excerpt from the Lighting of the New Fire
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
O God, Who hast bestowed on the
faithful the fire of Thy brightness by
Thy Son, Who is the Cornerstone,
hallow this new fire produced from a
flint that it may be profitable to us: and
grant that during this Paschal festival
we may be so inflamed with heavenly
desires, that with pure minds we may
come to the solemnity of perpetual
light. Through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen.
Christ yesterday and today, the
Beginning and the End, the Alpha and
the Omega. His are the times and the
ages. To Him be glory and empire
through all eternal ages. Amen.
Through His holy and glorious wounds
may Christ the Lord preserve and
keep us. Amen.
May the light of Christ, gloriously risen
Dispel the darkness of the heart and
mind.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
May the abundant outpouring of Thy †
blessing, we beseech Thee, almighty
God, descend upon this incense: and
do Thou, O invisible Regenerator,
lighten this nocturnal brightness, that
not only the sacrifice that is offered
this night may shine by the secret
mixture of Thy light: but also into
whatever place anything of this
mysterious sanctification shall be
brought, there the power of Thy
Majesty may be present and all the
malicious artifices of Satan may be
defeated. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
V. The light of Christ.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. The light of Christ.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. The light of Christ.
R. Thanks be to God.
Sir, give me Thy blessing.
C. May the Lord be in thy heart and on
thy lips, that thou mayest worthily and
fittingly proclaim His Paschal praise: in
the name of the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
R. Amen.
Let the angelic choirs of Heaven now
rejoice; let the divine Mysteries
rejoice; and let the trumpet of
salvation sound forth the victory of so
great a King. Let the earth also
rejoice, made radiant by such
splendor; and, enlightened with the
brightness of the eternal King, let it
know that the darkness of the whole
world is scattered. Let our mother the
Church also rejoice, adorned with the
brightness of so great a light; and let
this temple resound with the loud
acclamations of the people. Wherefore
I beseech you, most beloved brethren,
who are here present in the wondrous
brightness of this holy light, to invoke
with me the mercy of almighty God.
That He who has vouchsafed to admit
me among the Levites, without any
merits of mine, would pour forth the
brightness of His light upon me, and
enable me to perfect the praise of this
wax candle. Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, His Son, Who with Him lives
and reigns in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, God, forever and ever.
R. Amen.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
V. Lift up thy hearts.
R. We have them lifted up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our
God..
R. It is meet and just.
It is truly meet and right to proclaim
with all our heart and all the affection
of our mind, and with the ministry of
our voices, the invisible God, the
Father almighty, and His only-begotten
Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who repaid
for us to His eternal Father the debt of
Adam, and by the merciful shedding of
His Blood, cancelled the debt incurred
by original sin. For this is the Paschal
Festival; in which that true Lamb is
slain, with Whose Blood the doorposts
of the faithful are consecrated.
This is the night in which Thou didst
formerly cause our forefathers, the
children of Israel, when brought out of
Egypt, to pass through the Red Sea
with dry foot. This, therefore, is the
night which dissipated the darkness of
sinners by the light of the pillar. This is
the night which at this time throughout
the world restores to grace and unites
in sanctity those that believe in Christ,
and are separated from the vices of
the world and the darkness of sinners.
This is the night in which, destroying
the chains of death, Christ arose
victorious from the grave. For it would
have profited us nothing to have been
born, unless redemption had also
been bestowed upon us.
O wondrous condescension of Thy
mercy towards us! O inestimable
affection of love: that Thou mightest
redeem a slave, Thou didst deliver up
Thy Son! O truly needful sin of Adam,
which was blotted out by the death of
Christ! O happy fault, that merited to
possess such and so great a
Redeemer! O truly blessed night,
which alone deserved to know the
time and hour when Christ rose again
from hell! This is the night of which it is
written: And the night shall be as clear
as the day; and the night is my light in
my delights. Therefore the hallowing
of this night puts to flight all
wickedness, cleanses sins, and
restores innocence to the fallen, and
gladness to the sorrowful. It drives
forth hatreds, it prepares concord, and
brings down haughtiness.
Wherefore, in this sacred night,
receive, O holy Father, the evening
sacrifice of this incense, which holy
Church renders to Thee by the hands
of Thy ministers in the solemn offering
of this wax candle, made out the work
of bees. Now also we know the
praises of this pillar, which the shining
fire enkindles to the honor of God.
Which fire, although divided into parts,
suffers no loss from its light being
borrowed. For it is nourished by the
melting wax, which the mother bee
produced for the substance of this
precious light. O truly blessed night,
which plundered the Egyptians and
enriched the Hebrews! A night in
which heavenly things are united to
those of earth, and things divine to
those which are of man.
We pray Thee, therefore, O Lord, that
this wax candle hallowed in honor of
Thy Name, may continue to burn to
dissipate the darkness of this night.
And being accepted as a sweet savor,
may be united with the heavenly
lights. Let the morning star find its
flame alight. That star, I mean, which
knows no setting. He Who returning
from hell, serenely shone forth upon
mankind.
We beseech Thee therefore, O Lord,
that Thou wouldst grant peaceful
times during this Paschal Festival, and
vouchsafe to rule, govern, and keep
with Thy constant protection us Thy
servants, and all the clergy, and the
devout people, together with our most
holy Father, Pope N., and our Bishop
N.. Have regard, also, for those who
reign over us, and, grant them Thine
ineffable kindness and mercy, direct
their thoughts in justice and peace,
that from their earthy toil, they may
come to their heavenly reward with all
Thy people. Through the same Jesus
Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who lives
and reigns with Thee in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
R. Amen.