Surrexit Dominus Vere, Alleluia!

Cover of the Easter CD of the monks.

Monasteries are weird.  Monastic life has a beautiful simplicity.  By their very nature these places founded by St. Benedict and so many others are so counter cultural.  Those who go there see and celebrate things in such a different way than we do "on the outside."

Last night at the Easter Vigil and today, Easter Morn are so similar to other days in the life of these monks.  While the retreatants had a little gathering after the Easter Vigil last night, the monks quietly went to bed.  There were no "High Fives" or applause in the sacristy after Mass, just a simple bow to the crucifix as has been done after every Mass I have concelebrated so far.  Father Abbott did not thank everyone.  There was no need to.  Their thanks was their ability to offer their talents and their very selves to the Risen Lord.

Certainly, Easter is different!  But you would never know it was the pinnacle of the entire Church year by the decorations in the abbey church.  Besides the Paschal Candle which towers like the Morning Star overhead and the large carpet in the sanctuary, I only counted 8 vases of cut flowers:  two by the Main Altar of Sacrifice, one by the statue of Our Blessed Mother, one by the statue of St. Benedict, one each on the two side Altars, and one each before the chapel of the Entombment of Christ and the Dormition (Sleep) of the Mother of God.  I know back home the Liturgy Committee under the direction of Deacon Franklin and assisted by our sacristans placed out a lot more foliage than that.

So where is the difference?  It's in the words!  The antiphons, chants, songs are all filled with joy and are taken from the various accounts of what happened "early in the morning on that first day of the week."  In a society where words count for so little and are so malleable, these words are everything to us and to the ages for they speak of the greatest event of human history!

Here are just some of the words I was privileged to hear at Lauds this morning as the sun climbed over the eastern landscape of the Loire Valley:

   The Lord is risen, alleluia.

   The splendor of Christ risen from the dead has shown on the people redeemed by his blood, alleluia.

    Our Redeemer has risen from the tomb; let us sing a hymn of praise to the Lord our God, alleluia.

    Alleluia, the Lord is risen as he promised, alleluia.

    This is the day the Lord has made, Alleluia.  Let us rejoice and be glad, alleluia.

    Very early on the morning after the Sabbath, when the sun had just risen, they came to the tomb,
               alleluia.

In these words and the gorgeous melodies that accompanied them, I found the monks excitement.  I found our excitement.  If these words have the meaning which we profess them to than this is the key to life.  This Jesus, Risen from the dead, has the key to eternal life.

"Alleluia.  Christ Our Passover has been sacrificed."

The only difference to the Mass on Easter Sunday is the Easter Sequence (which you will hear as well) that tells the wonderful reality of the feelings and experience of the women at the Tomb!  As the pope warned us last night in his homily at the Easter Vigil in St. Peter's:  "Don't be afraid of surprises."  The women got the surprise that changed their lives and all history.  After we ourselves were sprinkled with with Easter Water, a reminder of our new life in Christ, there was a procession through the monastery as the abbott blessed the cloister with Easter Water.  I love the song that we sing as we do so:  Salve Festa Dies (Hail, Festival Day - it's the last hymn).  I'll have it in my head for all fifty days of Eastertide now.


Every Mass is the Celebration of the Lord's death and Resurrection!  Every Sunday is Easter Sunday!  This weekend we get to reflect through words on the actions of Christ Risen.  These words mean something extraordinary.  And as limited as we are we use these words to pass on to future generations that "this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in in, Alleluia!"

Happy Easter!  The Lord is Risen!  It is true!  He has appeared to Simon!