HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT – VIGIL OF EASTER . Year A - SATURDAY, April 8, 2023 (Longer Liturgy of the Easter VIGIL)

HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT – VIGIL OF EASTER  . Year A - SATURDAY, April 8, 2023
(Longer Liturgy of the Easter VIGIL)

Readings for HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT – VIGIL OF EASTER. Year A - SATURDAY, April 8, 2023
(This is the whole vigil of Readings and Holy Saturday Mass – It is traditionally much longer than the usual Mass and filled with ancient beauty and profound symbolism)
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers, and homily) for HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT – VIGIL OF EASTER. Year A - SATURDAY, April 8, 2023, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/fhl-holy-saturday-night-vigil-full-easter-vigil-a-2023/s-ZmIfZMyFvsW  

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The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night

I. The Solemn Beginning of the Vigil (also known as "Lucernarium"):  Blessing of the Fire, Procession, Exsultet

II. The Liturgy of Word:           Readings/psalms/prayers, Gloria, Homily

III. Renewal of baptism

IV. The Liturgy of Eucharist:    Preface of Easter I, (Easter Communicantes, Hanc igitur in Euch. Prayer I)

V. The Concluding Rites:         Dismissal with Alleluia

Readings:       
I     Gen 1:1 - 2:2: God saw all he had made, and indeed it was good.
Ps 103:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35: R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

II    Gen 22:1-18: Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac.
Ps 15:5, 8-11: R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

III  Ex 14:15 - 15:1: Tell the children of Israel to march on, to walk through the sea on dry ground.
Ex 15:1-6, 17-18: R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

IV  Is 54:5-14: But with everlasting love I have taken pity on you, says the Lord, your redeemer.
Ps 29:2, 4-6, 11-13: R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

V   Is 55:1-11: Come to me and your soul will live. With you I will make an everlasting covenant.
Is 12:2-6: R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

VI  Baruch 3:9-15,32 - 4:4: Walk in the way of God and you will live in peace forever.
Ps 18:8-11: R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

VII Ezek 36:16-28: I shall pour clean water over you and I shall give you a new heart.
Ps 41:3, 5; 42:3, 4: R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Rom 6:3-11: Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again.
Ps 117:1-2, 16-17, 22-23: R. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Mt 28:1-10: He has risen from the dead and now he is going before you to Galilee.

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 585677387 - Easter resurrection - abstract artistic religious digital illustration with the figure of the risen Jesus Christ and the cross of light rays - Illustration Formats. Illustration Contributor:
Thoom

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Christ is risen; as he said!!  
His resurrection is the first fruit of the eternal life promised to all who entrust themselves to him.

A special welcome and thank you to our candidates and catechumens who tonight are fully received into the Christian faith in the Catholic church. Thank you for your preparation… the Lord has been guiding you and with you your whole life…. Now he leads you to fuller communion with him in the church and in the faith…. Your reception, baptism, confirmation, and receiving of First holy communion is a beautiful source of renewal and strength for all of us too!.. We, too, this season, renew our faith and commitment to Christ and his grace.. Thank you to all who have supported them in this WONDERFUL journey of faith…..

Easter, more than any other feast tells us that God has the last word in all things definitively…. And that word is a profoundly positive and definitive "YES" - first and foremost, a YES to his beloved son…Jesus Christ. Who is God the son; and all that he did and taught in his ministry… and a profound and absolute YES to life…., and to us, as his eternally cherished sons and daughters… Yes to forgiveness of sin for all who are bowed down by the past…. Yes to faithfulness no matter what trials and tragedies befall us in life…….>

- Easter… and the message of the Resurrection is about life, hope, love, and forgiveness…

- The irony of the cross and the message of today's wonderful feast means that it is rather fitting on this Easter celebration to hark back to the beginning of our journey towards this moment…... For I believe that Easter could be summed up by the rather intriguing saying … "The only things that we truly possess (things that have abiding and eternal value)… are the things we gain by giving them away… the only things worth possessing are the things that only make sense when given…. Which achieve very little if merely stored up….… things like love, (given freely without expectation), kindness and forgiveness (without expectation of return)…. acts of charity, (not for recognition or approval), random acts of kindness (that no one will ever know who is responsible for them)/…/ I read a quote once saying… that "there is an odd economic principle associated with love -- the more love you give away, the more love you have. It defies all other economic principles."  Our Lord Jesus, in his life, his suffering and death, and his resurrection… is the perfect example of all these wonderful qualities… and even more wonderfully, he invites us all to share in this way of living….

- This Easter, is a special time for giving thanks for and remembering and hopefully getting opportunities to share time with family and friends…

- And Easter is also about reminding us that our God is the God of New starts… and new beginnings….. 

- We also remember prayerfully, all those who have gone before us.. the Resurrection gives us peace in the belief that the lord of the resurrection is faithful to his children.. and raises them up to new and eternal life in heaven… where one day we will all be reunited in joy…

- At Easter, we think of people who are struggling.., and those who feel hopeless. ….and also those who feel they will never be good enough, or worthy enough… and those who fear they can never be forgiven… For today's feast says… YES>>>> God is with us, God will never abandon us… God truly does want to renew us and give us new hope .. new life… and indescribable mercy….

- Jesus is an unequivocal "yes" to self-sacrifice and service, and love, compassion, mercy and generosity of spirit… of thinking more of others and less of ourselves… - May God bless us and renew us in his astounding love… and ever-abiding faithfulness… and eternal care… and may our lives be more and more marked by these wonderful qualities with every new day….. 
 
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References:

Fr Paul W. Kelly

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 585677387 - Easter resurrection - abstract artistic religious digital illustration with the figure of the risen Jesus Christ and the cross of light rays - Illustration Formats. Illustration Contributor:
Thoom


HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT – VIGIL OF EASTER  . Year A - SATURDAY, April 8, 2023


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PREFACE: Preface I of Easter
Euch prayer I

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Archive of homilies and reflections:  http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email:  paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks


Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection"  - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants  — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989,  and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009,  The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful -   " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'.   E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" -  By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria,  Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly.  Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer.  Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

Sound Engineering and editing -  P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: -      Shure MV5 Digital Condenser (USB)

Editing equipment:    NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44

Sound Processing:  iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor

[Production -  KER -  2023]
May God bless and keep you.
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