Music Notes for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 12, 2026 Dr. John Michniewicz

The Second Sunday of Easter is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope St. John Paul II officially designated Divine Mercy Sunday in the year 2000, to highlight the merciful love of God. He was inspired by the revelations of God’s Divine Mercy, recorded by St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) who was canonized as a saint on April 30, 2000. This Sunday focuses on the biblical connection between the Resurrection and the forgiving, merciful love of Christ. Sunday’s readings show how Christians in the early Church lived out their belief in the Risen Christ, transforming doubt into a powerful witness. The First Reading, Acts 2:42-47, has been described as a “summary of the early Church.” This reading presents a picture of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem, where the faithful were devoted to the apostles’ teaching, the breaking of bread, communal prayer, and the sharing of goods. Following the first reading comes Psalm 118 with its responsorial refrain “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love (or mercy) is everlasting.” This response perfectly reflects Divine Mercy Sunday by focusing on God’s promised constant and steadfast love.  The resurrected Jesus is seen through the prophetic tradition as the promised Messiah, the “stone that the builders rejected,” the savior and helper to those who are “hard-pressed and falling.”

The Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:3–9, shows how believers are granted a new birth, a “living hope” through the resurrection of Jesus, described as “an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” Here, faith is “more precious than gold, tested by fire,” which will result in praise and glory when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although believers have not seen him, they love him; and though they do not see him now, they believe and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy. This reading shows what it means to believe in the Resurrection without having been an eyewitness to it. It leads directly to the familiar Gospel text from John 20:19-31, that is proclaimed each year for the Second Sunday of Easter. In this reading, on the evening of Easter Sunday, the risen Jesus appears to the disciples behind locked doors, breathing the Holy Spirit upon them and conferring peace and the power of forgiveness. Thomas, absent at the first appearance, refuses to believe until he can touch the wounds himself. Eight days later, Jesus returns and invites Thomas to do exactly that. Thomas shows his belief, saying: “My Lord and my God,” a dramatic confession of faith. Jesus then affirms: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Sunday’s Entrance hymn, I Know That My Redeemer Lives! (Worship Hymnal No. 527) is one of the great hymns that is above all a declaration of resurrection faith. As has been noted, in 1759, the hymn’s author, Samuel Medley was severely wounded while in a battle at sea, and could only pray for healing. Facing the amputation of his leg in order

to save his life, he saw miraculous improvement overnight, and eventually recovered from his wounds. From this experience, he was inspired to write I Know That My Redeemer Lives, expressing the hope and joy of the resurrection. The title of the hymn comes from Job 19:25, where Job, despite intense suffering, expresses faith that the Redeemer lives and will one day stand upon the earth. Similarly, in an encounter with his own mortality, hymn author Medley wrote a text that resonates with the experience of doubt that Thomas displays in the Gospel reading. The hymn’s repeated phrase “He lives!” serves as an affirmation to Thomas’ statement of faith.

1. I know that my Redeemer lives! What joy this blest assurance gives! He lives, he lives who once was dead; He lives, my everlasting Head!

1. He lives to bless me with his love; He lives to plead for me above;

He lives my hungry soul to feed; He lives to help in time of need.

1. He lives and grants me daily breath; He lives, and I shall conquer death; He lives my mansion to prepare;

He lives to bring me safely there.

1. He lives, all glory to his name; He lives, my Savior, still the same; What joy this blest assurance gives:

I know that my Redeemer lives!

Here is a clearly sung version of I Know That My Redeemer Lives

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYOsSdDQBKo

Sunday’s presentation hymn, Sing With All the Saints in Glory, was written in 1873 by William Irons, an Anglican minister and hymn writer. It too celebrates the hope of eternal life and the victory of Christ over death. It is based on 1 Corinthians 15:20–23, where Christ is described as the firstfruits of those who have died. It echoes Revelation 7:9–12, where a great multitude from every nation stands before the throne. Sing with All the Saints in Glory displays in its text a powerful expression of resurrection hope.

1. Sing with all the saints in glory, Sing the resurrection song!

Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story,

To the former days belong.

All around the clouds are breaking, Soon the storms of time shall cease; In God’s likeness we awaken, Knowing everlasting peace.

1. O what glory, far exceeding All that eye has yet perceived!

Holiest hearts, for ages pleading, Never that full joy conceived.

God has promised, Christ prepares it, There on high our welcome waits.

Ev’ry humble spirit shares it;

Christ has passed the<eternal gates.

1. Life eternal! heav’n rejoices:

Jesus lives who once was dead. Shout with joy, O deathless voices! Child of God, lift up your head!

Patriarchs from distant ages, Saints all longing for their heav’n,

Prophets, psalmists, seers, and sages, All await the glory giv’n.

1. Life eternal! O what wonders Crowd on faith; what joy unknown, When, amid earth’s closing thunders, Saints shall stand before the throne! Oh, to enter that bright portal,

See that glowing firmament, Know, with you, O God immortal, Jesus Christ whom you have sent!

The hymn tune, known as HYMN TO JOY, famously uses the melody composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, arranged for the hymn by Edward Hodges. Beethoven composed the melody for the choral finale of his Ninth Symphony in 1824. At that time, he was completely deaf. Beethoven’s melody is so famous that it is almost universally known and recognized. It is ironic that one of the most joyful melodies in Western music was composed in complete silence. The pairing of this text and tune have caused some theologians to observe that it becomes itself an illustration of the Resurrection, displaying a joy that transcends all human limitations. In the Gospel reading, Thomas

sees the wounds of Christ and is drawn into the community of believers. The text “Sing with all the saints in glory, sing the resurrection song,” similarly connects all believers throughout time in an affirmation of resurrection and eternal life.

Here is an arrangement of Sing With All the Saints in Glory as arranged by Jeremy Bankson and performed at the First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amr2F_x-tGY

During the 11:30 Mass, the Choir will sing Thine Is the Glory, as set by American church musician and composer, Hal Hopson. Hopson’s anthem is an arrangement of the hymn, with a melody by Handel, and a text written by Swiss minister Edmond Budry. The hymn was written to be sung to the melody from Handel’s chorus “See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes” from the third section of his oratorio Judas Maccabaeus. Handel’s martial, triumphant theme was originally written to highlight a hero who overcomes enemies in battle. Budry’s text transforms that imagery into a declaration that Christ the rising, conquering Son, has vanquished death itself, precisely the claim Jesus makes to Thomas by showing his wounds: the battle has been fought and won. Budry’s text celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus with references to the appearance of angels in the scene of the empty tomb, and uses elements of Isaiah 25:8: “He will swallow up death in victory.” The hymn also makes a direct reference to 1 Corinthians 15: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” while the line in the second verse of the hymn, “death hath lost its sting”, is taken directly from 1 Corinthians 15:55: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” The text “No more we doubt thee” of course also references “Doubting” Thomas in the Gospel Reading.

1. Thine is the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son; endless is the vict’ry Thou o’er death hast won. Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away, kept the folded grave-clothes where Thy body lay. Refrain: Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son; endless is the vict’ry Thou o’er death hast won.

1. Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb. Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom;

let His church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,

for the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting. Refrain

1. No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life!! Life is nought without Thee; aid us in our strife;

make us more than conqu’rors, through Thy deathless love; bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home above. Refrain

Here is a brisk performance by the Tanque Verde Lutheran Church Chancel Choir in Tucson, Arizona singing Hal Hopson’s arrangement of Thine is the Glory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxvh4CpkDzE

At the 11:30 Mass, the Choir will sing The Rain is Over and Gone, by Paul Halley during the communion meditation.

Paul Halley wrote this selection as part of a larger concert work called City Without Walls, which the Paul Winter Consort premiered at Symphony Hall in Boston in 1991. The text is taken from the Song of Solomon, chapter 2, quoted, paraphrased and expanded upon by Halley. The text, “The rain is over and gone, and the winter is passing by, the time for singing has come, and the clouds have parted from the sky,” is itself reflective of Easter, new life and above all, resurrection.

Paul Halley, born in 1952 in Romford, England, is a Grammy Award-winning composer, choral conductor, and organist, perhaps best known as a member of and composer for the Paul Winter Consort. He was awarded an organ scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge, and received his M.A. with prizes in composition and performance, and was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. Halley was appointed Organist and Choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he served for twelve years from 1977–1989, transforming the Cathedral’s program into an enlivening blend of global, contemporary, and classical music.

Musically, The Rain Is Over and Gone blends gospel and choral idioms with a characteristically rich harmonic style, requiring a wide-ranging soprano soloist and a choir that can capture a joyfully spontaneous spirit. By drawing on the Song of Solomon’s language of renewal, new beginnings, and the arrival of spring after winter’s passing, Halley evokes Easter through referencing the end of winter, the appearance of flowers and new life. The Second Sunday of Easter focuses on the “new birth to a living hope.” In the Gospel reading, Jesus appears to his fearful disciples and says: “Peace be with you.” The lyrics “sing of freedom, to live in peace” directly echo this promise.

Further, The song’s reference to a “city without any walls” and a “new Jerusalem” aligns with the themes of reconciliation and the gathered community seen in the first reading from Acts 4:32–35, where believers were “of one heart and soul”.

The Rain is Over and Gone, Paul Halley

The rain is over and gone, And the winter is passing by, The time for singing has come,

And the clouds have parted from the sky.

Arise, my love, and come away, For lo! the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone, Over and gone, my love,

Come away, my fair one, come away.

We will rise and go to the city, The city without any walls, Where we can live in freedom,

To the new Jerusalem we’re called.

Arise, my love, my fair one, For lo! the winter is gone,

The flowers appear on the earth again, And the time for singing has come.

Sing of life and love and laughter, Sing of freedom to live in peace, And there shall be no more crying, Only joy that will never cease.

Here is a wonderful performance of The Rain is Over and Gone as performed by the Choir of the South Carolina Governor’s School: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXbIjAp-BY8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX bIjAp-BY8

Sunday’s final hymn is That Easter Day (Worship Hymnal No. 514).

This hymn features a text translated by John Mason Neale from a Latin hymn originating as early as the 4th century. The stanzas speak directly of the disciples seeing the risen Lord, whose glowing, risen flesh showed the wounds of the cross as solemn witnesses that Christ had risen from the grave. John Mason Neale was a 19th-century Anglican scholar who worked to restore the riches of early Christian and medieval hymnody to English-speaking congregations. Neale is thought to have been unhealthy throughout his life, worked in poverty, and was often even ignored or

despised by his contemporaries. Nonetheless, he won Cambridge’s Seatonian Prize for religious poetry eleven times and left many texts that are still known and sung. His translation of the ancient hymn text echoes the words of the earliest Christian communities and recounts how the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus. This hymn

uses the German hymn tune PUER NOBIS, which itself dates back at least to the 15th century.

1. That Easter day with joy was bright:

The sun shone out with fairer light When, to their longing eyes restored, The_apostles saw their risen Lord!

1. His risen flesh with radiance glowed; His wounded hands and feet He showed; Those scars their solemn witness gave That Christ was risen from the grave.

1. O Jesus, King of gentleness,

With constant love our hearts possess That we may give You all our days The tribute of our grateful praise.

1. O Lord of all, with us abide In this our joyful Eastertide;

From ev’ry weapon death can wield Your own redeemed forever shield.

1. All praise to you, O risen Lord,

Now both by heav’n and earth adored; To God the Father equal praise,

And God the Spirit, now we raise!

Here is an evocative and characteristically celebratory arrangement for choir and orchestra by Mack Wilberg as performed by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra in Temple Square. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mdwBPW2r7c

Sources: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041226.cfm

https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/04/07/a-sunday-known-by-many-names/ https://thesacredpage.com/2020/04/17/divine-mercy-sunday/ https://www.facebook.com/GoodshepherdTravel/posts/-sunday-psalm-reflectiongive-tha nks-to-the-lord-for-he-is-goodfor-his-mercy-endu/966291129415406/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_That_My_Redeemer_Lives https://www.hymnallibrary.org/hymns/sing-with-all-the-saints-in-glory/ http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/s/i/n/g/w/singwith.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thine_Be_the_Glory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Halley https://hymnary.org/text/that_easter_day_with_joy_was_bright?sort=date&extended=fal se https://www.google.com/search?q=st.+faustina+kowalski&oq=st.+faustina+kowalski&gs_lcrp=E gZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQLhgNGIAEMgkIAhAAGA0YgAQyDwgDEC4YDRivARjHAR iABDIJCAQQLhgNGIAEMg8IBRAuGA0YrwEYxwEYgAQyCQgGEAAYDRiABDIJCAcQABgNGI

AEMgkICBAAGA0YgATSAQg1NTIwajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/stfaustina