Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday - 3 April 2021

PART ONE: THE SERVICE OF LIGHT
A Paschal Candle is prepared and place near the Ambo.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

Introduction

The candle is lit

May the light of Christ rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.

If you have a candle, you are invited to light it now.

The Versicle and Response are sung three times in procession.

The Light of Christ
Thanks be to God.

The priest incenses the book
and candle then sings

The Easter Proclamation - Exsultet

Exult, let them exult,
   the hosts of heaven,
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation
sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph!
Be glad, let earth be glad,
as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom
   and darkness.

Rejoice,
let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lightning of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices
of the peoples.

Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory
   of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty, that he,
who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me his light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle’s
perfect praises.

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
with ardent love of mind and heart
and with devoted service of our voice,
to acclaim our God invisible,
the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten.

Who for our sake paid Adam’s debt
to the eternal Father,
and, pouring out his own dear Blood,
wiped clean the record of our
ancient sinfulness.

These, then, are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb,
the one true Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts
   of believers.

This is the night, when once you led our forebears, Israel’s children, from slavery in Egypt and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.

This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin.

This is the night
that even now, throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart
from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin,
leading them to grace
and joining them to his holy ones.

This is the night,
when Christ broke the prison-bars
of death
and rose victorious from the underworld.

Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.
O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave
   you gave away your Son!

O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely
by the Death of Christ!

O happy fault
that earned so great,
so glorious a Redeemer!

O truly blessed night,
worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!

This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me,
and full of gladness.

The sanctifying power of this night
dispels wickedness,
washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.

On this, your night of grace,
   O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees
and of your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.

But now we know the praises
   of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites
for God’s honour,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees
to build a torch so precious.

O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed
to those of earth,
and divine to the human.

Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honour of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.

Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.
May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
   Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death’s domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

Dear brethren, now that we have begun our solemn Vigil, let us listen with quiet hearts to the Word of God. Let us meditate on how God in times past saved his people and in these, the last days, has sent us his Son as our Redeemer. Let us pray that our God may complete this paschal work of salvation by the fullness of redemption.

With candles still alight, sit.

PART TWO: THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading
A reading from the book of Genesis.  1. 26-31

God said, "Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth."

God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth." God said, "See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be your food. To all wild beasts, all birds of heaven and all living reptiles on the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food." And so it was. God saw al he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came : the sixth day.

Thus heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 103

Send forth your Spirit O Lord,
and renew the face of the earth.

Bless the Lord my soul !
Lord God, how great you are,
clothed in majesty and glory,
wrapped in light as in a robe ! R/

You founded the earth on its base,
to stand firm from age to age.
You wrapped it with the ocean
like a cloak:
the waters stood higher than
the mountains. /R

You make springs gush forth in the valleys:
they flow in between the hills.
On their banks dwell the birds of heaven;
from the branches they sing their song. R/

From your dwelling you water the hills;
earth drinks its fill of your gift.
You make the grass grow for the cattle
and the plants to serve man's needs. R/

How many are your works, O Lord !
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.
Bless the Lord, my soul ! R/

Stand
Let us pray
Almighty ever-living God,
who are wonderful in the ordering of all your works, may those you have redeemed understand that there exists nothing more marvellous than the world’s creation in the beginning except that, at the end of the ages, Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Sit

Second Reading
A reading from the book of Exodus   14:15 - 15:1

The Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me so? Tell the sons of Israel to march on. For yourself, raise your staff and stretch our your hand over the sea and part it for the sons of Israel to walk through the sea on dry ground. I for my part will make the heart of the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow them. So shall I win myself glory at the expense of Pharaoh, of all his army, his chariots, his horsemen. And when I have won glory for myself, at the expense of Pharaoh and his chariots and his army, the Egyptians will learn that I am the Lord."

Then the angel of the Lord, who marched at the front of the army of Israel, changed station and moved to their rear. The pillar of cloud changed station from the front to the rear of them, and remained there. It came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. The cloud was dark, and the night passed without the armies drawing any closer the whole nightlong. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove back the sea with a strong easterly wind all night, and he made dry land of the sea. The waters parted and the sons of Israel went on dry ground right into the sea, walls of water to right and to left of them. The Egyptians gave chase: after them they went, right into the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. In the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and of cloud, and threw the army into confusion. He so clogged their chariot wheels that they could scarcely make headway. "Let us flee from the Israelites," the Egyptians cried " the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians!" "Stretch out your hand over the sea," the Lord said to Moses "that the waters may flow back on the Egyptians and their chariots and their horsemen." Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its bed. The fleeing Egyptians marched right into it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the very middle of the sea. The returning waters overwhelmed the chariots and the horsemen of Pharaoh's whole army, which had followed the Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left. But the sons of Israel had marched through the sea on dry ground, walls of water to right and to left of them. That day, the Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. Israel witnessed the great act that the Lord had performed against the Egyptians, and the people venerated the Lord; they put their faith in the Lord and in Moses, his servant.

It was then that Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song in honour of the Lord.

THE RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ex 15:1-6. 17-18

I will sing to the Lord,
glorious his triumph

I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph !
Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea !
The Lord is my strength, my song, my salvation.
This is my God and I extol him,
my father's God and I give him praise. R/

The Lord is a warrior ! The Lord is his name.
the chariots of Pharaoh he hurled into the sea,
the flower of his army is drowned in the sea.
The deeps hide them; they sank like a stone. R/

Your right hand, Lord, glorious in its power,
your right hand, Lord, has shattered the enemy.
In the greatness of your glory
you crushed the foe. R/

You will lead them and plant them
on your mountain, the place, O Lord,
where you have made your home,
the sanctuary, Lord,
which your hands have made.
The Lord will reign for ever and ever. R/

Stand

Let us pray
O God, whose ancient wonders remain undimmed in splendour even in our day, for what you once bestowed on a single people, freeing them from Pharaoh’s persecution by the power of your right hand now you bring about as the salvation of the nations through the waters of rebirth, grant, we pray, that the whole world may become children of Abraham and inherit the dignity of Israel’s birthright. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
sit

Third Reading
A reading from the prophet Isaiah 55:1-11

Thus says the Lord:
Oh, come to the water all you
who are thirsty;
though you have no money, come !
Buy corn without money, and eat,
and, at no cost, wine and milk.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
your wages on what fails to satisfy ?
Listen, listen to me,
and you will have good things to eat
and rich food to enjoy.
Pay attention, come to me;
listen, and your soul will live.

With you I will make
an everlasting covenant
out of the favours promised to David.
See, I have made of you a witness
to the peoples,
a leader and a master of the nations.
See, you will summon a nation
you never knew,
those unknown will come hurrying to you,
for the sake of the Lord your God,
of the Holy One of Israel
who will glorify you.

Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near.
Let the wicked man abandon his way, the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn back to the Lord who will take pity on him, to our God who is rich in forgiving; for my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways - it is the Lord who speaks.
Yes, the heavens are as high above the earth
as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts.

Yes, as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM  Isaiah 12-2-6

With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation

Truly God is my salvation,
I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation. R/

Give thanks to the Lord,
give praise to his name !
make his mighty deeds known
to the peoples,
declare the greatness of his name. R/

Sing a psalm to the Lord
for he has done glorious deeds,
make them known to all the earth !
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel. R/

Stand

Let us pray
Almighty ever-living God, sole hope of the world, who by the preaching of your Prophets unveiled the mysteries of this present age, graciously increase the longing of your people, for only at the prompting of your grace do the faithful progress in any kind of virtue. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

remain standing

THE GLORIA
Gloria, in excelsis Deo.

The fanfare is sounded, bells are rung, lights & altar candles are lit
extinguish your candles

Et in terra pax
hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Laudamus te,
benedicimus te,
    adoramus te,
     glorificamus te,
gratias agimus tibi propter magnam
gloriam tuam,
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis,
Deus Pater omnipotens.

Domine Fili unigenite Iesu Christe
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris,
qui tollis perccata mundi,
    miserere nobis;
qui tollis peccata mundi,
suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,
miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus,
tu solus Dominus,
tu solus Altissimus,
Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu:
in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

COLLECT
Let us pray.
O God, who make this most sacred night radiant with the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, stir up in your Church a spirit of adoption, so that, renewed in body and mind, we may render you undivided service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

New Testament Reading
A reading from the letter to the Romans 6.3-11

You have been taught that when we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father's glory, we too might live a new life. If in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. We must realise that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery of sin. When a man dies, of course, he has finished with sin. But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. When he died, he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

stand: for the

EASTER ALLELUIAS

Priest Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
All Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 117

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love has no end.
Let the sons of Israel say:
"His love has no end." R/

The Lord's right hand has triumphed;
his right hand raised me up.
I shall not die, I shall live
and recount his deeds. R/

The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes. R/

THE HOLY GOSPEL

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
A reading from the + Holy Gospel according to Mark. 16.1-8
Glory to you, O Lord.

When the sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, just as the sun was rising.

They had been saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?' But when they looked they could see that the stone - which was very big - had already been rolled back. On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, 'There is no need for alarm. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him. But you must go and tell his disciples and Peter, "He is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him, just as he told you." ' And the women came out and ran away from the tomb because they were frighten out of their wits; and they said nothing to a soul, for they were afraid.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you. Lord Jesus Christ.

Sit for the Homily

PART THREE: BLESSING OF BAPTISMAL WATER

You are invited to have a bowl of water

Dear brothers and sisters, let us humbly beseech the Lord our God to bless this water he has created, which will be sprinkled upon us as a memorial of our Baptism. May he graciously renew us, that we may remain faithful to the Spirit whom we have received.

All pray silently

Lord our God, in your mercy be present to your people who keep vigil on this most sacred night, and, for us who recall the wondrous work of our creation and the still greater work of our redemption, graciously bless this water. For you created water to make the fields fruitful and to refresh and cleanse our bodies. You also made water the instrument of your mercy: for through water you freed your people from slavery and quenched their thirst in the desert; through water the Prophets proclaimed the new covenant you were to enter upon with the human race; and last of all, through water, which Christ made holy in the Jordan, you have renewed our corrupted nature in the bath of regeneration.

Therefore, may this water be for us a memorial of the Baptism we have received, and grant that we may share in the gladness of our brothers and sisters, who at Easter have received their Baptism. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE RENEWAL OF BAPTISMAL PROMISES

Dear brethren (brothers and sisters), through the Paschal Mystery we have been buried with Christ in Baptism, so that we may walk with him in newness of life.
And so, now that our Lenten observance is concluded, let us renew the promises of Holy Baptism, by which we once renounced Satan and his works and promised to serve God in the holy Catholic Church. And so I ask you:

Do you renounce Satan ? I do.
And all his works ? I do.
And all his empty show ? I do.

Do you believe in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth ? I do.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of the Father ? I do.

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting ? I do.

And may almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us new birth by water and the Holy Spirit and bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins, keep us by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord, for eternal life. Amen.

The priest sprinkles the altar, and himself. You are invited to sprinkle one another and yourselves, or with the water, make the sign of the Cross.

Prayer of the Faithful

PART FOUR: THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.

May the Lord accept the sacrifice
   at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good
    and the good of all his holy Church.

the Preface, the follows:

SANCTUS
Sanctus, Sanctus,
   Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
   Hosanna in excelsis.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
   Hosanna in excelsis.

THE MYSTERY OF FAITH

We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again

The Eucharistic Prayer continues and ends:

Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
    for ever and ever.
AMEN.

Stand

OUR FATHER
At the Saviour’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

Pater Noster, qui es in caelis,
     sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum
   da nobis hodie,
   et dimitte nobis debita nostra
   sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
sed libera nos a malo.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles:
Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,
look not on our sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will.
Who live and reign for ever and ever.

Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And with your spirit.

AGNUS DEI
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
   miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
   miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
   dona nobis pacem.

HOLY COMMUNION

Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of
the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Pour out on us, O Lord,
the Spirit of your love,
and in your kindness
make those you have nourished
by this paschal Sacrament
one in mind and heart.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

THE DISMISSAL.
The Mass is ended, go in peace,
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thanks be to God.
    Alleluia, Alleluia!

you may make your offering here

Excerpts from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. From The Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Company Ltd. From The Psalms: A New Translation © 1963 The Grail (England) published by HarperCollins used by permission of the publishers. CCLI Music 564083, Streaming 2015412

Holy Saturday - 3 April 2021​

Holy Saturday - 3 April 2021