THE HOLY LITURGY OF EASTER EVEN (HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT, APRIL 19TH)

Rejoice in the Holy Paschal Sacrifice, Breaking Death and Hell by the Power of God’s Life, Resurrecting in Triumph Over the World, Sin, Death, and the Grave! 

THE ANCIENT LITURGY OF SAINT JAMES OF JERUSALEM FOR THE PASCHAL MIDNIGHT VIGIL AND LITURGICAL SERVICE, ACCORDING TO THE USE OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH OF THE WEST 

THE INTEROIT (The “Exultet” Easter Proclamation)

(The Exultet is sung by the celebrant or deacon carrying the Paschal Candle into the church after the blessing of the Holy Flame outside.)

Rejoice, heavenly powers! 

Sing, choirs of angels! 

Exult, all creation around God’s throne! 

Jesus Christ, our King, is risen! 

Sound the trumpet of salvation! 

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor, 

Radiant in the brightness of your King! 

Christ has conquered! 

Glory fills you! 

Darkness vanishes forever! 

Rejoice, O Mother Church! 

Exult in glory! 

The risen Saviour shines upon you! 

Let this place resound with joy, 

Echoing the mighty song of all God’s people! 

COLLECTS

O Almighty God, 

who through the death and resurrection of thy Son hast trampled down death by death, 

and hast restored life to those in the tombs: 

Grant, we beseech thee, 

that as we partake in this Paschal victory, 

we may triumph over sin and death, 

and live forever in the joy of our risen Lord, 

through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

O Almighty and Everlasting God, 

who by the Resurrection of thy Son hast made this day the greatest of days, 

hallow it, we pray, with thy holy blessings. 

Grant that we, being partakers of the mystery of the risen Christ, 

may share in his joy, 

that we may pass from death to life, 

from the grave to the light of glory, 

through Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

THE OLD TESTAMENT READING: GENESIS 22:1-18 - 

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 

And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 

And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 

Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 

And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 

And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 

And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 

And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 

And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 

And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 

And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. 

And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 

And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

THE NEW TESTAMENT READING: 1 ST. PETER 3:17-22 - 

It is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

GRADUAL: PSALM 68:1-2

Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: 

Let them also that hate him flee before him. 

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: 

As wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

TRACT: PSALM 22:1-2

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 

Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 

O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; 

And in the night season, and am not silent.

THE HOLY GOSPEL READING: ST. MATTHEW 27:57-66 - 

When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: he went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

THE OFFERTORY: PSLAM 50:14-15

Offer unto God thanksgiving; 

And pay thy vows unto the most High: 

And call upon me in the day of trouble: 

I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

THE SECRET PRAYER (OFFERTORY PRAYER)

We offer unto thee, O Lord, these gifts which we have brought in honor of thy Resurrection. May they be a pleasing offering unto thee, and a means of our salvation through Christ our Lord.  

THE COMMUNION COLLECT

Grant, O Lord, that as we are baptized into the death of thy blessed Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, so by continual mortifying our corrupt affections we may be buried with him; and that through the grave, and gate of death, we may pass to our joyful resurrection; for his merits, who died, and was buried, and rose again for us, the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

POST COMMUNION COLLECT

We give thee thanks, O Lord, for this most glorious feast. As we have partaken of the Body and Blood of Christ, grant that we may rise with him in the newness of life, and joyfully live out our Paschal calling, through the same Christ our Lord.