Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.

This ancient hymn that celebrates Christ rising from
the dead is sung before the Gospel on Easter Sunday and each
day in the octave of Easter. The hymn ends with the
acclamation “Yes, Christ my hope is arisen…Christ indeed from
death is risen, our new life obtaining.” With so much unrest in
the world, we long to see light, justice, and a true and lasting
peace. The hope that comes from celebrating Christ’s victory
over death means that our prayers for a peaceful and just world
are not in vain; all shall be well because “the Prince of Life…
reigns immortal.” We long to witness such a peaceful world, but
if we put our trust in the “victor King,” we know it will come.

Perhaps our prayer this Easter should be that the
world will spend more time asking God to write our story and
inspire our leaders and soften our stony hearts. Perhaps we
should take our Easter joy out into the world and proclaim
Christ risen. Such an act would help those who dwell in
darkness, fear, and hopelessness to rise with Christ to a whole
new life. Perhaps if we act each day as if we truly believe
Christ is risen from the dead, we may impress upon those who
write our laws and teach our children that there is a way of
meaningful living that has everything to do with believing and
following the One who created us for a life-giving purpose. Put
more simply, if we sing “Alleluia” for the fifty days of Easter,
each one of us will find more joy and bring more hope to
anyone who hears our song. Happy Easter!

Yours in the Risen Christ,