Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil Liturgy of the Word Walter F. Modrys SJ, Presider; Francis T. Hannafey SJ, Homilist; Stephen Bradley, Cantor; Mark Bani, Organist; BJ Brown and Christine Szczepanowski, Lectors

Service of Light Announcement

Presider’s Commentary

Cantor: The Light of Christ.

All:

The Easter Proclamation (Exsultet), Plainchant, Author Unknown

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels! This is our Passover feast, Exult, all creation around God's throne! when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain, Jesus Christ, our King, is risen! Whose blood consecrates the homes of all Sound the trumpet of salvation! believers. Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor, This is the night radiant in the brightness of your King! when first You saved our fathers: Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! You freed the people of Israel from their slavery Darkness vanishes for ever! and led them dry-shod through the sea. Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory! This is the night The risen Savior shines upon you! when the pillar of fire Let this place resound with joy, destroyed the darkness of sin! echoing the mighty song of all God's people! This is the night My dearest friends, when Christians everywhere, standing with me in this holy light, washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement, join me in asking God for mercy, are restored to grace that He may give His unworthy minister and grow together in holiness. grace to sing His Easter praises. This is the night It is truly right that with full hearts and minds and when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death voices and rose triumphant from the grave. we should praise the unseen God, What good would life have been to us, the all-powerful Father, had Christ not come as our Redeemer? and His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, how wonderful Your care for us! For Christ has ransomed us with His blood, How boundless Your merciful love! and paid for us To ransom a slave You gave away Your Son. the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father! —continued O happy fault, receive our evening sacrifice of praise, O necessary sin of Adam, Your Church's solemn offering. which gained for us so great a Redeemer! Accept this Easter candle, Most blessed of all nights, a flame divided but undimmed, chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead! a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God. Of this night scripture says: For it is fed by the melting wax, "The night will be as clear as day: which the mother bee brought forth it will become my light, my joy." to make this precious candle. The power of this holy night dispels all evil Let it mingle with the lights of heaven washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, and continue bravely burning brings mourners joy, to dispel the darkness of this night! it casts out hatred, brings us peace, May the Morning Star which never sets and humbles earthly pride. find this flame still burning: Night truly blessed Christ, that Morning Star, when heaven is wedded to earth Who came back from the dead, and man is reconciled with God! and shed His peaceful light on all mankind, Therefore, heavenly Father, Your Son, in the joy of this night, Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-2: 2

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 104, Michel Guimont

♯ ♯ 6 • • 8 • • • • • • • • • • • • Lord, send out your Spir - it, and re - new the face of the earth.

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord, my God, how great You are, clothed in majesty and honor, wrapped in light as with a robe! You set the earth on its foundation, immovable from age to age. You wrapped it with the depths like a cloak; the waters stood higher than the mountains. You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow in between the hills. There the birds of heaven build their nests; from the branches they sing their song.

Prayer

Second Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18

Prayer

Third Reading: Exodus 14: 15-15:1

Responsorial Psalm: Exodus 15, Michel Guimont

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. 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. 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. You brought in the people You redeemed and planted them on the mountain of Your inheritance--the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands established. The Lord shall reign forever and ever.

Fourth Reading: Isaiah 54: 5-14

Hymn: At The Lamb's High Feast We Sing, Salzburg

2. Where the Paschal blood is poured, death's dark angel sheathes his sword; Israel's hosts triumphant go through the wave that drowns the foe. Praise we Christ, Whose blood was shed, Paschal victim, Paschal bread; With sincerity and love eat we manna from above.

3. Mighty Victim from the sky, hell's fierce powers beneath You lie; You have conquered in the fight, You have brought us life and light: Now no more can death appall, now no more the grave enthrall; You have opened paradise, and in You Your saints shall rise.

Fifth Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11

Responsorial Psalm: Isaiah 12, Michel Guimont

♯ ♯ 6 8 · You will draw wa - ter joy - ful - ly ♯♯ · · from the springs of sal - va - tion. 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. Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim His name; among the nations make known His deeds; Proclaim how exalted is His name. 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! Sixth Reading: Baruch 3: 9-15, 32-- 4:4

Prayer

Seventh Reading: Ezekiel 36: 16-17a, 18-28

Hymn: Christ Be Our Light, Bernadette Farrell

Prayer

Homily

Solemn Blessing May almighty God bless you through today’s Easter Solemnity and in his compassion may he defend you from every assault of sin. AMEN May he, who restores you to eternal life in the Resurrection of his Only Begotten Son, endow you with the prize of immortality. AMEN Now that the days of the Lord’s Passion have drawn to a close, may you exult in his Spirit and with Christ’s help, may you come to the Paschal Feast that is celebrated in eternal joy. AMEN And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come upon you and remain with you forever. AMEN. Closing Hymn: Jesus Christ Is Risen Today, Lyra Davidica, arranged by Mark Bani

1. Jesus Christ is ris'n today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the cross Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

2. Hymns of praise then let us sing Alleluia! Unto Christ our heav'nly King, Alleluia! Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia! Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

3. But the pains which He endured, Alleluia! Our salvation have procured; Alleluia! Now above the sky He's King, Alleluia! Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

4. Sing we to our God above Alleluia! Praise eternal as His love; Alleluia! Praise Him, now His might confess, Alleluia! Father, Son, and Spirit blest. Alleluia!

Postlude: Final (Symphony no. 2), Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: All GIA compositions reprinted under license A-722114 from OneLicense.net. All rights reserved. General source of GIA compositions--Ritual Song, c. 2004, GIA Publications, Inc. All OCP compositions reprinted under LicenSing U-5591 from OCP Publications, Inc. MUSIC FOR THE LITURGY: All rights reserved. ICEL; The English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

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