Easter Vigil, April 3, 2021

the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined isaiah 9 2 we gather together tonight from all corners of the globe drawn in by the warmth and light of the easter fire it is a sign of hope after dark days during this easter triduum it is the first sign that jesus though he was dead has risen from the grave he is victorious death could not contain him because jesus defeated death we can trust that any darkness we experience is nothing compared to the light of jesus any pain can be healed all brokenness can be redeemed and all death can break forth into new life tonight we will experience his victory anew as we listen to the story of our faith the story of how god rescued humanity from death and raised us to new life in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit the grace of our lord jesus christ and the love of god and the communion of the holy spirit and be with you all welcome to our celebration on this night the easter vigil this is the night of all nights on which we celebrate the resurrection of jesus from the dead my name is father alex and i just want to welcome you to our celebration tonight i want to welcome all those who are joined here uh present with us physically all of those who are online watching us uh if this is your first time with us we want you to know you are most especially welcome with us this evening as we uh as we're about to begin i just want to offer a few notes uh the first is if you're watching online i'd love to invite you to share this with somebody you can click the share button if you're watching on facebook or youtube or send the link to somebody just share it with somebody it's a beautiful opportunity to pray together uh the other thing i'd like to invite you to do whether you're here in person or watching online is something that we do called prayer partners and it's a way of entering into our celebration in a more meaningful way we want to make sure everyone's being prayed for personally and individually and so what i'll invite you to do is if you're watching online type your name into the chat and as the names begin to scroll by i want you to pick a name and commit to praying for that person during the rest of our night together and if you're in person i want you to turn to somebody nearby just give them a little wave or a nod of the head and i want you to commit to praying for that person tonight as we enter this time together we're beginning outside uh with this holy fire this is called the liturgy of light and what we do in this time is recall much of what jesus has done to save us and just like jesus delivered the israelites from bondage in egypt he led them by a pillar of fire at night and a column of smoke during the day so we're gonna do a similar thing as we as we enter into the darkly lit church uh following the candle the paschal candle which represents the light of christ and so dear brothers and sisters on this most sacred night on which our lord jesus christ passed over from death to life the church calls upon her sons and daughters scattered throughout the world to come together to watch and to pray if we keep the memorial of the lord's paschal solemnity in this way listening to his word and celebrating the mysteries then we shall have the sure hope of sharing his triumph over death and living with him in god let us pray o god who through your son bestowed upon the faithful the fire of your glory sanctify this fire we pray and grant that by these pastoral celebrations we may be so inflamed with heavenly desires that with minds made pure we may attain festivities of unending splendor through christ our lord amen amen okay and now we're going to do some things on the paschal candle here christ yesterday and today the beginning and the end the alpha and the omega all time belongs to him and all the ages to him be glory and power through every age and forever amen amen by his holy and glor by his holy and glorious wounds may christ the lord guard and protect us amen amen okay we're going to light the paschal candle we're going to try may the light of christ rise in glory dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds okay now we begin our procession into the church the light of christ [Music] the light of [Music] christ the light of christ [Music] exactly let them exalt the host of heaven [Music] exalt let angel ministers of god exalt let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty kings triumph me glad let earth be glad as glory floods ablaze with light from her eternal king let all corners of the earth be glad knowing an end to gloom and darkness [Music] rejoice let mother church also rejoice arrayed with the lightning of his glory let this holy building shake with joy filled with the mighty voices of the peoples therefore her dearest friends standing in the awesome glory of this holy lights invoke with me i ask you the mercy of god almighty that he who has been pleased to number me the one worthy among the levites may pour into me his light unshadowed that i may sing this candles perfect praises the lord be with you and with your spirit [Music] lift up your [Music] let us give thanks to the lord our god it is truly right and just with art and love of mind and hearts and with devoted service of our voice to acclaim our god invisible the almighty father and jesus christ our lord his son is only begotten who for our sake paid adam's debt to the eternal father and pouring out his own dear blood wipe clean the record of our ancient sinfulness these then are the feasts of passover in which it slain the lamb the one true lamb whose blood anoints the doorposts of believers this is the night when once you let our forebears israel's children from slavery in egypt and made them pass dry shut through the red sea this is the night let with a pillar of fire banish the darkness of sin this is the night that even now throughout the world sets christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones is the night when christ broke the prison bars of death and rose victoria is from the underworld our birth would have been no gain had we not been redeemed oh wonder of your humble care for us o love o charity beyond all telling to ransom a slave you gave away your son [Music] o truly necessary sin of adam destroyed completely by the death of christ oh happy fault that earned so great so a glorious oh truly blessed night worthy alone to know that time and hour when christ rose from the underworld this is the night of which it is written the night shall be a brightest day dazzling is the night for me and full of gladness the sanctifying power of this night this spells wickedness washes faults away restores innocence to the fallen and joy to mourners drives out hatred foster's concord and brings down the mighty on this your night of grace o holy father except this candle of saul and my offering the work of beason of your servant hands an evening sacrifice of praise this gift from your most holy church but now we know the praises of this pillar which glowing fire ignites for god's honor a fire into many flames divided yet never dimmed my sharing of its light for it is fed by melting wax drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious oh truly blessed nights when things of heaven are wed to those of earth and divine to the human therefore o lord we pray you that this candle hallowed to the honor of your name may dis may persevere undimmed do overcome the darkness of this night receive it as a pleasing fragrance and let it mingle with the lights of heaven may this flame be found still burning burning by the morning star the one morning star who never sets christ your son who coming back from death domain has shed his light on humanity and lives and reigns forever and ever [Music] may be seated now dear brothers and sisters now that we have begun our solemn vigil let us listen with quiet hearts to the word of god let us meditate how god in these in times past saved his people let us pray that our god may complete this paschal work of salvation by the fullness of redemption you may extinguish your candles at this time and darkness covered the face of the deep while the spirit of god swept over the face of the waters then god said let there be light and there was light and god saw that the light was good and god separated the light from the darkness god called the light day and the darkness he called night and there was evening and there was morning the first day and god said let there be a dome in the midst of the waters and let it separate the waters from the waters so god made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome and it was so god called this dome sky and there was evening and there was morning the second day and god said let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appear and it was so god called the dry land earth and the waters that were gathered together he called seas and god saw that it was good then god said let the earth put forth vegetation plants yielding seed and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with a seed in it and it was so the earth brought forth vegetation plants yielding seed of every kind and trees of every kind bearing fruit with seed in it and god saw that it was good and there was evening and there was morning the third day and god said let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth and it was so god made the two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars god set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth to rule over the day and over the night and to separate the light from the darkness and god saw that it was good and there was evening and there was morning the fourth day and god said let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures and that birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky so god created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves of every kind with which the waters swarm and every winged bird of every kind and god saw that it was good god blessed them saying be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas and let birds multiply on the earth and there was evening and there was morning the fifth day and god said let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind and it was so god made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind and god saw that it was good then god said let us make man in our image according to our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth so god created man in his image in the image of god he created him male and female he created them god blessed them and god said to them be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth god said see i have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of the earth and every tree with seed and its fruit ye shall have them for food and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the earth everything that has the breath of life i have given every green plant for food and it was so god saw everything that he had made and indeed it was very good and there was evening and there was morning the sixth day thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude and on the seventh day god finished the work that he had done and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done the word of the lord thanks be to god [Music] send forth your spirit o lord and renew the face of the earth send forth your spirit o lord and renew the face of the earth [Music] bless the lord my soul lord god how great you are clothed in majesty and glory wrapped in light as in our own send forth your spirit o lord and renew the face of the earth you founded the earth on its base to stand firm from age to rage you wrapped it with the ocean like a cloak the waters higher than the mountains send forth your spirit o lord and renewed [Music] you make springs gosh forth in the valleys they flow between the hills on the banks dwell the birds of heaven from their branches they sing their songs forth your spirit o lord and renew the face of the earth from your dwelling place you water the hills each drink fills it fills of your gift you make the grass grow for the cattle and the plants to serve our knees send forth your spirit [Music] how many are your works oh in wisdom you have made them all the earth is full of your riches bless the lord o my soul send forth yours [Music] please stand let us pray almighty ever-living god who are wonderful in the ordering of all your works may those you have redeemed understand that there exists nothing more marvelous than the world's creation in the beginning except that at the end of the ages christ our passover has been sacrificed who lives and reigns forever a reading from the book of genesis god tested abraham he said to him abraham and abraham said here i am god said take your son your only son isaac whom you love and go to the land of moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering as one of the mountains that i shall show you so abraham rose early in the morning saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and his son isaac he cut the wood for the burnt offering and set out and went to the place in the distance that god had shown him on the third day abraham looked up and saw the place far away then abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey the boy and i will go over there we will then worship and then we will come back to you abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son isaac and he himself carried the fire and the knife so the two of them walked on together isaac said to his father abraham father and abraham said here i am my son isaac said the fire and the wood are here but where is the lamb for a burnt offering abraham said god himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering my son so the two of them walked on together abraham and isaac came to the place that god had shown him abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order he bound his son isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood then abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son but the angel of the lord called to him from heaven and said abraham abraham and he said here i am the angel said do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him for now i know that you fear god since you have not withheld your son your only son from me and abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in a thicket by its thorns abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son so abraham called that place the lord will provide as it is said to this day on the mount of the lord it shall be provided the angel of the lord called to abraham a second time from heaven and said by myself i have sworn says the lord because you have done this and have not withheld your son your only son i will indeed bless you and i will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore and your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves because you have obeyed my voice the word of the lord thanks be to god keep me safe oh god you are my heart keep me safe oh god you are my hope oh lord it is you are my portion and calm it is you yourself who are my prize i keep you lord ever in my sight since you are at my right hand i shall stand firm [Music] keep [Music] and so my heart rejoices my soul is glad even my body shall rest in safety for you will not leave my soul among the dead nor let your beloved [Music] you will show me the path of life the fullness of joy in your presence at your right hand [Music] happiness forever [Music] please stand let o us supreme father of the faithful who increased the children of your promise by pouring out the grace of adoption throughout the whole world and who through the paschal mystery make your servant abraham father of nations as once you swore grant we pray that your peoples may enter worthily into the grace to which you call them through christ our lord a reading from the book of exodus the lord said to moses why do you cry out to me tell the children of israel to go forward but you lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it that the children of israel may go into the sea on dry ground then i will harden the hearts of the egyptians so that they will go in after them and so i will gain glory for myself over pharaoh and all his army his chariots and his chariot drivers and the egyptians shall know that i am the lord when i have gained glory for myself over pharaoh his chariots and his chariot drivers the angel of god who was going before the israelite army moved and went behind them and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them it came between the army of egypt and the army of israel and so the cloud was there with the darkness and it lit up the night one did not come near the other all night moses stretched out his hand over the sea the lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land and the waters were divided the children of israel went into the sea on dry ground the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left the egyptians pursued and went into the sea after them all of pharaoh's horses chariots and chariot drivers at the morning watch the lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the egyptian army and threw the egyptian army into panic he clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty the egyptians said let us flee from the children of israel for the lord is fighting for them against egypt then the lord said to moses stretch out your hand over the sea so that the water may come back upon the egyptians upon their chariots and chariot drivers so moses stretched out his hand over the sea and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth as the egyptians fled before it the lord tossed the egyptians into the sea the waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers the entire army of pharaoh that had followed them into the sea not one of them remained but the children of israel walked on dry ground through the sea the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left thus the lord saved israel that day from the egyptians and israel saw the egyptians dead on the seashore israel saw the great work that the lord did against the egyptians so the people feared the lord and believed in the lord and in his servant moses the prophet miriam aaron's sister took a tambourine in her hand and all the women went out with her with tambourines and with dancing moses and the children of israel sang this song to the lord let us sing to the lord he has covered himself in glory [Music] let us sing to the lord he has covered himself in glory [Music] i will sing to the lord glorious his triumph horse and rider he has thrown into the sea the lord is my strength my song my salvation this is my god and i extol him my father's god and i give him [Music] praise has covered himself in glory the lord is a warrior the lord is his name the chariots of pharaoh he has hurled into the sea the flower of his army is drowned in the sea the deeps hide them they sank like a stone let us sing to the lord he has covered himself in glory your right hand lord glorious in its power your right hand lord has shattered the enemy in the greatness of glory you crushed the fall let us sing to the lord he has covered himself in glory you will lead them and plant them on your mountain the place o lord where you have made your home the sanctuary lord which your hands have made the lord will reign forever and ever let us sing to the lord he has covered himself in glory [Music] please stand let us pray almighty ever living god surpassed for the honor of your name what you pledged to the patriarchs by reason of their faith and through sacred adoption increase the children of your promise so that the saints of old never doubted would come to pass your church may now see in great part fulfilled through christ the lord please be seated a reading from the book of the prophet isaiah thus says the lord the god of hosts your maker is your husband the lord of hosts is his name the holy one of israel is your redeemer the god of the whole earth he is called for the lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit like the wife of a man's youth when she is cast off says your god for a brief moment i abandoned you but with great compassion i will gather you in overflowing wrath for a moment i hid my face from you but with everlasting love i will have compassion on you says the lord your redeemer this is like the days of noah to me just as i swore that the waters of noah would never again go over the earth so i have sworn that i will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you for the mountains may depart and the hills be removed but my steadfast love shall not depart from you and my covenant of peace shall not be removed says the lord who has compassion on you oh afflicted one storm tossed and not comforted i am about to set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires i will make your pinnacles of rubies your gates of jewels and all your walls of precious stones all your children shall be taught by the lord and great shall be the prosperity of your children in righteousness you shall be established you shall be far from oppression for you shall not fear and from terror for it shall not come near you the word of the lord thanks be to god [Music] i will praise you lord for you have rescued me i will praise you lord for you ever rescued me i will praise you lord you have rescued me and have not let my enemies rejoice over me o lord you have raised my soul from the dead restored me to life from those who sink into the grace i will praise you lord for your me sing songs to the lord you who love him give thanks to his holy name [Music] his anger lasts a moment his favor all through life at night there are tears but joy comes with dawn [Music] i will praise you lord for you ever rescued me the lord listened and had pity the lord came to my hell for me you have changed my mourning into dancing oh my god i will thank you forever i will praise you lord [Music] stand let us pray almighty ever-living god surpass for the honor of your name what you pledge to the patriarchs by reason of their faith and through sacred adoption increase the children of your promise so that what the saints of old never doubted would come to pass your church may now see in great part fulfilled through christ our lord from the book of the prophet isaiah thus says the lord everyone who thirsts come to the water and you that have no money come by eat come by wine and milk without money and without price why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which does not satisfy listen carefully to me and eat what is good and delight yourselves in rich food incline your ear and come to me listen so that you may live i will make with you an everlasting covenant my steadfast sure love for david see i made him a witness to the peoples a leader and a commander for the peoples c you shall call nations that you do not know and nations that do not know you shall run to you because of the lord your god the holy one of israel for he has glorified you seek the lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near let the wicked person forsake their way and the unrighteous person their thoughts let that person return to the lord that he may have mercy on them and to our god for he will abundantly pardon for my thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your ways my ways says the lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts for as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth making it bring forth and sprout giving seed to the sower and bread to the one who eats so shall my word be that goes from my mouth it shall not return to me empty but it shall accomplish that which i purpose and succeed in the thing for which i sent it the word of the lord thanks be to god [Music] you will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation you will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation truly god is my salvation i trust i shall not fear for the lord is my strength my song he became my savior with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation you will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation [Music] give thanks to the lord give praise to his name make his mighty deeds known to the peoples declare the greatness of his name you will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation [Music] sing a song to the lord for he has done glorious deeds make them known to all the earth people of zion sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the holy one of israel you will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation [Music] please stand let us pray almighty ever living god soul hope of the world who by the preaching of your prophets unveiled the mysteries of this present age graciously increase the longing of your people for only at the prompting of your grace to the faithful progress in any kind of virtue through christ our lord please be seated a reading from the book of the prophet baruch hear the commandments of life o israel give ear and learn wisdom why is it o israel why is it that you were in the land of your enemies that you were growing old in a foreign country that you are defiled with the dead that you are counted among those in hades you have forsaken the fountain of wisdom if you had walked in the way of god you would be living in peace forever learn where there is wisdom where there is strength where there is understanding so that you may at the time discern where there is length of days and life where there is light for the eyes and peace who has found her place and who has entered her storehouses but the one who knows all things knows her he found her by his understanding the one who prepared the earth for all time filled it with four-footed creatures the one who sends forth the light and it goes he called it and it obeyed him trembling the stars shone in their watches and were glad he called them and they said here we are they shone with gladness for him who made them this is our god no one can be compared to him he found the whole way to knowledge and gave her to his servant jacob and to israel whom he loved afterwards she appeared on earth and lived with humanity she is the book of the commandments of god the law that endures forever all who hold her fast will live and those who forsake her will die turn o jacob and take her walk toward the shining of her light do not give your glory to another or your advantages to an alien people happy are we o israel for we know what is pleasing to god the word of the lord thanks be to god lord you have the words of everlasting life lord [Music] the law of the lord is perfect it revives the soul the rule of the lord is to be trusted it gives wisdom to the simple lord of everlasting life the precepts of the lord are right they gladden the hearts the command of the lord is clear it gives light to the eyes of everlasting life the fear of the lord is holy abiding forever the decrees of the lord our truth and all of them just lord you have the words [Music] they are more to be desired than gold than the purest of gold and sweeter of even honey than honey from the comb [Music] [Applause] lord [Music] please stand let us pray o god who constantly increase your church by your call to the nations graciously grant that do those you wash clean in the waters of baptism the assurance of your unfailing protection through christ our lord peace be seated a reading from the book of the prophet ezekiel the word of the lord came to me son of man when the house of israel lived on their own soil they defiled it with their ways and their deeds their conduct in my sight was unclean so i poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land and for the idols with which they had defiled it i scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed through the countries in accordance with their conduct and their deeds i judged them but when they came to the nations wherever they came they profaned my holy name in that it was said of them these are the people of the lord and yet they had to go out of his land but i had concern for my holy name which the house of israel had profaned among the nations to which they came therefore say to the house of israel thus says the lord god it is not for your sake o house of israel that i am about to act but for the sake of my holy name which you have profaned among the nations to which you came i will sanctify my great name which has been profaned among the nations and which you have profaned among them and the nations shall know that i am the lord says the lord god when through you i display my holiness before their eyes i will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land i will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness and from all your idols i will cleanse you a new heart i will give you and a new spirit i will put within you and i will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh i will put my spirit within you and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances then you shall live in the land that i gave to your ancestors and you shall be my people and i will be your god the word of the lord thanks be to god [Music] like the dividends for running streams so my soul is yearning for you my god like the deer that youngs for running streams so my soul is for you my god my soul is thirsting for god the god of my life when can i enter and see the face of god running streams so my soul is running for you my god these things will i remember as i pour out my soul how i would lead the rejoicing crowd into the house of gold amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving the throng wild with joy [Music] my god oh send forth your light and your truth let these be my guide let them bring me to your holy mountain to the place where you dwell [Music] on [Music] so my soul is running for you my god and i will come to your altar oh god the god of my joy my redeemer i will thank you on the harp oh god my gods for running streams so my soul is yawning for you my god stand let us pray o god who by the pages of both testaments instruct and prepare us to celebrate the paschal mystery grant that we may comprehend your mercy so that the gifts we receive from you this night may confirm our hope of the gifts to come through christ our lord now we're going to sing the gloria or not no there's one more reading i'm sorry aslan you're up please be seated okay that's after the gloria please stand so we sing the gloria which we haven't sung all during lent but we sing now together uh in joyful acclamation in glory of god [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you is adore you we glorify you we give your great glory lord god heavenly king [Music] peace [Music] peace jesus [Music] the christ of the world have mercy on [Applause] [Music] you us seated at the right hand of the heart to god in the highest [Music] peace glory to god please [Music] the lord christ with the holy spirit in the glory of god [Music] glory to god [Music] peace [Music] [Applause] [Music] let us pray oh god who make this most sacred night radiant with the glory of the lord's resurrection stir up in your church a spirit of adoption so that renewed in body and mind we may render you undivided service through our lord jesus christ your son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit one god for ever and ever amen please be seated for our last reading from aslan a reading from the letter of saint paul to the romans brothers and sisters do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into christ jesus were baptized into his death therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death so that just as christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father so we too might walk in the newness of life for if we have been united with him in a death like his we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed and we might no longer be enslaved to sin for whoever has died is freed from sin but if we have died with christ we believe that we also live with him we know that christ being raised from the dead will never die again death no longer has dominion over him the death he died he died to sin once for all but the life he lives he lives to god so you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to god in christ jesus the word of the lord thanks be to god [Laughter] ah ah give thanks to the lord for he is good his love endures forever let the family of israel say his love and just forever the lord's right hand has triumphed his hand raised me i shall not die i shall live and recount his deeds the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone this is the work of the lord a marvel in our eyes so the lord be with you a reading from the holy gospel according to mark when the sabbath day was over mary magdalene and mary the mother of james and salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint jesus and very early on the first day of the week when the sun had risen they went to the tomb they had been saying to one another who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb and when they looked up they saw that the stone which was very large had already been rolled back and as they entered the tomb they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side and they were alarmed but he said to them do not be alarmed you are looking for jesus of nazareth who was crucified he has been raised he is not here look this is the place where they laid him but go and tell his disciples and peter that he is going on ahead of you to galilee and there you will see him just as he told you so they went out and fled from the tomb for terror and amazement had seized them and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid the gospel of the lord christ is risen hallelujah isn't it awesome it's so exciting and i want to say welcome i know father alex welcome to everybody at the beginning but i also want to welcome you here welcome all of you joining online if it's your first time uh being with us here at st benedict whether physically or online um our masses aren't usually this long and so i just want to put that out there you know i've got some good news and some bad news where we're about halfway there so hang in hang in there is more to come but they call this there's a reason even in in the sacred text this is referred to this easter vigil it's referred to as the mother of all vigils so it's uh it's pretty serious what we're getting into and and what i love is that beginning part what's called the liturgy of the light where first we start in darkness and then the easter candle the paschal candle comes out and then slowly lights are spread throughout the church and this this glow of light starts to fill the darkness and as the anticipation builds then uh there is the exaltettes which is sung and by the way father alex you totally nailed it brother that was that was amazing i want you to know that that is not easy to do i've definitely had an epic fail on a number of occasions when i've tried and uh and it didn't just happen he worked at it he worked at it uh all throughout the season of lent in fact i want to give you a sense of how much effort went into uh this exaltette we've got a short little video queued up for you that i just want to share with you [Music] wow wow wow wow that's right he takes this stuff very very seriously anyways it was that was my lenten penance every single day dealing with that all throughout the season of lent so i'm glad easter's here but i want to i want to go back to that moment right so it's dark there's there's light scattered throughout the church and it reminds me of gazing at the stars ever done that i have so many fond memories and it's a bit hard to see that but so many fond memories of being up at the cottage a warm summer evening with some friends going down to the dock laying out and just looking up at the stars just this expanse of beauty myriads of lights everywhere and i i mean i can recognize just a couple of constellations you know the big dip dipper the the little dipper or ryan's belt that's about it uh but but just laying there in wonder and awe looking at the stars and it and it's even better when there's a meteor shower right and you get to see the occasional shooting star now i'm that guy who i usually blink right when they come and so it's like uh you know friends will be like just just look up into that dark spot in the sky and you'll be sure to see one and i'm looking and inevitably i miss it i'm that guy right and it makes me ask the question how is it that some people can see the lights when others only see darkness you know and i actually i tend to be kind of a glass half empty guy i wish it wasn't the case but it's true uh you know i don't always see the light and and in fact there's been so many things over this last year that have that have caused darkness and it goes without saying the global pandemic right so many people suffering and dying restrictions in fact all of you who are watching online right now probably you would love to be here with us and and there's a pain in being separated uh from this community i know for myself over the last year there's been moments where i felt exhausted i felt disconnected i felt frustrated and it's been hard to see the lights you know one of the impacts of this pandemic is the toll that it has taken on our mental health and just a couple days ago i was praying uh for people who struggle with mental health issues and particularly anxiety and i was just starting to list list stuff on my fingers count the number of people in my own life close to me who i know who struggle at least moderately if not seriously with anxiety and without even trying i came up with a list of 30 names and i realized there's an epidemic there's an epidemic of suffering and it must be hard to see the lights from that place for so many the question arises and the wonder will things ever get better you know as we as we look at at society at politics at legislation at education you know just the other day i was at a dinner party and and we got talking and and the way the conversation went it was like there's something wrong with the world there's something that doesn't feel right of course there's good things but but it seems like we're trending in the wrong direction and even the church there are serious challenges there's division there's darkness and if we're honest if we look inwards to we see our own personal sin and i include myself and how much that that being stuck in patterns of sin in habits that we know are unhealthy that are hurtful to ourselves to other people certainly to god and how when we're stuck in darkness how that makes it hard to see the light and i'm going to name one more and that is the fear of death and i think if the pandemic has revealed anything to us it's that the whole world is afraid of dying and we will stop at nothing to avoid death to delay death we'll shut down the economy we'll shut down travel will will give up freedom's basic human interaction to beat death now just to be clear you know i'm not all for death i i think we should be wise in prudence and and i'm praying for it for an end to this pandemic but but i think what's become clear is covid19 is not the core issue at its core we're afraid of death and yeah i mean it's wonderful that big pharma they're working on vaccines well it'd be great if they could work on a vaccine for death because that's really got us in its grip and i ask the question again with so much darkness how is it that some can see the light you know i think back to that first holy week 2 000 years ago what was it like for those first followers of jesus those disciples when jesus was arrested and tortured crucified and died no doubt they experienced the depth of darkness and probably we're dealing with severe grief with sadness maybe even anxiety depression the thinking that things won't get better stuck in their own personal sin i mean with the exception of john every single one of them ran away and they hid and peter their supposed leader he was the greatest sinner of all he denied jesus three times his rabbi his master his his personal friend he lied through his teeth saying that he didn't even know jesus why do you think they ran away why do you think they hid because they too were afraid of death they were afraid that they would be subject to the same demise as jesus and all of this is captured just in this brief line in the gospel of john which we'll actually read tomorrow morning where it says this early on the first day of the week while it was still dark mary magdalene came to the tomb see not only was it still dark outside but it was still so very dark inside and when mary gets to the tomb she finds the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty and so begins the greatest plot twist of all time they all thought jesus was dead and that was the end but god had a plan b and just when it seemed like darkness had won jesus christ rose from the dead he conquered death with his brilliant light by dying he destroyed the power of death and by rising he restored life you see easter it's not just this time we come together to to maybe get a little bit of a spiritual boost no we're celebrating the most significant event of of the year the most significant event in all of human history the resurrection changed everything it's central to the christian faith and you might ask well what difference does the resurrection make for us it's this jesus rose from the dead and he wants to share his resurrection with you he wants you to experience as well new life he wants you to experience him as risen as alive as real today and one of the indicators that someone has experienced this new life is that they can see the light the resurrection enables us to see the light even when others can only see darkness and i think back to you know stargazing looking up at this dark sky and it's like i can just only see darkness and yet when we encounter jesus we're given this capacity to see the light now i used to think that when people had this encounter with jesus that it was this instantaneous thing that it was always just like you you kind of flipped the switch and instantly the lights go on bang kind of like we did today and uh and suddenly you can see uh and and that is true in some cases but i think for many jesus reveals himself very gently very gradually and i go back to the gospel again for for tomorrow morning from john chapter 20 and it says this uh mary she goes by the way she runs away she goes to tell the other uh disciples and and peter and john come running back to the tomb and it says this then the other disciple who is believed to be john who reached the tomb first also went in and he saw and believed what do you think john saw when he went inside the tomb he didn't see anything i mean i mean he saw some some cloths that were there right these these linen cloths this this head cloth that was rolled up and laid to the side and and of course there was this theory at first that that grave robbers had come and stolen the body which which doesn't make any sense at all right the most valuable thing in that tomb were the clots they wouldn't have left the clots behind and taken a naked corpse uh and run away with it you know what did he see we we don't know but we know this we know that he saw and believed and think about this john went into a tomb which is cold and dank and stinky and dark and filled with death and he was able to see the light the resurrection enabled john to see the light and the resurrection can enable us to see the light and for john the way it played out it was kind of like like a dimmer switch i want to say where where he started it's like two and two it was starting to come together for him and and the light was slowly coming on it was finally on that on that uh moment later that day when jesus appeared to them in the upper room where it was like bingo the lights went on full blast it's like jesus is alive it's true encountering jesus changed everything for john and for all the disciples remember how they were filled with grief and sadness and anxiety and sin and even the fear of death well that was blasted away by jesus and his light when he is risen and they experienced that all of that was transformed in fact these same guys that were so afraid to die they looked directly into the darkness of death and all of them with the exception of john were martyred for the faith see they came to discover you don't have to be afraid of death because jesus has destroyed the power of death jesus is the vaccine to death he is the one who saves us and his salvation extends even beyond this life and jesus wants us to experience him as alive he wants to share that life with us and he wants us to be able to see lights even when others can only see darkness so ask this question you know do you want to be able to see jesus the light do you want to be able to see him i guess i guess the alternative is is this you can complain that there's a lot of darkness and there is you can live in the fear of death and many do but if your heart is open and you're willing jesus will offer himself to you in a gentle way in often in a gradual way you know i share this this experience it happened to me about 10 days ago i woke up in darkness and i'm not a morning person so i dragged my carcass out of bed and i went upstairs uh to pay homage before the sacred pot of coffee and i poured myself a cup and i was heading back down and just out of the corner of my eye i saw this orangey red glow out of the window along the horizon and i was drawn towards it and so i sat down by the window and for the next 30 or 40 minutes i watched as that glow started to change and uh the pinks came out and the yellows the navy blue sky turned to brighter and brighter shades of blue and by the way that was not my view my view is very obstructed uh i there was trees and telephone wires and rooftops and all this in the way but at one point there was this speck of sunshine that burst through and it was amazing the emotion that was welling up within me it was like this is what i've been waiting for i've been longing for the sun to rise and forgive the pun but i've been longing for jesus the sun to rise and there i was with this this feeling as the as the glow was growing i was like i should go get my brother priests i got to tell them i maybe i should wake up the neighbors do people even know that this is happening this is this this natural experience but it became supernatural that i was able to see and be reminded that jesus is rising and let me tell you something he is bringing the lights he is bringing the light into the darkness and i was reminded of this this song uh that uh christian artist matt marrer composed it's called alive again there's this line in which he says i can see the lights before i see the sun rise right with the resurrection we're given the ability to see the light even when others can only see darkness give you this last example one of the great heroes of my lifetime pope john paul ii throughout his papacy he kept talking about this coming this new springtime and his critics were like dude what are you talking about now they probably didn't address the pope is dude they're probably like holy father what are you talking about like like we don't see it we just see dark like he was he was pope from 1978 to 2005 and during that time yes there were some good things but there were many ways in which the church and the world again moving in the in the wrong direction more and more darkness what is it and i was reflecting on this what is it that john paul ii could see that no one else could see and i think it's this he looked off to the horizon to the farthest point and he squinted his eyes and he could see jesus alive and if jesus is present there then we're in good hands everything is going to be okay the future looks bright i want to end in prayer and i want to pray for that person here today or watching online who's just been overwhelmed by darkness and it's very understandable especially over this last year so much all at once and i want to pray for that person who's afraid of death maybe maybe you're even thinking i shouldn't be afraid of coveter i shouldn't be afraid of death but you are or there's somebody that you love and you're paralyzed with fear that they might die and i want to pray for that person who stumbled in today maybe here in this church maybe online you found the feed somehow and you're not even sure maybe why you're here why you're watching what you believe but i want to pray for you because jesus is risen and he is here right now with us so if you would just close your eyes and open your heart just even a croc to let that first ray of sunlight come in dear jesus i believe that you have truly died and that you are risen to new life you have conquered death there is no darkness on earth that can stop you jesus we want to share in your resurrection give us the gift of new life jesus enable us to look directly into darkness and see the light amen about to enter into the next part of our uh liturgy this evening uh the part in which we welcome uh our catechumens and our rci candidates uh into the sacrament of baptism and confirmation and so we're going to invite charles to call him forward and father simon is going to take it from here father simon and the members of saint benedict parish we have one catechumen this year donna joan blight i invite her to come come forward with her sponsor so welcome to you donna we have donna and uh we actually have four candidates in total don is to be baptized and we also have heather and tony and dorothy who are receiving some of the other sacraments you'll be able to see them because they're wearing white gowns so they they stand out a little bit to represent the fact that they've already been baptized so we're going to make our way to the back to the to the fonts and we'll be filming it so you can watch it on the screen if you want or you can turn around to watch but we're gonna ask that you don't don't follow us to the back to maintain the distancing and as we make our way we're gonna sing a short litany of the saints [Music] lord have mercy lord have mercy [Music] holy mary mother of god pray for us saint michael pray for us saint joseph pray for us saint john the baptist pray for us saint peter and saint paul pray for us saint mary magdalene pray for us saint lawrence pray for us saint john the plebis and the holy canadian martyrs pray for us saint perpetue and saint felicity pray for us saint benedict pray for us lord be merciful lord save your people from all harm lord save your people from every sin lord save your people by your coming among us lord save your people by your gift of the holy spirit lord savior be merciful to our sinners lord hear our jesus son of the living god lord hear our breath christ hear us christ hear us lord jesus hear our prayer lord jesus hear our prayer almighty ever living god be present by the mysteries of your great love and send forth the spirit of adoption to create the new peoples brought to birth for you in the fount of baptism so that what is to be carried out by our humble service may be brought to fulfillments by your mighty power through christ our lord we're gonna pray this extended prayer blessing this water that is to be used by for baptism and we're also gonna bless the other water nearby that we're gonna use a little bit later on we've got a little bit of a surprise for you oh god who by invisible power accomplished a wondrous effect through sacramental signs and who in many ways have prepared water your creation to show forth the grace of baptism oh god whose spirit in the first moments of the world's creation hovered over the waters so that the very substance of water would even then take to itself the power to sanctify oh god who by the outpouring of the flood foreshadowed regeneration so that from the mystery of one and the same elements of water would come an end to vice and a beginning of virtue oh god who caused the children of abraham to pass dry shot through the red sea so that the chosen people set free from slavery to pharaoh would prefigure the people of the baptized oh god whose son baptized by john in the waters of the jordan was anointed with the holy spirit and as he hung upon the cross gave forth water from his side along with blood and after his resurrection commanded his disciples go forth teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit look now we pray upon the face of your church and graciously unseal for her the fountain of baptism may this water received by the holy spirit the grace of your only begotten son so that human nature created in your image and washed clean through the sacrament of baptism from all the squalor of the life of old may be found worthy to rise to the life of newborn children through water and the holy spirits through the power of the holy spirit o lord we pray come down through your son into the fullness of this font so that all who have been buried with christ by baptism into death arise again to life with him who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit god forever and ever amen [Music] now donna we're gonna ask you a few questions and uh the answer is is pretty simple i do but it's really to reject sin and to profess belief in god and so i ask you do you reject sin so as to live in the freedom of god's children do you reject the glamour of evil and refuse to be mastered by sin you reject satan father of sin and prince of darkness donna do you believe in god the father almighty creator of heaven and earth you believe in jesus christ his only son our lord who was born of the virgin mary was crucified died and was buried rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the father you believe in the holy spirit the holy catholic church the communion of saints the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body and life everlasting well if you do then then we're going to go for it we're going to baptize you so you can come into the font you might want to take your shoes off donna i baptize you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirits amen [Music] [Music] we wanted to make sure that she would never forget to stay she's just going to take a moment and get changed and i think we have some music to continue uh in his sacred sacred moments here [Music] me [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] that is [Music] jesus [Music] you [Music] [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] just explain some of the other symbols that are coming up shortly as we just wait another moment here uh we're going to be just as the other candidates are already in white so we're going to put donna in white this white garment representing the purity of of her baptism wash clean from original sin and and all sin up until now here you go and then we're going to give you a candle so come on over donna feeling refreshed good donna you have become a new creation and have clothed yourselves in christ receive the baptismal garments and bring it unstained to the judgment seat of our lord jesus christ so that you may have everlasting life go ahead and put that on and alan you're the godparent why don't you go over to the candle to uh come forward to give the newly baptized the light of christ you have been enlightened by christ walk always as children of the light and keep the flame of faith alive in your hearts when the lord comes may you go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom so we're actually going to uh what what donna just just did with the profession of faith we're going to have a chance to renew our faith uh in just a moment so what we're gonna do as we process back to the front of the church uh we're gonna be re-lighting all of your your candles so get them ready and we'll be lighting them right off this easter candle the paschal candle and when we get back to the front we'll have a chance to renew our own baptismal promises [Music] right everybody looks lit okay so we're going to renew our baptismal promises you can keep it lord dear brothers and sisters through the paschal mystery we have been buried with christ in baptism so that we may walk with him in newness of life and so now that our lenten observance is concluded let us renew the promises of holy baptism by which we once renounced satan and his works and promised to serve god in the holy catholic church and so i ask you and and the answer to all of these questions once again and if you're at home if you're following along you're most welcome to to join us as well you can light a candle and and respond with a strong i do do you renounce satan so as to live in the freedom of the children of god i do you renounce the lure of evil so that sin may have no mastery over you i do you renounce satan the author and prince of sin i do you believe in god the father almighty creator of heaven and earth i do you believe in jesus christ his only son our lord who was born of the virgin mary suffered death and was buried rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the father i do you believe in the holy spirit the holy catholic church the communion of saints the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body and life everlasting i do may almighty god the father of our lord jesus christ who has given us new birth by water in the holy spirit and bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins keep us by his grace in christ jesus our lord for eternal life amen amen so we're not gonna re-baptize everybody but we're gonna sprinkle you with holy water as a reminder of of your baptism and so this water has not been touched by anyone or anything so it's it's totally safe uh but uh when when we sprinkle you as uh as a joyful way of receiving this blessing you can just make the sign of the cross and we'll go through and we'll have some more music doesn't matter [Music] is [Music] grace [Music] [Applause] [Music] i am [Music] is [Music] is [Music] god the all-powerful father of our lord jesus christ has given us a new birth by water and the holy spirit and forgiven all our sins may he also keep us faithful to our lord jesus christ forever and ever amen amen so now we're going to continue with the celebration of reception and with the exception of the candidates uh you can extinguish your candle i think at this point and you can be seated and we'll have the candidates remain standing but particularly heather and tony if you two would come forward uh with your sponsors for the celebration of reception so this is particularly when christians have been in in other denominations where we're receiving you into the catholic church heather tony of your own free will you have asked to be received into the full communion of the catholic church you have made your decision after careful thought under the guidance of the holy spirit i know invites you to come forward with your sponsors and in the presence of this community to profess the catholic faith in this faith you will be one with us for the first time at the eucharistic table of the lord jesus the sign of the church's unity so i invite you to repeat after me i believe and profess all that the holy catholic church believes teaches and proclaims to be revealed by god heather and tony the lord receives you into the catholic church his loving kindness has led you here so that in the unity of the holy spirit you may have full communion with us in the faith that you have professed in the presence of his family now we're going to move into the celebration of confirmation i'm going to ask the other two to join us up at the front so all four of them are going to be receiving the sacrament of confirmation dear candidates for confirmation by your baptism you have been born again in christ and you have become members of christ and of his priestly people now you are to share in the outpouring of the holy spirit among us the spirit sent by the lord upon his apostles at pentecost and given by them and their successors to the baptized the promised strength of the holy spirit which you are to receive will make you more like christ and help you to be witnesses to his suffering death and resurrection it will strengthen you to be active members of the church and to build up the body of christ in faith and love and just before we we proceed here so there's going to be a few parts to this but i wanted to mention earlier today we had a beautiful time of of sharing i wish you could have all been there to experience it it was uh it was so amazing to hear each of the stories and i can attach firsthand the profound faith in which god has already been at work in their lives for for years for each of them for years bringing them to this moment and and so it's so exciting uh to welcome you here and and to officially celebrate these sacraments and and each of them chose a name a confirmation name and uh so i'll just go through them quickly you can actually light the confirmation candle and and trade off if you instead of the the simple taper so uh starting at this end donna uh chose saint joan of arc who was a real warrior she was tough she persevered through some adversity uh and so so uh similarly donna she's experienced some adversity but she's she's uh turning to saint joan for that extra help and heather and dorothy both actually chose saint monica there's like hundreds and hundreds of saints but they they both chose the same one and she's an awesome saint she is the mother of saint augustine and patron of mothers and and also just uh just a profound witness to the faith and again that faithfulness and praying for her son augustine who was going through all kinds of uh twists and turns before his his full commerce conversion and then tony chose uh he couldn't decide on one so we let him take two uh patrick of course his irish roots so he had to take patrick and he was surprised that everybody just doesn't take patrick automatically but he took patrick as well as peter st peter and he can really relate to again peter's uh wonderful story again of ups and downs but in the end his faithfulness to god and so we're gonna confirm each of you and be praying that these saints would be interceding for you invite everybody to please stand once again my dear friends let us pray to god our father that he will pour out the holy spirit on these candidates for confirmation to strengthen them with his gifts and anoint them to be more like christ the son of god we're going to do something here that's maybe a little bit different but i'm going to ask you to just go with me we're going to close our eyes we're instructed to pray briefly in silence so we're going to do that just close our eyes and if you feel comfortable just open your hands out in a gesture of saying i want to receive the holy spirit is going to come on these four but the holy spirit wants to come down upon this whole church everybody presents and everybody at home online you can you can join us as well as we pray you can close your eyes open your hands and we're just going to pause for some a minute or two of silence and just ask the holy spirit to come a powerful god father of our lord jesus christ by water and the holy spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life send your holy spirit upon them to be their helper and guide give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of right judgment and courage the spirit of knowledge and reverence fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence we ask this through christ our lord we're going to go through one at a time and just take come a little bit closer to this step and i'm going to anoint you with oil this sacred chrism it's got a beautiful aroma and after each person all hand sanitized so don't worry once again just hold the candle in your right hand if you would be sealed donna jones be sealed with the gift of the holy spirit amen peace be with you heather monica be sealed with the gift of the holy spirit amen peace be with you tony patrick peter be sealed with the gift of the holy spirit peace be with you dorothy monica be sealed with the gift of the holy spirits peace be with you i'm going to ask you all to turn around and face the community and both physically present and online and let's welcome them [Applause] beautiful well you guys can return to your pews join the community and we'll continue with our mass so now we will continue by offering our prayers as a church to god for our community all our needs if you're joining us online you can begin to share your uh prayers with us and we'd love to pray for you as well so we have told the great story of salvation and new life we turn now to the god of our salvation knowing that he hears and answers our prayers for the church throughout the world that our proclamation of the resurrection will lead us and many others to the newness of life we pray to the lord lord hear our prayer for the nations of the world that justice and peace may increase so that all may share in the blessings of god's creation we pray to the lord r lord hear our prayer for our archbishop dunn and for all the parishes in the archdiocese of halifax yarmouth that the presence of the spirit of new life will grow and deepen in all of us we pray to the lord lord hear our prayer for those baptized tonight for all who are receiving other sacraments that the graces they receive will increase as they continue to grow in their faith we pray to the lord [Music] for all the sick and for all who suffer that they will know that christ whose suffering led to new life is always with them we pray to the lord lord hear our prayer for those who have gone before us that they may sing the eternal easter song with all the saints in glory we pray to the lord r lord hear our prayer i'll take a moment and pray for our prayer partners if you selected one from the beginning of mass this is a moment for us to pray for each other and if you chose one online as well pray for our prayer partners and we pray for all the prayers and petitions that we bring together to this mass today for this we pray to the lord lord hear our prayer god of love god of life in the name of the one jesus who lives forever we come to you in confidence and joy asking you to hear and answer our prayers for we make them through that same christ our risen lord now and forever amen may be seated we're entering making a transition now into the next part and the final part in some ways the climax of our evening tonight and begins by the offertory uh by setting up our gifts and preparing the altar and we bring ourselves this is the time for us to offer ourselves everything we are everything we have all our fears our anxieties and to present them along with the gifts that we bring today [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] pray brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to god the almighty father the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and the glory of his name for our good and the good of all his holy church except we ask o lord the prayers of your people with the sacrificial offerings that what has begun in the paschal mysteries may by the working of your power bring us to the healing of eternity through christ lord [Music] the lord be with you r [Music] [Music] let us give thanks to the lord our god it is right [Music] it is truly right and just our duty and our salvation at all times to acclaim you o lord but on this night above all to lord you yet more gloriously when christ our passover has been sacrificed for he is the true lamb who has taken away the sins of the world my dying he has destroyed our death and by rising restored our life therefore overcome with paschal joy every land every people exalts in your praise and even the heavenly powers with the angelicos sing together the unending hymn of your glory as they acclaim holy [Music] holy lord are full of your glory [Music] is he who comes in the name of our lord [Music] petition through jesus christ your son our lord that you accept and bless these gifts these offerings these holy and unblemished sacrifices which we offer you firstly for your holy catholic church be pleased to grant her peace to guard unite and govern her throughout the whole world together with your servant francis our pope and brian our bishop and all those who holding to the truth hand on the catholic and apostolic faith remember lord your servants and all gathered here whose faith and devotion are known to you for them we offer you this sacrifice of praise or they offer it for themselves and all who are dear to them for the redemption of their souls in hope of health and well-being and paying their homage to you the eternal god living and true celebrating the most sacred nights of the resurrection of our lord jesus christ in the flesh and in communion with those whose memory we venerate especially the glorious ever virgin mary mother of our god and lord jesus christ and blessed joseph her spouse your blessed apostles and martyrs peter and paul andrew james john thomas james philip bartholomew matthew simon and jude linus cletus clement sixtus cornelius cyprian lawrence chrysogonist john and paul cosmus and damien and all your saints we ask that through their merits and prayers in all things we may be defended by your protecting help therefore lord we pray graciously accept this oblation of our service that of your whole family which we make to you also for those to whom you have been pleased to give new birth of water and the holy spirit granting them forgiveness of all their sins order our days in your peace and command that we be delivered from eternal damnation encountered among the flock of those you have chosen be pleased oh god invite you to please kneel to bless acknowledge and approve this offering in every respect make it spiritual and acceptable so that it may become for us the body and blood of your most beloved son our lord jesus christ the day he before he was to suffer he took bread in his holy and venerable hands and with eyes raised to heaven to you o god his almighty father giving you thanks he said the blessing broke the bread and gave it to his disciples saying take this all of you and eat of it for this is my body which will be given up for you in a similar way when supper was ended he took this precious chalice in his holy and venerable hands and once more giving you thanks he said the blessing and gave the chalice to his disciples saying take this all of you and drink from it for this is the chalice of my blood the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins do this in memory of me [Music] the mystery of faith [Music] oh therefore o lord as we celebrate the memorial of the blessed passion the resurrection from the dead and the glorious ascension into heaven of christ your son our lord we your servants and your holy people offer to your glorious majesty from the gifts that you have given us this pure victim this holy victim this spotless victim the holy bread of eternal life and the chalice of everlasting salvation be pleased to look upon these offerings with a serene and kindly countenance and to accept them as once you are pleased to accept the gifts of your servant abel the just the sacrifice of abraham our father in faith and the offering of your high priest melchizedek a holy sacrifice a spotless victim in humble prayer we ask you almighty god command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty so that all of us who through this participation at the altar receive the most holy body and blood of your son may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing remember also lord your servants who have gone before us with a sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace grant them o lord we pray in all who sleep in christ a place of refreshment light and peace to us also your servants who those sinners hope in your abundant mercies graciously grant some share and fellowship with your holy apostles and martyrs with john the baptist stephen matthias barnabas ignatius alexander marcelinus peter felicity perpetua agatha lucy agnes cecilia anastasia and all your saints admit us we beseech you into their company not weighing our merits but granting us your pardon through christ our lord through whom you continue to make all these good things o lord you sanctify them fill them with life bless them and bestow them upon us through him and with him and in him oh god almighty father in the unity of the holy spirit all glory and honor is yours forever [Music] oh at the savior's command and formed by divine teaching we dare to say our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil deliver us lord we pray from every evil graciously grant peace in our days but by the help of your mercy we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our savior jesus christ for the kingdom the power and the glory are yours now and forever lord jesus christ who said to your apostles peace i leave you my peace i give you look not on our sins but on the faith of your church and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will who live and reign forever and ever amen the peace of the lord be with you always and with your spirit and let us offer each other the sign of peace [Music] are you safe [Music] please [Music] [Music] is the lamb of god behold him who takes away the sins of the world blessed are those who are called to the supper of the you should enter lamb my roof but only say the word my soul shall be we're going to begin the time of communion and for us as catholics i just want to acknowledge i know easter time and especially with people entering the church receiving sacraments there's many among us who perhaps don't normally go to church or haven't been to church in a long time or are of another christian denomination and i want you know you are most especially welcome with us tonight as we prepare to receive communion for us as catholics this is sort of our our most precious gift we believe that it is the body blood soul and divinity of jesus and so participation in communion is a expression of our faith and so if that's not true for you that's okay we don't expect you to receive communion what you can do is simply sit in in the pew during communion time or if you'd like to receive a blessing you can cross your arms as we come by to receive a blessing for the distribution of communion we'll ask that everyone please remain right where they are in their pews and a minister of holy communion will come right to you where you are they'll be followed by individuals hand sanitizer if you'd like to sanitize before or after receiving communion and once you have received we ask that you please pray sitting down or kneeling so that we can see who still has yet to receive and i just want to acknowledge for all those online right now who can't be with us today you might feel the pain of the separation but nevertheless we can be pray to be spiritually united with jesus we invite you to pray the prayer that will appear on your screen and jesus loves to respond to the hungers the desires of our hearts and finally for those who will receive the eucharist for the first time this is the third sacrament in the final sacrament of your initiation into the faith and by receiving jesus you become full participants in the life of christ and so come forward with a hungry longing heart [Music] um [Music] [Music] so [Music] ah [Music] is [Music] jesus [Music] yes [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] m [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] let us pray for out on us o lord the spirit of your love and in your kindness make those you have nourished by this paschal sacrament one in mind and heart through christ our lord okay we made it to the end survived the marathon congratulations really congratulations to uh our our uh the newest members of our church of the catholic faith uh congratulations to you i want to thank you all for coming out to celebrate with us tonight for joining us online and for celebrating the most important night of the year for us as christians and so as we head home tonight we carry christ with our hearts the lights into the world of darkness wherever there is fear of death we bring uh the truth of victory with us as father simon said uh and so as you go for today uh before we let you go there's gonna be one final blessing and uh after that please uh watch for the ushers who will dismiss you uh in a way that's socially distant and safe um and so it's been a joy for me to be with you tonight bow down for the blessing may almighty god bless you through today's easter solemnity and in his compassion defend you from every assault of sin amen amen and may he who restores you to eternal life and the resurrection of his only begotten son endow you with the prize of immortality amen amen now that the days of the lord's passion have drawn to a close may you who celebrate the gladness of the paschal feast come with christ's help and exalting in spirit to those feasts that are celebrated in eternal joy amen amen and may the blessing of almighty god the father and the son and the holy spirit come down on you and remain with you forever amen go in peace hallelujah [Music] hallelujah [Music] thanks be to god hallelujah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] jesus christ [Music] [Applause] [Music] my [Music] [Applause] [Music] my [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] r [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Saint Benedict Parish

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Id: 3WZVLDQ8Tck

Length: 202min 31sec (12151 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 03 2021