Father in the darkness of this life.
While the priest/deacon traces the cross, then the letters Alpha (A) and Omega (+) and the digits of the year 2022, he says:
P –Christ yesterday and to- day, –the Beginning and the End, –the Alpha –and the Omega. –All time belongs to him –and all the ages. –To him be glory and power –through every age and for ever. Amen!
The celebrant then inserts in the cross five grains of incense following the shape of the cross saying: P –By his holy –and glorious wounds, –may Christ the Lord –guard us –and protect us. Amen! The priest/deacon lights the candle from the new fi re, saying:
P –By his holy –and glorious wounds, –may Christ the Lord –guard us –and protect us. Amen!
The priest/deacon lights the candle from the new fi re, saying:
P –May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.
Procession
The priest/deacon lifts the Easter Candle and sings:
P –THE LIGHT OF CHRIST ! All – Thanks be to God!
All enter the church led by the priest/deacon who holds the Paschal Candle. As he reaches the center of the church, the priest/ deacon sings again in a higher pitch:
P –THE LIGHT OF CHRIST ! All – Thanks be to God!
All light their candles from the Easter Candle and continue in the procession. When the priest/ deacon arrives before the altar, he faces the people and repeats the acclamation:
P –THE LIGHT OF CHRIST ! All – Thanks be to God!
Easter Proclamation (Short Form)
The lights of the church are switched on. The priest/deacon places the Easter Candle on a stand near the lectern, incenses it and proclaims the “Exultet.”
P/D –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!
PART TWO: LITURGY OG THE WORD
First Reading - Gn 1:1.26-31
N - In the beginning, when God
created the heavens and the
earth, God said:
G - Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them
have dominion over the fish of
the sea, the birds of the air, and
the cattle, and over all the wild
animals and all the creatures that
crawl on the ground.
N - God created man in his image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he
created
them. God blessed them, saying:
G - Be fertile and multiply; fill
the earth and subdue it. Have
dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air and all the living things that move on the earth.
N - God also said:)
G - See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land,
all the birds of the air, and all the
living creatures that crawl on the
ground, I give all the green plants
for food.
N - And so it happened. God
looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Responsorial Psalm - Ps 104
R – Lord, send out your Spirit,
and renew the face of the
earth!
* Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord, my God, you are great
indeed! You are clothed with majesty and glory, robed in light as
with a cloak. R.
* You fixed the earth upon its
foundation, not to be moved forever; with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it; above the
mountains the waters stood. R.
* You send forth springs into
the watercourses that wind
among the mountains. Beside
them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they
send forth their song. R.
* You water the mountains from
your palace; the earth is replete
with the fruit of your works. You
raise grass for the cattle, and vegetation for manÊs use, producing
bread from the earth. R.
* How manifold are your works,
O Lord! In wisdom you have
wrought them all ă the earth is full
of your creatures. Bless the Lord,
O my soul! R.
2nd Reading - Gn 22:1-2.9.10-
13.15-18
N - God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him:
G - Abraham!
A - Here I am!
N - (he replied. Then God said:)
G - Take your son Isaac, your
only one, whom you love, and go
to the land of Moriah. There you
shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to
you.
N - When they came to the place
of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Then he
reached out and took the knife to
slaughter his son. But the Lord's
messenger called to him from
heaven:
G - Abraham, Abraham!
A - Here I am!
N - (he answered.)
G - Do not lay your hand on the
boy.
N -(said the messenger.)
G - Do not do the least thing to
him. I know now how devoted
you are to God, since you did not
withhold from me your own beloved son.
N - As Abraham looked about,
he saw a ram caught by its horns
in the thicket. So he went and
took the ram and offered it up as
a holocaust in place of his son Again the Lord's messenger
called to Abraham from heaven
and said:
G - I swear by myself, declares
the Lord, that because you acted
as you did in not withholding
from me your beloved son, I will
bless you abundantly and make
your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the
sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies, and
in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing - all this because you obeyed
my command.
Responsorial Psalm - Ps 16
R – You are my inheritance, O
Lord!
* O Lord, my allotted portion
and my cup, you it is who hold
fast my lot. I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand
I shall not be disturbed. R.
* Therefore my heart is glad
and my soul rejoices, my body,
too, abides in confidence; because you will not abandon my
soul to the netherworld, nor will
you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. R.
* You will show me the path to
life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right
hand forever. R.
Third Reading - Ex 14:15-15:1
N1- The Lord said to Moses:
G - Why are you crying out to
me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you, lift up your staff
and, with hand outstretched
over the sea, split the sea in
two, that the Israelites may pass
through it on dry land. But I will
make the Egyptians so obstinate
that they will go in after them.
Then I will receive glory through
Pharaoh and all his army, his
chariots and charioteers. The
Egyptians shall know that I am
the Lord, when I receive glory
through Pharaoh and his chariots and charioteers.
N1- The angel of God, who had
been leading Israel's camp, now
moved and went around behind them. The column of cloud
also, leaving the front, took up
its place behind them, so that it
came between the camp of the
Egyptians and that of Israel. But
the cloud now became dark, and
thus the night passed without the
rival camps coming any closer together all night long.
N2- Then Moses stretched out
his hand over the sea, and the
Lord swept the sea with a strong
east wind throughout the night
and so turned it into dry land.
When the water was thus divided,
the Israelites marched into the
midst of the sea on dry land, with
the water like a wall to their right
and to their left.
N1- The Egyptians followed in
pursuit; all Pharaoh's horses and
chariots and charioteers went
after them, right into the midst of
the sea. In the night watch just before dawn, the Lord cast, through
the column of the fiery cloud
upon the Egyptian force, a glance
that threw it into a panic; and he
so clogged their chariot wheels
that they could hardly drive.
N2- With that the Egyptians
sounded the retreat before Israel,
because the Lord was fighting for them against the Egyptians. Then
the Lord told Moses:
G - Stretch out your hand over
the sea, that the water may flow
back upon the Egyptians, upon
their chariots and their charioteers.
N1- So Moses stretched out his
hand over the sea, and at dawn
the sea flowed back to its normal
depth. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea, when
the Lord hurled them into its
midst. As the water flowed back,
it covered the chariots and the
charioteers of Pharaoh's whole
army which had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not a single
one of them escaped.
N2- But the Israelites had
marched on dry land through the
midst of the sea, with the water
like a wall to their right and to
their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel on that day from the power of
the Egyptians.
N1- When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore
and beheld the great power that
the Lord had shown against the
Egyptians, they feared the Lord
and believed in him and in his
servant Moses.
N2- Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
I will sing to the Lord, for he is
gloriously triumphant; horse and
chariot he has cast into the sea.
Responsorial - Psalm Ex 15
R – Let us sing to the Lord;
he has covered himself in
glory!
* I will sing to the Lord, for he
is gloriously triumphant; horse
and chariot he has cast into the
sea. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been
my savior. He is my God, I praise
him; the God of my father, I extol
him. R.
* The Lord is a warrior, Lord
is his name! Pharaoh's chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea. R.
* The flood waters covered
them, they sank into the depths
like a stone. Your right hand, O
Lord, magnificent in power, your
right hand, O Lord, has shattered
the enemy. R.
* You brought in the people you
redeemed and planted them on
the mountain of your inheritance
ă the place where you made your
seat, O Lord, the sanctuary, Lord,
which your hands established.
The Lord shall reign forever and
ever. R.
4th Reading: Omitted
5th Reading Is 55:1-11
Thus says the Lord: All you
who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what
is not bread; your wages for what
fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you
shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully,
listen, that you may have life. I
will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. As I made him a
witness to the peoples, a leader
and commander of nations, so
shall you summon a nation you
knew not, and nations that knew
you not shall run to you, because
of the Lord, your God, the Holy
One of Israel, who has glorified
you. Seek the Lord while he may
be found, call him while he is
near. Let the scoundrel forsake
his way, and the wicked man
his thoughts; let him turn to the
Lord for mercy; to our God, who
is generous in forgiving. For my
thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says
the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high
are my ways above your ways,
and my thoughts above your
thoughts. For just as from the
heavens the rain and snow come
down and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats, so
shall my word be that goes forth
from my mouth. My word shall
not return to me void, but shall
do my will, achieving the end for
which I sent it.
Responsorial Psalm - Is 12
R – You will draw water joyfully from the springs of
salvation!
* God indeed is my savior; I
am confident and unafraid. My
strength and my courage is the
Lord, and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water at the
fountain of salvation. R.
* Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. R
* Sing praise to the Lord for his
glorious achievement; let this be
known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of
Zion, for great in your midst is
the Holy One of Israel! R.
6th Reading: Omitted
7th Reading Ez 36:16-17.18-28
The word of the Lord came to
me, saying: Son of man, when the
house of Israel lived in their land,
they defiled it by their conduct
and deeds. Therefore I poured
out my fury upon them because
of the blood that they poured
out on the ground, and because
they defiled it with idols. I scattered them among the nations,
dispersing them over foreign
lands; according to their conduct
and deeds I judged them. But
when they came among the nations whenever they came, they
served to profane my holy name,
because it was said of them:
"These are the people of the Lord,
yet they had to leave their land." So I have relented because of my
holy name which the house of Israel profaned among the nations
where they came.
Therefore say to the house
of Israel: Thus says the Lord
God: Not for your sakes do I
act, house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you
profaned among the nations to
which you came. I will prove
the holiness of my great name,
profaned among the nations, in
whose midst you have profaned
it. Thus the nations shall know
that I am the Lord, says the Lord
God, when in their sight I prove
my holiness through you. For I
will take you away from among
the nations, gather you from
all the foreign lands, and bring
you back to your own land. I will
sprinkle clean water upon you to
cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will
cleanse you. I will give you a new
heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies
your stony hearts and giving you
natural hearts. I will put my spirit
within you and make you live by
my statutes, careful to observe
my decrees. You shall live in
the land I gave your fathers; you
shall be my people, and I will be
your God.
Responsorial Psalm - Ps 51
R – Create a clean heart in me,
O God!
* A clean heart create for me, O
God, and a steadfast spirit renew
within me. Cast me not out from
your presence, and your Holy
Spirit take not from me. R.
* Give me back the joy of your
salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall
return to you. R.
* For you are not pleased with
sacrifices; should I offer a Holocaust, you would not accept it. My
sacrifice, O God, is a contrite Spirit; a heart contrite and humbled,
O God, you will not spurn. R.
Epistle - Rom 6:3-11
The sacrament of Baptism
inserts us in the saving mystery
of Christ’s death and resurrection. Dead with him to sin, we
also rise to a new life with him.
Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who
were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him
through baptism into death, so
that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the
Father, we too might live in newness of life.
For if we have grown into
union with him through a death
like his, we shall also be united
with him in the resurrection. We
know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful
body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in
slavery to sin. For a dead person
has been absolved from sin. If,
then, we have died with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with
him. We know that Christ, raised
from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over
him. As to his death, he died to
sin once and for all; as to his life,
he lives for God. Consequently,
you too must think of yourselves
as being dead to sin and living for
God in Christ Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm - Ps 118
R – Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
* Give thanks to the Lord, for
he is good, for his mercy endures
forever. Let the house of Israel say, "His mercy endures forever" R.
* The right hand of the Lord
has struck with power; the right
hand of the Lord is exalted. I shall
not die, but live, and declare the
works of the Lord. R.
* The stone which the builders
rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been
done; it is wonderful in our eyes.
R
Gospel - Lk 24:1-12
At daybreak on the first day
of the week the women who had
come from Galilee with Jesus
took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They
found the stone rolled away from
the tomb; but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the
Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men
in dazzling garments appeared
to them. They were terrified and
bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to them, "Why do you
seek the living one among the
dead? He is not here, but he has
been raised. Remember what he
said to you while he was still in
Galilee, that the Son of Man must
be handed over to sinners and
be crucified, and rise on the third
day" And they remembered his
words. Then they returned from
the tomb and announced all these
things to the eleven and to all the
others. The women were Mary
Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary
the mother of James; the others
who accompanied them also told
this to the apostles, but their story
seemed like nonsense and they
did not believe them. But Peter
got up and ran to the tomb, bent
down, and saw the burial cloths
alone; then he went home amazed
at what had happened.
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