Light. Word. Water. Bread. Each element is brought into focus at Easter. Each has a role in renewing us in the Body of Christ, the Church.

Easter is the holiest time in the Church calendar, and rightfully so, since it commemorates Jesus’ triumph over sin and death, bridging humanity with divinity. The Triduum seems to slow down time and each significant moment is celebrated within a liturgy. It starts with Holy Thursday when Jesus instituted not only the sacrament of the Eucharist, but also the sacrament of Holy Orders, as we need priests in order to consecrate the bread and wine into His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. On Good Friday we recall the Passion and Death of Jesus, remembering that it is our sins that He took upon Himself for the love of us. Like Peter, we grieve for the times we have sinned against God and denied Him and His Commandments. God can make good come of anything and He proves it by allowing the death of His Son, so that He can raise Him back to life.

The Easter vigil is a liturgical celebration of salvation history. Beginning with the blessing of fire and the lighting of the Pascal candle — the symbol of the risen Jesus — the procession makes its way into a darkened church. Slowly each person’s candle is lit until the congregation glows. It’s not for theatrics, but rather a physical representation that we are part of the Body of Christ and that we receive our light, our life, our grace from Him. On our own we can do nothing. But through Christ, and by reflecting His light, we can be a light to the world. The Pascal candle will be lit during all Masses throughout the Easter season, and whenever there is a baptism, so that the newly baptized receives the light of Christ when a candle is lit from the Pascal candle and given to them.  

The Liturgy of the Word starts at creation and through the various Old Testament readings recalls the exodus from Egypt which includes the crossing of the sea, and proclamations by the prophets, reminding us that God works throughout history. And then there is the Gloria. After the readings from the Old Testament, it is only fitting that we are reminded in joyous song with bells ringing of the coming of Jesus into human history. We sing the message the angels gave to the shepherds and praise God for sending us His Son. While normally the Gloria is sung before any of the readings, this placement is jarring and meant to be so. Having it at a different place in the Mass gives it a significance to match the solemnity of the moment. A reading from an epistle and the gospel follow the Gloria, but there is much more of the Word to be celebrated.

If there are catechumens present, the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are celebrated at this time. However, even without any newly elect coming into the Church, we recall our own sacraments of initiation by renewing our baptismal promises. We reject Satan and profess our faith. The newly blessed water is then sprinkled upon the whole congregation. Like the flood and the crossing of sea, the chaos of water is tamed and used to refresh our souls. The Liturgy of the Eucharist then commences, the first time since Holy Thursday night. Bread and wine are again consecrated into the sacred Body and Blood of Jesus. As the last sacrament of initiation, the newly baptized and confirmed are the first to receive and complete their entrance into the living Church. 

For those who attend Mass on Easter Sunday, the celebration is shorter with the regular number of readings, but we still see the Pascal candle, renew our baptismal promises, receive the sprinkling of water, and participate in the breaking of the bread. Each element: light, word, water, and bread, is a celebration of our life in Christ. This celebration is much too big to be confined into one day, so the Church celebrates for 50 days, through the feasts of the Ascension of Jesus into heaven and Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles.

Alleluia! He is Risen! Let us celebrate and renew ourselves to Christ.