We recently found this reproduction of a page from a Renaissance gradual with an antiphon that we still chant during Eastertide- "I arose and am still with you. Alleluia." Many chant pieces are still sung in Latin during our Liturgy. And this year the opening chant of the Great Vigil of Easter was sung in Latin for the first time in many years. As we emerged from the library where our new fire was still blazing in the hearth, there were two bold signs posted by our liturgy coordinator- Lumen Christi. Deo Gratias- "The light of Christ. Thanks be to God." And so we were reminded as we processed through the cloisters in the semidarkness what our response to the cantor this night was to be.
Through all darkness and always, always when we can barely find our way, may we glimpse the flickering light of the Easter candle, the Light of Christ, leading us forward. May we hear the cry, Lumen Christi, and remember to respond wholeheartedly, Deo Gratias.