Texts taken from the Missal “Sulla Tua Parola” March-April 2024

Easter Triduum - Easter Vigil in the holy night
proper

FIRST READING

From the Book of Genesis (Gen 1:1 – 2:2)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the abyss, while the spirit of God hovered over the waters. God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, while he called the darkness night. And there was evening and there was morning: the first day. God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters to separate the waters from the waters.” God made the firmament and separated the waters that are below the firmament from the waters that are above the firmament. And so it happened. God called the firmament sky. And there was evening and there was morning: the second day. God said, “Let the waters below the sky be gathered into one place, and let dry land appear.” And so it happened. God called the dry land earth, while he called the mass of waters sea. God saw that it was good. God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: plants bearing seed and fruit trees bearing fruit with seed in it, each according to its kind.” And so it happened. The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seed, each according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it, each according to its kind. God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning: the third day. God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the sky to separate the day from the night; let them be signs for festivals, days, and years, and let them be lights in the firmament of the sky to illuminate the earth.” And so it happened. God made the two great lights: the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night, and the stars. God placed them in the firmament of the sky to illuminate the earth and to govern the day and the night and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning: the fourth day. God said, “Let the waters swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth, across the firmament of the sky.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves and swarms in the waters, each according to its kind, and every winged bird, each according to its kind. God saw that it was good. God blessed them: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas; let the birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning: the fifth day. God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, reptiles, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And so it happened. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to its kind, and all the reptiles of the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness: let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, over the livestock, over all the wild animals, and over all the reptiles that crawl on the earth.” And God created humankind in his image; in the image of God he created them: male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and every living creature that crawls on the earth.” God said, “See, I give you every plant bearing seed that is on the whole earth, and every fruit tree bearing seed: they shall be your food. To all the wild animals, to all the birds of the sky, and to all the creatures that crawl on the earth and in which there is the breath of life, I give every green plant for food.” And so it happened. God saw all that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning: the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. On the seventh day God completed the work he had done, and on the seventh day he ceased from all the work he had done. - The word of God.

SECOND READING

From the Book of Genesis (Gen 22:1-18)
In those days, God put Abraham to the test and said to him: “Abraham!” He answered: “Here I am!” He continued: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you.” Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled the donkey, took with him two servants and his son Isaac, split the wood for the burnt offering, and set out for the place that God had indicated to him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his servants: “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go on over there, and we will bow down; then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and loaded it onto his son Isaac; he took in his hand the fire and the knife, and the two of them went on together. Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said: “Father!” He answered: “Here I am, my son.” He continued: “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered: “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. [When they arrived at the place that God had indicated to him, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said: “Abraham, Abraham!” He answered: “Here I am!” The angel said: “Do not lay your hand on the boy, and do not do anything to him! Now I know that you fear God and have not refused me your son, your only son.” Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham called that place “The Lord sees”; hence it is said today: “On the mountain the Lord appears.” The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said: “I swear by myself, says the Lord: because you have done this and have not spared your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore; your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed my voice.” – The word of God.

THIRD READING

From the Book of Exodus (Ex 14:15 – 15:1)
In those days, the Lord said to Moses: “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Meanwhile, raise your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites may enter the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” The angel of God, who was going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and stood behind them. It came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. The cloud was dark for the one side, while it illuminated the night for the other; so the one side could not approach the other throughout the night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. And the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind throughout the night and made it dry; the waters were divided. The Israelites entered the sea on dry ground, while the waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. But at the morning watch the Lord, from the column of fire and cloud, looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw them into confusion. He clogged their chariot wheels, so that they could hardly make them move. Then the Egyptians said: “Let us flee from Israel, because the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians!” The Lord said to Moses: “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, at daybreak, the sea returned to its usual level, while the Egyptians, fleeing, were heading toward it. The Lord swept them into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh’s entire army, who had entered the sea after Israel: not one of them escaped. But the Israelites had walked on dry ground through the midst of the sea, while the waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left. On that day the Lord saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea; Israel saw the mighty hand with which the Lord had acted against Egypt, and the people feared the Lord and believed in him and in Moses his servant. Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord and said:

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

From the Book of Exodus (Ex 15:1-18)
℞. Let us sing to the Lord: glorious is his victory.
«I will sing to the Lord,
for he has triumphed gloriously:
horse and rider
he has cast into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my song,
he has been my salvation.
He is my God: I will praise him,
the God of my father: I will exalt him! ℞.
The Lord is a warrior,
the Lord is his name.
Pharaoh's chariots and his army
he hurled into the sea;
his chosen warriors
they were swallowed up in the Red Sea. ℞.
The depths covered them,
they sank like a stone.
Your right hand, Lord,
is glorious in power,
your right hand, Lord,
annihilates the enemy. ℞.
You bring him in and plant him
on the mountain of your inheritance,
the place for your dwelling,
Lord, have prepared,
the sanctuary that your hands,
Lord, your hands have founded.
Let the Lord reign
forever and ever!». ℞.

FOURTH READING

From the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Is 54:5-14)
Your husband is your Creator, the Lord of hosts is his name; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, he is called God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you back like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit. Can a wife married in her youth be cast off? - says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great tenderness I will take you back. In an outburst of anger I hid my face from you for a moment; but with enduring love I have taken pity on you, says your redeemer, the Lord. For me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again flood the earth; so now I swear not to be angry with you and never to threaten you. Though the mountains move and the hills totter, my love shall never leave you, nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the Lord, who takes pity on you. Afflicted, storm-tossed, unconsoled, behold, I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations on sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of beryl, and your entire wall of precious stones. All your children shall be disciples of the Lord, great shall be the prosperity of your children; you shall be founded on justice. Keep far from oppression, for you shall have nothing to fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you. - The word of God.

FIFTH READING

From the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Is 55:1-11)
Thus says the Lord: “All you who are thirsty, come to the water; you who have no money, come, buy and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money, without payment. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, your earnings for what does not satisfy? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good and enjoy rich food. Give ear and come to me; listen, and you will live. I will establish with you an everlasting covenant, the steadfast love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a prince and commander of the nations. See, you shall summon nations you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall hasten to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, who glorifies you. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, who will have mercy on him, and to our God, who will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways. Oracle of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the sower and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me without effect, without accomplishing what I desire and achieving the purpose for which I sent it.” – The word of God.

SIXTH READING

From the Book of the Prophet Baruch (Bar 3:9-15, 32 – 4:4)
Listen, Israel, to the commandments of life; lend your ear to learn prudence. Why, Israel? Why do you find yourself in enemy territory and have grown old in a foreign land? Why have you defiled yourself with the dead and are counted among those who go down to the underworld? You have abandoned the source of wisdom! If you had walked in the way of God, you would have lived forever in peace. Learn where prudence is, where strength is, where understanding is, so that you may also understand where longevity and life are, where the light of the eyes and peace are. But who has discovered its dwelling place, who has entered its treasures? But the One who knows everything knows it and has examined it with his understanding; the One who formed the earth forever and filled it with four-footed creatures; the One who sends forth the light, and it runs, calls it, and it obeys him with trembling. The stars shone in their places of watch and rejoiced; he called them, and they answered, “Here we are!”, and shone with joy for the One who created them. He is our God, and no other can be compared with him. He discovered every path of wisdom and gave it to Jacob, his servant, to Israel, his beloved. For this reason it appeared on earth and lived among humankind. It is the book of God's decrees and the law that endures forever; all who hold fast to it will have life, but those who abandon it will die. Return, Jacob, and welcome it; walk in the splendor of its light. Do not give your glory to another or your privileges to a foreign nation. Blessed are we, O Israel, because what pleases God is known to us. – The Word of the Lord.

SEVENTH READING

From the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (Ez 36:16-17a,18-28)
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in its own land, they defiled it by their conduct and actions. Therefore I poured out my wrath upon them because of the blood they had shed in the land and the idols with which they had defiled it. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout other lands: I judged them according to their conduct and actions. When they came among the nations to which they had been driven, they profaned my holy name, because it was said of them: ‘These are the people of the Lord, yet they have been driven out of his land.’ But I had regard for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they had gone. Therefore announce to the house of Israel: ‘Thus says the Lord God: I am acting not for your sake, house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you have gone. I will sanctify my great name, profaned among the nations, profaned by you in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord - oracle of the Lord God - when I show my holiness through you before their eyes. I will take you from among the nations, gather you from every land, and bring you back to your own soil. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and make you live according to my statutes, and I will see that you observe and practice my ordinances. You shall live in the land I gave to your ancestors; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.’” - The word of God.

EPISTLE

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Romans (Rom 6:3-11)
Brothers and sisters, do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Through baptism, therefore, we were buried with him into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that our sinful body might be rendered powerless and we might no longer be slaves to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. For in dying, he died to sin once for all; but now he lives, and he lives for God. So you too must consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus. - The Word of God.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 16:1-7)
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic oils so that they might go and anoint him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb at sunrise. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Looking up, they saw that the stone had already been rolled back, although it was very large. On entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were afraid. But he said to them, “Do not be afraid! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified one. He has risen; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter: ‘He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, as he told you.’” - The Word of the Lord.