Liturgical holidays of Easter Sunday
In the Church on this day there are no celebrations. In the Middle Ages an incorrect reflection led to the anticipation of the Easter Vigil, the “mother of all vigils”, in the early morning of Holy Saturday. Pope Pius XII in 1951 and 1955 restored the ancient order, which would then be taken up in the new Missal of 1970. On this most holy night the “Church awaits, watching over, the resurrection of Christ and celebrates it in the sacraments.”
The Skylight, with the blessing of fire, the ignition of the Easter candle and its entry into the church, up to the singing of the Exultet.
The Liturgy of the Word, listening to seven readings of the Old Testament, a section from St. Paul and finally the Gospel of Easter. The history of salvation that sees God’s faithfulness to his people hatch.
The baptismal liturgy, with the sacrament of adult baptism or lustral water, followed by the renewal of the baptismal promises and the sprinkling with blessed water.
The Eucharistic liturgy, when in this celebrating the sacrament makes us contemporary with Jesus and his command: “Do this in memory of me”, and we “Proclaim your death Lord, proclaim your resurrection, waiting for your coming”.
Easter Sunday has already been celebrated in the night, the Masses of Easter Day are an extension of joy, of wonder, aware that “the essential is invisible to the eyes”.
After the Saturday, at the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake. An angel of the Lord, for when he came down from heaven, came near, rolled the stone, and sat down on it. Her appearance was like lightning and her dress as white as snow.
Because of the fear they had of him, the guards were shaken and remained as dead. The angel said to the women, “You are not afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, the crucifix. He’s not here. He rose again, for as he had said; come, look at the place where he had been laid. Quickly, go and say to his disciples, He has risen from the dead, and behold, he goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him.
I told you.” Hastily abandoned the tomb with great fear and joy, the women ran to announce his disciples. And behold, Jesus came to meet them and said, “Greetings to you!” And they came near, and embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and announce to my brethren that they may go to Galilee: there they shall see me” (Mt 28:1-10; cf. Mk 16:1-7; Lk 24:1-2).
Jesus, the risen one, gave us the gift of fraternity
He’s alive! And walk with us The gift that Jesus gave us by dying on the cross and rising on the third day, is that of a new humanity, founded on fraternity.
A gift for which Jesus himself needed to invoke the Father, because fraternity is not automatic, but must be built day by day: “As you, Father, are in me and I in you, be – not also in us one thing, so that the world may believe” (Jn 17: 21). Fraternity is not a laboratory operation, which is born at the table, but only in the Lord it is possible to realize it: “Let them also be one in us…”.
Not only “be one” but “in us,” Jesus says. Otherwise it would be reduced to a beautiful friendship, to who knows what organization or “non-profit”, as Pope Francis says. Instead, fraternity must flow from “standing” in God who is Love, the only one who teaches us to love one another “to the supreme gift of life.”
Brothers all
May the gift of Easter, of the risen Jesus, help us to become “brothers all”, to such an extent that we wish each other to grow in unity, so that those who look at us can exclaim “How beautiful and joyful it is to see our brothers and sisters living together”. How can we fail to recognize that this is the greatest obstacle that restrains many to approach the Church, today even more marked by its many fragilities.
A gift, a commitment
Starting from Christ Jesus, dead and risen, we learn to walk and grow in His Love and to witness to it with a reflective commitment, in a time when we allow ourselves to go too much to superficial slogans and linked only to emotion; witness to it with our words, knowing how to say well what we must say, without giving in to the gossip and denigration of the other; to witness to it with our actions, aware that precisely in the love lived to the end
May the joy of the risen Jesus be for everyone to encourage us to learn to love each other: in the family, in work, in sport, in leisure time, in the parish… Jesus, the Lord, rose again, loved us first, when we were still sinners, and he made us so capable of loving with His own love. To us believe it. To us show it with life.
Prayer
You’re risen!
As you promised, Lord,
You’re alive and you’re with us!
Life has won over death.
Love has won over sin.
The Faith has won over doubt.
Hope has won over despair.
Charity has won over selfishness.
Prudence has won over impulsiveness.
Justice has won over iniquity.
Temperance has won over instinct.
The fortress has won over fear.
Jesus, Son of God,
Lord and our Brother,
You won
because you trusted the Father,
because You have placed everything in His hands.
Jesus, Friend and Brother
Help me to trust, to put myself in my hands
of Your Father and our Father;
help me to go further, later,
to reach you where You are.
Help me live as a rise!
(Prayer by A.V.)
fonte © Vatican News – Dicasterium pro Communicatione
