Friday night, we all shared in Mom's daily penance by partaking in Stations of the Cross with her. We watched The Passion, which is a true penance. It's a film that realistically captures all Christ went through for us. It's difficult to watch someone undergo such treatment but necessary to remember the depth of His love for us.
Last night, we went to Easter Vigil Mass, celebrated the true start of Easter. I love the Service of Light, where we start in the darkness... a dark and empty tomb... the Paschal candle is lit from a new fire outside the church and the light is passed person to person, candle to candle, until the whole church is lit. The simple drama of lighting candles speaks of how the Church overcomes a world darkened by sin with the light of Christ, until the day when we enter that whole new level when all of the lights will come on, that is, in the brightness of eternity.
The second part of the Vigil is the Liturgy of the Word, done by candlelight only. We had 4 readings from the Old Testament and 1 from the New, each followed by a reflective song. The readings chosen for this Mass are from Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Ezekial, and Romans... chosen specifically to help us meditate on God's wondrous works for His people from the very dawn of time. The lights then come one and we sing the Gloria and Alleluia.
Then there are the baptisms and confirmations, a beautiful time where the waters are blessed and new members are brought into the Church. It's a joyful celebration to be a part of.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist brings back to the forefront the whole meaning of celebrating this Last Supper, so newly refreshed in our memories with what Christ has given us in Him.
It's a long service - we didn't get home until close to midnight - but to me, it captures Easter so much more than Sunday morning Mass. I loved being able to celebrate it with my parents last night.
So today... I hope you have a happy and blessed Easter! Celebrate - He is Risen! Alleluia, alleluia!
No comments:
Post a Comment