Easter Sunday

Friends in Christ,

Christus Resurréxit! Resurréxit Vere! Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday is Easter Sunday, but the season of Eastertide actually begins with celebration of the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. As the vigil will not be celebrated according to the traditional rite this year, those who regularly attend the Latin Mass may choose to wait until Sunday to celebrate what is, after all, the holiest day on the Christian calendar.

Now, leaving Lent behind us, we move into a season dedicated to the joyful celebration of those world-historical events ensuing from the Incarnation of Our Lord: His conquest of sin and death in the Resurrection; His Ascension into Heaven, returning to the Father after 40 days spent speaking and even eating with his disciples in his resurrected body; and the Descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, ten days after the Ascension, establishing through the agency of the twelve Apostles the Holy Catholic Church proclaimed by Jesus Christ with Peter as its head.

This season of Eastertide, given over entirely to the joy that arises from knowing our salvation has been accomplished through the death and resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, will continue until the Saturday following Pentecost Sunday.

The Gradual for Easter Sunday tells us: Haec dies, quam fecit Dóminus; exsultémus, et laetémur in ea. This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 117: 24). As Dom Prosper Guéranger begins his commentary on Easter Sunday with these words, we begin by offering the following brief excerpt from The Liturgical Year followed by a link to the abbot’s full commentary.


Easter Morning

The night between Saturday and Sunday has well nigh run its course, and the day-dawn is appearing. The Mother of sorrows is waiting, in courageous hope and patience, for the blissful moment of her Jesus’ return. Magdalene and the other holy women have spent the night in watching, and are preparing to start for the sepulcher. In limbo, the Soul of our crucified Lord is about to give the glad word of departure to the myriads of the long-imprisoned holy souls, who cluster round Him in adoring love. Death is still holding his silent sway over the sepulcher, where rests the Body of Jesus. Since the day when he gained his first victim, Abel, he has swept off countless generations; but never has he held in his grasp a prey so noble as this that now lies in the tomb near Calvary. Never has the terrible sentence of God, pronounced against our first parents, received such a fulfillment as this; but never has death received such a defeat as the one that is now preparing. It is true, the power of God has, at times brought back the dead to life: the son of the widow of Naim, and Lazarus, were reclaimed from the bondage of this tyrant death; but he regained his sway over them all. But his Victim of Calvary is to conquer him forever, for this is He of whom it is written in the prophecy: “O death! I will be thy death!” Yet a few brief moments and the battle will be begun, and life shall vanquish death. [Easter Sunday Morning]


Calendar of Special Observances

Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.

DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)

Sunday, April 20 – Easter Sunday (I)

Monday, April 21 – Easter Monday (I)

Tuesday, April 22 – Easter Tuesday (I)

Wednesday, April 23 – Easter Wednesday (I)

Thursday, April 24 – Easter Thursday (I)

Friday, April 25 – Easter Friday (I) (Greater Rogations)

Saturday, April 26 – Easter Saturday (I)

Easter Sunday

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for Easter Sunday with English or Spanish translation, followed by commentary by Dr. Michael P. Foley.

Latin Mass Schedule: Sundays

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • 11:30 a.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas

  • 12:30 p.m., Saint Ann

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • 8:30 a.m., Saint John the Baptist (Tryon)

  • 9:00 a.m., Our Lady of the Angels (Marion)

  • 1:00 p.m., Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock)

  • 1:30 p.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro)

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • 12:30 p.m., Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) **Special Time for Easter Sunday.**

  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)

Note: Travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the regular schedule of Sunday Mass times.


Latin Mass Schedule: Weekdays (April 21 - 26)

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • Saint Ann – (Easter Wednesday, Easter Friday and 4th Saturday) No daily Latin Masses Easter Week

  • Saint Thomas Aquinas – Thursday, No 7:00 p.m. Latin Mass on Easter Thursday April 24

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • Our Lady of the Mountains (Highlands) – Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.

  • Saint John the Baptist (Tryon) – Friday, 8:30 a.m.

  • Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock) – Friday, 9:30 a.m.

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Monday-Friday, 12:00 p.m.

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Saturday 8:00 a.m.

Note: Travelers are advised to contact parish offices to confirm weekday and Saturday Mass times, since local schedules are sometimes subject to change without notice, especially on or around holidays, holy days of obligation and other special feast days.

Easter Sunday note: The Latin Mass at Prince of Peace for Easter Sunday will begin 30 minutes late, at 12:30 p.m.

*Important* Easter week cancellations: There will not be daily Latin Masses at Saint Ann on Wednesday April 23, Friday April 25, or 4th Saturday April 26.

The 7:00 p.m. Latin Mass is also canceled at Saint Thomas Aquinas on Easter Thursday (April 24th).

The cancellations are due to lack of Latin Mass priest availability while Frs. Reid and Codd are away.




Announcements

Doughnuts on Fourth Sunday in April – Due to Easter, the normal Third Sunday doughnuts after Mass at Saint Ann parish is moved to Fourth Sunday April 27.

Greater Rogation Day – The 25th of April has traditionally been observed as the major rogation on the Roman Calendar, a day of penitential sacrifice and prayers of petition rooted in the agricultural cycle and linked to the spring planting of crops. An outdoor Rogation procession is also customary on this day.

Rogare is a Latin verb that can be translated to ask, beg or request. In the Ordinary of the Mass it is usually translated as beseech – as when the celebrant prays, following the consecration of the eucharistic elements, Supplices te rogámus, omnípotens Deus (“We most humbly beseech Thee, almighty God”). Historically, the prayers of petition associated with the major rogation have focused on the need for favorable weather conditions and protection against calamitous events.

The minor rogations are made on the three days (Monday-Wednesday) immediately preceding the Feast of the Ascension For an informative article on the subject, see two articles in our Latin Mass and Liturgical News section below.

Consecration of those Governing to the Blessed Virgin Mary – Fr. Chad Ripperger has composed a prayer for our nation and government, Consecration of those Governing to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which may be found at the end of this update or downloaded here.



Holy Face Devotions

Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:

  • St. James (Concord) – Monday, 10-10:30 a.m. (in the cry room)

  • St. Mark – Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesday, 6:00 a.m.

  • St. Ann – Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (following 7:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Michael the Archangel (Gastonia) – Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. (following 8:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Vincent de Paul – Tuesday, 8:40 a.m.

  • Holy Spirit (Denver) – Tuesday, 10-11:00 a.m. (following the 9:15 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country (Boone) – Third Tuesday May 20, at 6:45 p.m. after Mass in the Youth Room **Special Time for May**

  • St. John the Baptist (Tryon) - First Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (after 8:30 a.m Latin Mass)

Note: Days and times may be subject to change due to holidays.

“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).


Latin Mass and Liturgical News


Saints and Special Observances

St. Mark the Evangelist, author of the second of the four canonical Gospels, is first mentioned in the history of the early Church in connection with the miraculous escape of Peter from prison following the martyrdom of James, the first of the Apostles to give his life for the Faith. Around 44 A.D. Herod Agrippa ordered the slaying of “James, the brother of John, with the sword. And seeing that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to take up Peter also” (Acts 12:2-3). Because he had to put off the execution of Peter until after the celebration of the Pasch, Herod had him put in chains and imprisoned under heavy guard. On the night before the Apostle was to be put to death an angel of the Lord appeared to Peter.

Having freed him from his chains, the angel led Peter from his place of confinement past sleeping guards and through the gate of the city which opened to let them pass. When he realized he was actually free, and not asleep and dreaming, Peter made his way “to the house of Mary the mother of John, who was surnamed Mark, where many were gathered together and praying” (Acts 12:12). John Mark may not have been present, as he was sent around this time with Barnabas and Saul from Antioch to Jerusalem to bring needed relief to the disciples there. “And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, having fulfilled their ministry, taking with them John who was surnamed Mark” (Acts 12:25).

John Mark was subsequently the cause of a rift between Saul (now Paul) and Barnabas when Paul suggested they revisit the places where they had planted the seed of belief in Jesus Christ in order to see how the new communities of believers were getting along. Mark and Barnabas were closely related, and Barnabas wanted to include John Mark in the planned tour of cities previously visited; but Paul objected because the younger man had left them at Pamphylia during their first journey in order to return to Jerusalem. The outcome of this disagreement was that Barnabas and Paul went their separate ways for a time, Barnabas taking Mark with him to Cyprus, while Paul recruited Silas to accompany him on his travels through Syria and Cilicia. Eventually, all were reconciled and came to be closely associated in the work of the early Church, as indicated by various references to both Barnabas and Mark in the letters of St. Paul. Writing to Timothy shortly before his martyrdom at Rome in 67 A.D., Paul said, “Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11).

Mark also became even more closely associated with St. Peter who spoke of him as his son in the penultimate line of his first letter: “The church that is in Babylon [i.e., Rome], elected together with you, saluteth you. And so doth my son, Mark” (1 Pet. 5:13). St. Jerome included Mark in his seminal biographical work about the early leaders of the Church, De Viris Illustribus (“On Illustrious Men”), noting the close relationship between Peter and his younger associate.

According to St. Jerome, Mark was Peter’s interpreter and wrote his Gospel at the request of the Christians at Rome in order to pass on what he had heard Peter tell of the life, death, resurrection and ascension into Heaven of Jesus Christ. Mark took his Gospel to Egypt and established the Church at Alexandria, becoming the first bishop of that great city.

Saint Bede, the great historian of the early Church, writing in the eighth century, says that after leading the Christian community at Alexandria for twenty years, Mark was seized by hostile members of the local populace who bound him and dragged him over rough stones before committing him to prison. He was comforted by the visit of an angel and especially by an apparition of Our Lord before being called to his heavenly reward in the eighth year of the reign of the Emperor Nero (c. 68 A.D.).

Mark’s book is the shortest of the four Gospels and perhaps the most accessible due to its concision and clarity. Unlike the first Gospel, that of St. Matthew, the Gospel of St. Mark was clearly composed not in Hebrew or Aramaic but in Greek. Its text certainly served as an important source in the composition of the third Gospel, that of Luke. Written in Rome, it was intended for a non-Jewish audience, as it is frequently at pains to explain the customs of the Jewish people.

The Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist is celebrated annually on the 25th day of April.


Closing Commentary

We began this update with an excerpt from Dom Prosper Guéranger’s commentary on Easter Sunday focusing on the morning of that momentous day. We close now with a brief excerpt from that same source, focusing on the evening of Easter Sunday, followed by a link to the full commentary.

Easter Evening: The Road to Emmaus

The Day of Jesus’ Resurrection is fast drawing to its close. It is the day honoured by God with the greatest of all miracles: it is the most important day that has ever dawned upon the world since Light was first created: but the night will soon be upon us, shadowing the brightness of the great day. Four times has our Redeemer appeared. He would now manifest Himself to the whole of His Apostles, and thus enable them to know by their own experience what they have, a few hours since, learned from Peter’s testimony. But, leaving, for a few moments longer, these men, whom He honours with the name of Brethren, and who now believe in His Resurrection, He would first console two hearts that are grieving on His account, though their grief comes from their want of faith.

Two men are traversing the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus, slowly and sadly. They are evidently suffering from some cruel disappointment; nay, they give one the idea that a motive of fear impels them to leave the city. They had been Disciples of Jesus; but the ignominious and violent death of this Master, in whom they had had such confidence, has filled their hearts with bitter despondency. They were ashamed of having joined themselves with one who is not what they took Him to be. They had hid themselves after His execution; but the report having been spread of His sepulcher having been broken into, and the Body taken away, they resolve to seek a safer refuge. Jesus’ enemies have great power, and are doubtless busy taking proceedings against those who have dared to break the seal of the sepulcher. Perhaps all that have had any connection with this Jesus will be arraigned before the public tribunal.

Whilst thus conferring with each other on the sad events of the last few days, a stranger overtakes them and walks with them. It is Jesus. So absorbed are they in their own sorrow, that they do not recognize Him. The same happens to us, when we give way to feelings of human grief, we lose sight of that God who comes to cheer us by His presence along the path of our exile. Jesus asks these two men the cause of their sadness. They tell Him with all simplicity, and this King of glory, who has, this very day, triumphed over Death, deigns to enter into a long conversation with them, and explain to them, as they walk along, the scriptural prophecies concerning the humiliations, the death, and the glory of the Messias.

The two wayfarers are delighted with His words. As they afterwards said to each other, their hearts burned within them as this stranger went on telling them the grand truths He did. Jesus feigns to bid them farewell, but they will not hear of it: “Stay with us,” they say to Him, “for the evening cometh on, and the day is far spent!” (Luke 24:29) They take Him into their house at Emmaus, constrain Him to sit down to table with them, and yet, strange to say, they have not an idea who this Heavenly Instructor is, who has solved all their doubts with such persuasive wisdom and eloquence! — Do not we resemble these two disciples, when we allow ourselves to be influenced by human thoughts and feelings? Jesus is near us, He speaks to us, He instructs us, He consoles us; and yet, oftentimes, we are long before we recognize Him! [Easter Sunday]

We wish our readers a blessed Eastertide. Christus Resurréxit! Resurréxit Vere!