Welcome to our 50-day celebration of Easter also known as the Paschal Season of Easter. We prayed through the 40 days of Lent, rejoiced in the final events of Jesus' time on earth with the Triduum liturgies, and now we are ready for feasting. As the song says, “This is the feast of victory for our God, Alleluia!” With joy we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the dead. We will continue our celebration for the 50 days of Easter until we reach the feast of Pentecost. We also sing, “Jesus Christ is risen today.” In “real” time the resurrection was hundreds of years ago. But Christians believe that the resurrection has meaning in our lives each and every day. Through the resurrection, Jesus opens for us the way to new life.
The Lent and Triduum liturgies leave us changed. We are not the same persons we were a year ago. Events from the last year have brought joy and sorrow, wonder and growth. We see with new eyes these final events from Christ’s life. We recognize ourselves and one another in different ways. We deepen our relationship with God as we reflect on death and resurrection, from the losses and delights we experience daily to the final end of our lives on earth when we enter into the mystery of eternity.
And from a dear departed friend’s words from a presentation on the Mystery of Faith: “It is a mystery. We can never explain it. We will never understand it. We sometimes barely recognize it. But having celebrated these high holy days, we become more firmly embedded in it, joining our lives to Christ through the Mystery of Faith.” *
There is an addition to the Easter Sunday Mass that you may have noticed, the Sequence. A sequence is a kind of sung poetry that is used to reflect on Scripture. It is thought to have originated in the Ninth Century as an extension of the Gospel Alleluia. The history is complex. There may have been thousands of sequences written, but only two are required in today’s Lectionary, Easter and Pentecost.
As with so many of our prayers, it is word and imagery heavy and needs reflection outside of Mass. I suggest you look up the words online and use the poetry as a refection on Jesus’ resurrection. Ask yourself these questions: What words, phrases, or images come to mind as you pray the Sequence? Why? How does Christ being hope to your life? Can you think of a concrete example of this hope?
*Author, Pat Gorman, former Director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Madison, died 2021.