April 23, 2011

O God, as we celebrate the resurrection of your Son this night, we pray that, like the women at the tomb, we may encounter him in the proclamation of the word and at the Eucharistic feast. Amen

I remember well the first Easter vigil I ever attended. It was in Newburyport, MA and it was on a cold March night. In fact the weather that holy week was very much like the weather we’ve had this week. There was snow on Palm Sunday as I recall and although it warmed up through the week, Holy Saturday was chilly as well. What I remember most about that service, beside the wonderful readings, was the end. We were at St. Paul’s Church on Newburyport’s High Street, not far from downtown, but really in an area of the street that was dominated by Federalist mansions and a mix of nineteenth and early twentieth century commercial buildings. I remember that Fr. Cramer threw open the doors of the church at the end of the service and shouted loudly into the street—Christ is Risen! Continue reading →