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To celebrate the glory of Jesus’ resurrection, the Church amplifies the liturgy with these symbolic traditions.
Easter Sunday is a glorious feast in the Catholic Church, the highest of all feasts during the entire liturgical year!
On this beautiful day, the Church has always sought ways to elevate the liturgy and emphasize the joy that we must possess.
Here are 4 primary liturgical traditions that you can see at Mass on Easter Sunday.
Return of the Hallelujah
During the 40 days of Lent, the word “Hallelujah” is missing from the Church’s liturgy. It is never said even once. Then, during the Easter Vigil, the priest chants the great Hallelujah, and it seems that the Church cannot help repeating this word over and over again. Why is that?
Anyway, what does it mean and why is it so closely associated with the Easter season?
Hallelujah (sometimes spelled “Hallelujah”) has its roots in a Hebrew expression that means “praise the Lord.”
It is and always has been an expression of praise, glorifying God for his goodness. For this reason, Hallelujah is closely associated with a season of joy and contrasts with the gloomy and penitential attitude of Lent.
Easter is a time of great joy and jubilation, and singing Hallelujah is the Church’s way of highlighting this reality, continually praising and honoring God.
Mass at dawn: a beautiful Easter tradition
The Church has commemorated this moment in many ways over the centuries. Initially, the Christians met for a wake up all night, where baptism was administered and many readings were proclaimed. The liturgy began in the middle of the night and It ended with the celebration of Mass when the first rays of dawn began to appear.
As the Easter Vigil shortened and moved earlier in the evening on Holy Saturday, several places began to have a tradition of celebrating a mass at dawn, so that the congregation would join the disciples who went to the tomb in the early hours of the morning.
In some countries there is even the tradition of ringing the church bells and passing through the town at dawn, announcing the Resurrection of Jesus.
The symbolism of this tradition is very clear, since celebrates the resurrection of the Son, the truth Light of the world at the moment when the sun’s rays begin to break through the darkness of the night.
The easter candle
Over time, the paschal candle gained greater prominence and was decorated to further expose the paschal mystery. Here is a short guide to the Easter candle and its corresponding symbolism.
Fire
The flame is reminiscent of the “pillar of fire” that guided the people of Israel and protected them as they escaped from slavery to the Egyptians. The Exsultet refers to this symbolism when the deacon sings: “This is the night when the pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin.”
cross
The cross is the supreme symbol of Jesus and the instrument through which he saved the world from sin and death.
Alpha and Omega
It is common in Christian art to find two Greek letters: alpha (Α) and omega (Ω), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The use of these two letters to symbolize the Risen Christ has an ancient history in Christianity, rooted in the book of Revelation, where Jesus says: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give free water from the spring of the water of life. The victor will have this inheritance, and I will be his God and he will be my son ”(Revelation 21: 6-7).
Year
As the priest traces the year on the Easter candle, he prays: “All time belongs to him and all ages.” This reminds us that God is here with us today and is constantly leading all creation toward him.
Incense grains
Five grains of incense are inserted into the candle at the top of the cross, symbolizing the five “holy and glorious wounds” of Jesus Christ.
Read more:
Everything you need to know about the Easter candle
Rite of sprinkling and renewal of baptismal promises
Easter is a time of joy in the Church, when it is particularly easy to remember the many blessings that the sacrament of Baptism has brought us. Through a long tradition, the Church welcomes new members through Baptism at the Easter Vigil, and all renew their baptismal promises. On Sundays during the Easter season, the priest often celebrates the Rite of Sprinkling, where he specifically remembers our baptism, when they sprinkle (or sprinkle) us with holy water:
Dear brothers (brothers and sisters), let us humbly pray to the Lord our God to bless this water that he has created, that will be sprayed on us as a memorial of our baptism. help us with his grace to remain true to the spirit that we have received.
The The catechism says: “Holy baptism is the basis of the entire Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door that gives access to the other sacraments. Through baptism we are free from sin and are reborn as children of God; we become members of Christ, we join the Church and we participate in its mission: ‘Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word’ ”(CCC 1213).
Baptism is that “door” or “door” to new life in Christ and it is extremely significant. All other sacraments depend on that first sacrament of baptism.
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