The Triduum ends...and the Easter Season begins...with the Easter Vigil. The night before the greatest celebration of the year, the Church leads her members in the final time of waiting for the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This single event transforms history and has the potential to change the future for each one of us. In the Atrium, we celebrate Easter by participating in The Liturgy of the Light, a gathering which parallels portions of the Easter Vigil. We begin in darkness and turn our attention to the Easter Candle and the symbols that are placed upon it. Lighting this candle, we process into the Atrium, filling the prayer table with flowers and Alleluia cards that were buried before Lent began. Then we hear the Exsultet, a hymn of praise to God, and readings which recall God's promise to send His Light into the world. As the Alleluia is sung before the Gospel reading of an account of the Resurrection, the children join in singing Alleluia for the first time in the Atrium in the Cycle of Easter. After the Gospel we hear and respond to the beliefs set forth in the Apostles Creed. And then the moment the children have been waiting for...the receiving of the light. That one Paschal Candle shares its light and we can both see and feel the spreading of the Light of Christ. What a gift it is to celebrate together the Light which is stronger than any darkness, the Light which will never be extinguished, the Light of the Risen Christ, available to all! and the Light begins to spread... ...until each child has a candle lit from the Paschal Candle.
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Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
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April 2024
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