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| Fra Angelico - Convento di San Marco, Florence |
The Lord is risen, indeed. Alleluia!
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’ (Matthew 28: 1-10)Collect for the Great Vigil of Easter
Dear friends in Christ: On this most holy night, in which our Lord Jesus passed over from death to life, the Church invites
her members, dispersed throughout the world, to gather in
vigil and prayer. For this is the Passover of the Lord, in which,
by hearing his Word and celebrating his Sacraments, we share
in his victory over death.
Let us pray.
O God, through your Son you have bestowed upon your
people the brightness of your light: Sanctify this new fire, and
grant that in this Paschal feast we may so burn with heavenly
desires, that with pure minds we may attain to the festival of
everlasting light; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Image from the Web Gallery of Art.
UPDATE: Our Easter Vigil celebration at St John's Episcopal Church, according to the liturgy in "The Book of Common Prayer", was joyful and lovely last evening. First a fire was lit outside in the churchyard, then a member of the clergy lit the large Paschal candle from the fire, followed by the lighting of smaller candles for the congregation. The cantor sang prayers, and then the congregation processed into the darkened church with their candles. Once we were inside, we heard several lessons from the Hebrew Testament, the seven days creation story, the story of the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus, and readings from the prophets Isaiah and Zephaniah. The lights came on and the Eucharistic liturgy followed. The congregation, choir, and clergy made a joyful noise unto the Lord in prayer and song.
