40 Days of Seeking Him 2011 ~ Day 40

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We have arrived…the last day of Lent is here.  What seemed like a date so far in the future has come at a greater clip than I might have imagined.

Today there are Easter egg hunts in the local communities.  For some Christians, this is a quieter day spent in anticipation of Easter Sunday. At our house, we are busy cleaning.

However, in the Catholic Church, this night will bring a Mass that while much longer than usual is also the most beautiful.  The Easter Vigil Mass is my all-time favorite and has been since I was involved in music ministry during graduate school.  Both in New York and Ohio, we occasionally attended as a family.

The night begins with the lighting of the fire outside. I still have vivid memories of P being a year old and saying ‘hot, hot’ while moving his hands.  When people did not respond right away, he became more frantic..almost as if he was the one to warn everyone of how dangerous the fire could be.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNsqKAxJgy4]

Then, in a darkened church, you have the Exultet sung.  I found a few versions I really liked, including one sung in Latin (part 1 and part 2)with the English translation shown in the video.  Below, though is one sung in English (just listen more than look as the camera was shaking a bit):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDttVSyqEZs]

Beyond the Exultet and the way light is brought into the church, I love to witness the reception of those who have been studying for entry into the church.  You can’t say that there many occasions in the Roman Catholic Church to have all three initiation Sacraments (Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation) in the same Mass.  But, it is seen in many of the Easter Vigil Masses around the world.  During this time, the Litany of the Saints is often sung.  Below is the version I love best (and had the cantor sing at J’s baptism!)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25DHA6Y78YI]

The other thing that lifts my soul is the ability to once again since the Alleluia.   When planning music for this Mass and Easter Sunday, it seemed like many of the selections placed a LOT of Alleluias into the text.  With great reason, of course!

The concluding hymn is usually something like this (organ preferred)..

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbWqCdHzEhk]

I could have done a lot more talking about what I love for this incredibly special Mass, but opted to just hit some of the high points.  Otherwise, this could be the ‘mother’ of all blog posts!

Many thanks to all of the readers who have been following along for this meme.  I’ve really enjoyed writing for it and am so thankful to Trish at A House Upon the Rock for hosting it.