2026-04-05 Easter Vigil
2026-04-05 Easter Vigil (Year B)
Acts 10:34-43
Cornelius was a centurion of roughly 600 volunteer Italian citizens. Stationed in Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judea, he held a position of significant authority and respect.
In these verses, the apostle Peter delivers a compelling speech to God-fearer Cornelius and his household, concisely outlining the Christian message about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
God-fearer" (phoboumenos ton Theon). This was a specific term for Gentiles who:
Cornelius’s Vision: An angel appeared to him at 3:00 PM (the traditional hour of Jewish prayer), telling him his prayers and alms had been noticed by God. He was instructed to send men to Joppa to find Simon Peter.
Peter’s Vision: While the messengers were en route, Peter had a vision of a sheet descending from heaven containing "unclean" animals. A voice told him, "What God has made clean, do not call common."
The conversion of Cornelius and his family was a turning point for the Church and Peter himself used it as evidence of the universality of the Church at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)
In these verses, the apostle Peter delivers a compelling speech to God-fearer Cornelius and his household, concisely outlining the Christian message about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
God-fearer" (phoboumenos ton Theon). This was a specific term for Gentiles who:
- Worshipped the God of Israel.
- Attended synagogue services.
- Followed Jewish moral ethics.
- However, they had not undergone circumcision or fully converted to Judaism.
Cornelius’s Vision: An angel appeared to him at 3:00 PM (the traditional hour of Jewish prayer), telling him his prayers and alms had been noticed by God. He was instructed to send men to Joppa to find Simon Peter.
Peter’s Vision: While the messengers were en route, Peter had a vision of a sheet descending from heaven containing "unclean" animals. A voice told him, "What God has made clean, do not call common."
The conversion of Cornelius and his family was a turning point for the Church and Peter himself used it as evidence of the universality of the Church at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)
Psalm 118
Psalm 118 is the concluding psalm in the collection known as the “Egyptian Hallel” (Psalms 113–118).1 Hallel is the Hebrew word for “praise,”The “Egyptian” part of the name refers to the Exodus or God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Traditionally, the Egyptian Hallel psalms were—and are—prayed as part of the Passover meal. When the Gospels describe how Jesus and his disciples concluded their last Passover meal by singing “the hymn” (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26) it is believed that Psalm 118 was perhaps the last song Jesus sang before his crucifixion.
Colossians 3:1-4
In the first four verses of Colossians 3 Paul articulates a central part of his overall argument: for those in the community of faith, the starting and ending point of existence is Christ. We don’t start somewhere else and get to Christ somehow; we don’t begin with Christ to get somewhere else; we don’t mix the best things about Christ into another foundation.
Christ is the Alpha and the Omega who brings death and life.
We have died with Christ. We now live in and with Christ. This is the basis for the meaning of life.
Christ is the Alpha and the Omega who brings death and life.
We have died with Christ. We now live in and with Christ. This is the basis for the meaning of life.
Victimæ paschali laudes (Praise to the Paschal Victim)
This hymn holds a prestigious place in Western liturgical and musical history. It is one of the few surviving sequences specifically appointed during the 16th century by the Council of Trent and is reserved specifically for Easter Sunday.
The text, attributed to Wipo of Burgundy (c. 1048), is famous for its dramatic imagery and equally asymmetric melody that leaps boldly. Mid-way through the chant, the choir addresses Mary Magdalene directly:Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way?
This sequence is unique because it is prescribed for the entire Octave of Easter (the eight days following Easter Sunday), giving it a persistent presence during the most significant week of the liturgical year.
The text, attributed to Wipo of Burgundy (c. 1048), is famous for its dramatic imagery and equally asymmetric melody that leaps boldly. Mid-way through the chant, the choir addresses Mary Magdalene directly:Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way?
This sequence is unique because it is prescribed for the entire Octave of Easter (the eight days following Easter Sunday), giving it a persistent presence during the most significant week of the liturgical year.
John 20:1-9
Jesus calls Mary by name and that is the moment of recognition. Mary is the first person to whom Jesus appears and she is the first person to realize that it is him, the good shepherd, her shepherd.
She calls him “Rabbouni” meaning teacher, the very same title given to Jesus by the first disciples (John 1:39). And she holds onto him as if she is afraid to lose him again. Jesus instructs her to let go and appoints her as the Apostle to the Apostles. Jesus does not tell Mary to share the fact that he has been raised from the dead, but rather, that he is ascending, “to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” This is the promise.
She calls him “Rabbouni” meaning teacher, the very same title given to Jesus by the first disciples (John 1:39). And she holds onto him as if she is afraid to lose him again. Jesus instructs her to let go and appoints her as the Apostle to the Apostles. Jesus does not tell Mary to share the fact that he has been raised from the dead, but rather, that he is ascending, “to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” This is the promise.
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