This Easter I came across a very strange phenomenon – Evening Masses on Easter Sunday being scrapped. Sometimes they were replaced with late morning Masses, but sometimes they were just scrapped.
This is Wrong!
Biblically Wrong!
And it is time the Liturgy was updated too!
John 20:19-31 contains the answer.
It is the Gospel for every Mass held on the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday).
But curiously it contains two stories: what happened on the first ever Easter Sunday evening, AND what happened a week later.
Other big solemnities have different readings for vigil and for Mass during the day (eg Pentecost). Christmas has different readings for vigil, during the night (a.k.a. Midnight), dawn and during the day.
Easter already has vigil and during the day, why not also have special readings and prayers for Easter evening?
You see, Easter Sunday evening should be celebrated with special gusto for two important biblical reasons.
1. It is the time that Jesus first showed His risen Self to His disciples.
2. It is when He initiated the sacrament of Penance.
That’s when Jesus showed up to be with His apostles and disciples.
Shouldn’t we be there to meet Him?
Shouldn’t we be celebrating both things ‘at the time it happened’, like all the other events of the Paschal Triduum?
Wouldn’t it be dreadful if Jesus showed up in our churches at that time with bucket loads of graces to give away – and there was no one there to receive Him, nor His gifts?
The liturgical gurus tell us that the Paschal Triduum does not end until vespers (evening prayer) on Easter Sunday, and there are in some liturgical rites quite a bit of pomp and circumstance attached to Easter Sunday vespers.
There’s no reason why we can’t have the Gospel for Easter Evening as John 20:19-23, and still have John 20:19-31 on Divine Mercy Sunday.
Surely it is time that we gave God proper thanks and praise for the institution of the sacrament of penance!
And then give Him due thanks and praise for His whole grand plan of unfathomable Mercy on the second Sunday of Easter.
It isn’t ‘double handling’.
Both are truly worthy of liturgical veneration.
It is time this ‘missing link’ in the Paschal Triduum was no longer missing.
Can I get an Amen, please?
This is Wrong!
Biblically Wrong!
And it is time the Liturgy was updated too!
John 20:19-31 contains the answer.
It is the Gospel for every Mass held on the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday).
But curiously it contains two stories: what happened on the first ever Easter Sunday evening, AND what happened a week later.
Other big solemnities have different readings for vigil and for Mass during the day (eg Pentecost). Christmas has different readings for vigil, during the night (a.k.a. Midnight), dawn and during the day.
Easter already has vigil and during the day, why not also have special readings and prayers for Easter evening?
You see, Easter Sunday evening should be celebrated with special gusto for two important biblical reasons.
1. It is the time that Jesus first showed His risen Self to His disciples.
2. It is when He initiated the sacrament of Penance.
That’s when Jesus showed up to be with His apostles and disciples.
Shouldn’t we be there to meet Him?
Shouldn’t we be celebrating both things ‘at the time it happened’, like all the other events of the Paschal Triduum?
Wouldn’t it be dreadful if Jesus showed up in our churches at that time with bucket loads of graces to give away – and there was no one there to receive Him, nor His gifts?
The liturgical gurus tell us that the Paschal Triduum does not end until vespers (evening prayer) on Easter Sunday, and there are in some liturgical rites quite a bit of pomp and circumstance attached to Easter Sunday vespers.
There’s no reason why we can’t have the Gospel for Easter Evening as John 20:19-23, and still have John 20:19-31 on Divine Mercy Sunday.
Surely it is time that we gave God proper thanks and praise for the institution of the sacrament of penance!
And then give Him due thanks and praise for His whole grand plan of unfathomable Mercy on the second Sunday of Easter.
It isn’t ‘double handling’.
Both are truly worthy of liturgical veneration.
It is time this ‘missing link’ in the Paschal Triduum was no longer missing.
Can I get an Amen, please?