Catching up, part 2

Despite the extra day's reprieve provided by going to a Christian university (we got Friday AND Monday off), its back to business and sleep-deprivation. But I still wanted to post my experience of my Easter Vigil (and the new translation changes). So to start off, here is a video used to practice the Exsultet, the Easter Proclamation typically sung by a deacon, at the start of the Vigil. Being a baritone, I'm more partial to lower registers, so this video, provided by Youtube (you can find anything on there), is a lower pitch, but still amazingly beautiful. Of course, it's the new translation:

Source: Youtube

And here is a side-by-side comparison of the old and new translations of the Exsultet provided someone with more experience and better capabilities than me. Listening to the Exsultet is kind of...haunting...and beautiful. It is the great proclamation of the Church, and I love that the new translation is more faithful to the original Latin, like all the new translation. The imagery is much more beautiful and more appropriate to the Church's arguably highest Mass of the year.

The seven readings spanning salvation history is great. Just great. I learned that originally there were actually twelve readings, but has since been reduced. I'm really glad that my parish went with all seven readings instead of reducing it to four, it definitely made for a much better liturgy. I was also blessed to be with one of my good friends, and last Saturday was his first Easter Vigil. I wanted him to experience this liturgy at its finest, and my parish did a great job in that respect. They did take some creative liberty in regards to the psalms, which was definitely interesting. But to focus on those seven readings, each reading focuses on salvation history, or those instances in history where God has intervened and saved his people from whatever was troubling them. There's the story of God staying the hand of Abraham as he was about to offer his only son, Isaac, as sacrifice. And then there's the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea as they escape the wrath of Pharaoh. And then we have prophesies from Isaiah, Baruch and Ezekiel. All proclaiming God's mercy and salvation history. All of this leads up to the greatest moment in salvation history, where God sends his only Begotten Son, to suffer and die on a cross for mankind, and rises from the dead three days later to complete that salvation.

To continue the joyous celebration of this Mass, the Church welcomes those who journeyed hard and long to join the Church. At Easter Vigil, those elect seeking to become Catholic, are reborn in the waters of Baptism, completed by the Spirit in their Confirmation, and receive the spiritual food for their new journey in Holy Communion. My friend leaned over to me during the baptisms to ask me why they did Baptism, Confirmation, and then Eucharist when, normally, children go through the sacraments of Initiation in order of Baptism, Eucharist, and then Confirmation. I didn't give him a good answer then, but I have a better one. The Sacraments of Initiation were originally done in the order of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. In much of the Stateside Church (some dioceses are changing their policies in accordance with the desire of the Pope), Confirmation is seen as a "choosing to be Catholic" kind of sacrament, so its done later in a child's life, typically the teenage years, after First Communion. But traditionally, Confirmation is supposed to a completion and perfection of your Baptism. In the olden days, Confirmation was done after Baptism, when a child reaches the age of awareness, and then would receive First Communion after. It is was thought that Baptism and Confirmation were both necessary before one could receive Christ in the Eucharist, as the latter completed the promises of the former. I think its for this reason that at Easter Vigil, the elect go from being baptized, to be confirmed, and finally to receiving First Communion. At my parish, as my mentioned before, we welcomed 12 and it was glorious. My favorite part of all of Easter Vigil is at First Communion. I love watching the faces of the "young'uns" as they receive Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, for the first time. Their faces light up and its so obvious how happy they are. I think we could all learn from this, to always be as happy as they were, when we go to receive Christ.

Anyways, I think I've gone on long enough. If you happen to read this, I hope that you learned something and take something away from it. Happy Easter!