May we find solace in the company of our community,

May we find the courage to love one another,

May we be nourished by the Lord’s Body and Blood,

And may we find strength in his abiding Presence in the Eucharist.

May we see our own suffering as a share in his suffering,

May we glimpse in his disciples any moment we have failed to give witness to Christ,

May we weep with the women of Jerusalem… and Ukraine, and Gaza, and Israel;

And may we always glory in his Cross.

May we hear the voice of God,

May we have faith in the salvation of all who have gone before us,

May we know that all sorrow is temporary,

May we invoke God’s blessing on our Easter food, and remember to share it with others.

And may we continue to share our faith with the Elect as they prepare for the sacraments,

In the celebration of the Easter Vigil…

May we give thanks for the Light that has overcome the darkness,

May we recognize the happy fault, the necessary sin of Adam that earned us so great a Redeemer,

May we recall the mysteries of Salvation History,

May we rejoice as we initiate our neophytes and receive those who already know Christ,

May the waters of the font remind us of our own baptism,

And may there always be room for more at the bounty of our Lord’s Table.

May we rejoice that disciples still tell others the Good News,

May we sing our Alleluia’s all the louder,

May we welcome the believer, the lost, and the injured,

And may we rekindle our certain hope that “dying he destroyed our death,   and by rising, restored our life” (Preface I of Easter).

as the flame of the Paschal Candle continues to illuminate our darkened world,

and as we continue our fifty days of paschal joy,

may we recognize that the Risen Lord is always with us.

in his word, in his sacraments, and in his Church.