Get ready!

By -

I was listening to a beautiful recording of the Exsultet, an "ancient hymn of praise" which means REJOICE!  This hymn is typically prayed at the Easter Vigil.

I was moved by the words of this hymn, particularly:

"Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honor of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night."

At the Easter Vigil (the night before Easter), everyone's individual candles are lit from the one Easter Candle.  We gather in darkness and the light from our collective candles breaks through the darkness as the Light of Christ spreads.

The hymn tells us that this light becomes "a fire into many flames divided, yet never dimmed by sharing of its light."

If you have never been to a Catholic Easter Vigil Mass, I encourage you to do so.  It is an explosion for the senses, from the light, to the smells and the sounds.  The prayers are extraordinary.

Why not, just this once, if you have never been, join in this celebration?  This is also the night, where those who have been preparing, are entering the Church, receiving one (or all) of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist).

If you click HERE you will find the words of the Exsultet, and if you open a new tab and click on this LINK, you can listen to it while you read/pray with it.

Happy Easter in advance!

Janet Cassidy 
janetcassidy.com
Follow my Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
Check out my YouTube Channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy


 

 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem
Read more

'Greater Love: Richie Fernando SJ', a joy-filled Filipino missionary

By -
Image
 I haven't been able to post for more than a week as I was giving an eight-day directed retreat to eight sisters of the Missionaries of Charity near Manila. While I had some access to the internet it was rather slow. I had intended to make a post here on the murder of Fr Fausto Tentorio PIME , a 59-year-old Italian priest, in the Diocese of Kidapawan, Mindanao, on Monday 17 October. I will save that post for a later date. As I was looking for a video about Father Fausto I came across one about Brother Richard Michael 'Richie' Fernando SJ, a Filipino Jesuit scholastic who died while trying to prevent a troubled and disabled young man in Cambodia from throwing a grenade. That was in 1996 - on 17 October. Father Fausto gave his life exactly 15 years later. I remember the mixture of sorrow and pride I felt when I read of the death of Brother Richie, pride as a missionary in the Philippines that a young Filipino seminarian had given his life so spontaneously in order to sav
Read more

Why Modesty Is Not Subjective

By -
Image
Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never going to caution her d
Read more