Easter Holy Hour

Celebrant: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All. Amen.
Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Celebrant: Let us ask Jesus, who conquered death with his resurrection, that Christ may renew our spirit so that
we may fulfill our mission in the Church and reach the kingdom that he has promised us.
EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
The Blessed Sacrament is reverently exposed
SONG: (see songbook)
Celebrant: Praise be to Jesus Christ.
All: Our King, forever praised.
PRAYER
Celebrant: Look, O Lord, we pray, upon this your flock for which our Lord Jesus Christ rose again after being
delivered into the hands of his executioners and suffering the torment of the Cross, grant that we may
understand and live this mystery of salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
From the Holy Gospel according to Saint John (10, 27-30).
At that time, Jesus said to the Jews: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father has given them to
me, and he is superior to all; no one can snatch them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.” Word
of the Lord.
All: Glory to you Lord Jesus.
REFLECTION. Personal meditation
SILENCE
Let's all listen on our knees
Reader 1: Sovereign Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: What a joy it is for us to be in your presence, prostrate at
your feet! How kind of you to admit us as custodians of your sacramental presence in the silent hours of the
night! What a great dignity it is to allow us to unite our prayers to those of infinite merit that flow from your lips,
always open to pray for you!
Reader 2: Not for one hour, but for all our lives we would like to watch with you, if our weakness did not prevent
it. Since such happiness is not possible, at least on this truly Eucharistic night and hour, let, Lord, our gratitude
overflow and rise like a pleasing perfume to that Chalice where love has you buried.
Reader 3: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of faith. How many are there who do not have the good fortune to know
you and who, if they did, would love you much more and would reciprocate your benefits much better than we
love and reciprocate you? We, although lukewarm and lazy Christians, can exclaim: I believe in Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament! Blessed be that faith! But how it humiliates me to find myself without the merits to enjoy
such an ineffable gift!
Reader 1: And, most kind Jesus, as we contemplate the fineness of your love, and then at all the altars and
tabernacles of the world, and see how you call us to gather together to form a community to honor one another
as worshipers of your Divine, Sovereign and Royal Person; after tasting the delights, gentleness and sweetness of
your service and remembering how harshly the world treats us and considering how foolish it is to turn away
from you, we will not tire of repeating that “You alone are our Lord.”
Reader 2: What shall we give you, Lord, in response to having given us your mercy in your Passion, that you
conquered death with your Resurrection. You remained present in the Eucharist. With what shall we repay you
for the crystal-clear and healthy waters of Catholic truth with which you quench our thirst?
Reader 3: Invoking your Holy name, we will take the cup of salvation, which is to do your most holy will on earth;
even if it costs us tribulation, contradiction, persecution, poverty and life itself. The altar of the cross and the
altar of the altar are the mountain of sacrifice, where through your most sacred hands we will offer to the
heavenly Father, You yourself, a pleasing victim and infinite thanksgiving.
Reader 1: And we will do this in the midst of the world, without fear of human respect or of what men will say;
because our vows of gratitude to You, Lord, are sacred; and we must fulfill them by fighting for Your social
sovereignty, for Your rights over the people, over kings and over every creature. Your word that assures us of a
precious death does not encourage us, whether we are conquering or being conquered.
Reader 2: And confident in victory and in the conquest of the Eternal Kingdom of heaven, because you have to
support us, encourage us and conform us in the fight, for the same reason that we confess ourselves to be
powerless and most humble servants. Yes, your servants and obedient children of our Holy Mother the Church.
Yes, your servants and beloved children of the greatest woman who came from the hands of God, and who,
however, called herself his slave: the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Reader 3: Through the powerful intercession of such a good Mother and of our guardian Angels, a thousand
times, Lord, you have broken the bonds that the world laid upon us, a thousand times you have freed us from
eternal death; therefore now, grateful and with the holy freedom of children of God, invoking the Sweetest name
of Jesus, we will sacrifice on our altars pure Hosts of praise.
All: So be it.
SILENCE (background music can be played)
Celebrant: Let us reiterate to our Lord the homage of our gratitude for the Redemption of Jesus Christ, and with
the same spirit of the Church Our Mother, let us say to Him:
Responsorial Psalm (83)
R./ Lord, blessed are those who dwell in your house.
Psalmist: Longing for the courts of the Lord,
my soul is consumed;
My whole being is overcome with joy,
for the sake of the Living God. R./
Psalmist: Even the sparrow has found a home;
the swallow, a nest.
On your altar, Lord of hosts,
My king and my god. R./
Psalmist: Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
and they can praise you continually. R./
Psalmist: One day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be at the threshold of my
God's house than at the palace of the wicked. R./
Celebrant: Praise be to Jesus Christ.
All: Our King forever praised.
From Psalm 62
R./ Lord, my God, my soul thirsts for you.
Psalmist: Lord, you are my God, I seek you;
My soul thirsts for you, Lord,
My whole being longs for you, like the parched ground longs for water. R./ Psalmist: I long to admire your glory
and your power, and to contemplate you in the sanctuary.
For your love is better than existence, Lord, my lips will always praise you. R./ Psalmist: I will be able to bless
you while I live and lift up my hands in prayer.
My soul will be satisfied with the best;
I will praise you with joyful lips. R./
Psalmist: You were my help
I already sang of your shadow full of joy.
My soul clings to you,
and your right hand gives me sure support. R./ President: Praise be to Jesus Christ.
All: Our King forever praised.
From Psalm 66
R./Let all the peoples praise you, Lord.
Psalmist: May God have mercy on us,
Bless us and look upon us with love,
Thus all the peoples of the earth
They will know your salvation. R./
Psalmist: Let the nations sing for joy
For you rule with justice;
With equity you govern the people, and with righteousness you guide them. R./
Psalmist: The earth has already produced its fruits, God has blessed us in this way;
because the Lord continues to bless us
so that the whole world may know it. R./
Prayer for vocations BLESSING WITH THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
FINAL SONG: (see songbook)
 HOLY HOUR OF EASTER
Celebrant: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Celebrant: Let us ask the Lord that the Risen Christ may dwell in our hearts and that the joy of this
Easter may be manifested in all our works, so that we may respond generously to our vocation
and thus bear witness to his presence among men through the Eucharist.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament is reverently exposed.
SINGING.
PRAYER
Celebrant: Let us pray. Our God, through your Son you conquered death and opened to us the
gates of eternal life, grant that we who celebrate the Lord's Easter may also rise to new life,
renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD.
From the Acts of the Apostles (10,34.37-43).
In those days, Peter took the floor and said: “You know what happened throughout Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism preached by John: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
power of the Holy Spirit and how he went around doing good, healing all who were oppressed by the
devil, because God was with him.
We are witnesses of what he did in Judea and Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him
on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and allowed him to see him, not all the
people but only those witnesses he had chosen beforehand: us, who ate and drank with him after he
rose from the dead.
He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that God has appointed him judge of
the living and the dead. The testimony of the prophets is unanimous that all who believe in him receive,
through him, the forgiveness of sins.” Word of God.
All: We praise you Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM. Psalm 117
Psalmist: This is the day of the Lord's triumph. Alleluia.
All: This is the day of the Lord's triumph. Alleluia.
Psalmist: We thank you, Lord, for you are good, for your mercy is everlasting.
Let the house of Israel say: “His mercy is eternal.
All: This is the day of the Lord's triumph. Alleluia.
Psalmist: The right hand of the Lord is powerful, the right hand of the Lord is our pride. I will not
die, but live to tell what the Lord has done.
All: This is the day of the Lord's triumph. Alleluia.
Psalmist: The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the work
of the Lord's hand, it is a patent miracle.
All: This is the day of the Lord's triumph. Alleluia.
ACCLAMATION BEFORE THE GOSPEL.
Psalmist: Hallelujah, Hallelujah
All: Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Psalmist: Man does not live by bread alone, but also by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.
All: Hallelujah, Hallelujah
From the Holy Gospel according to Saint John (20,11-18)).
On the day of the resurrection, Mary had remained crying next to Jesus' tomb. She continued to weep
and looked into the tomb and saw two angels dressed in white, sitting where Jesus' body had been, one
at the head and the other at the feet. The angels asked her: “Why are you crying, woman?” She
answered them, “Because they have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him.”
With that, he looked back and saw Jesus standing there, but he did not realize that it was Jesus. Then
he said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? “Who are you looking for?” She, believing him to be the
gardener, answered him: “Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him.” Jesus said
to her, “Mary!” She turned and exclaimed: “Rabbuni, which in Hebrew means teacher. Jesus said to
her, “Leave me alone, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go and tell my brothers: 'I am
ascending to my Father and their Father, to my God and their God.'"
Mary Magdalene went to see the disciples to tell them that she had seen the Lord and to give them her
message. Word of the Lord.
All: Glory to you, Lord Jesus.
BRIEF REFLECTION
Mary had stayed outside, crying next to the tomb.
They have taken Christ from us!
Things are not as we would like. As we need them to be. We have fought to live with dignity and we are
continually stripped of that dignity. Poverty is defeating us, making us bend our necks. The fear of
violence has locked us in that prison that our own home has become. Those who should make laws to
protect our families, make them to attack and destroy them legally, attacking life and childhood by
majority vote. Perversion is exalted and the grotesque is glorified. Tolerance of evil has become
acceptance and complacency. Those of us who try to live according to the law written in our hearts feel
out of place; we feel that this world is no longer our home. Christ has been taken from us and now we
weep beside the empty tomb!
As she wept, she looked into the tomb and saw two angels dressed in white, sitting, one at the head
and the other at the feet of where Jesus' body had been. They said to her, “Woman, why are you
crying?” Mary replied: “Because they have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him.”
The angels of comfort!
In our daily lives there is no shortage of those angels, messengers of God, who care about us. What
would become of us without those angels who not only ask us the reason for our tears, but also offer us
a handkerchief to wipe them away? Be careful! Sometimes those tears prevent us from seeing the
angels. Sometimes we don't want to listen to them; we prefer to continue crying over the absence of
Jesus.
Angels are not Jesus, they are only his announcement, the sign of his closeness. The angels lead us to
Jesus. Have you discovered your angels yet? They are usually our loved ones, a friend, a teacher, a
priest. All those who come to ask us the reason for our crying.
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize
him.
The resurrected Jesus loves to dress up.
To Magdalena he seemed like a gardener.
To the pilgrims of Emmaus he seemed like another pilgrim.
His apostles thought he was a ghost and did not recognize him on the shores of his beloved lake.
It is an exciting game to discover Jesus behind his thousand disguises.
It looks so much like our loved ones! And it looks so much like those we don't want and ignore. It is
more like those who need us.
If we discover him behind his disguise we will have won the game.
We will have won heaven.
Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “Who are you looking for?” She, thinking he was the
gardener, replied, “Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and
get him.” We seek Jesus. We go to the temples and we are moved by their beauty, the majesty of the
sacred. We contemplate images, windows of heaven, that look like Jesus, but are not Jesus. There on
the altar is some bread and some wine that the priest has consecrated. They are Jesus. They don't look
like Jesus, but they are Jesus. There Jesus is truly present in the bread and wine.
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She recognized him and said to him in Hebrew:
“Rabbuni!”, that is, “Teacher!”
We have recognized Jesus! He spoke to us first, he called us by name! We have found the one we were
looking for and the tears have disappeared, the sorrows are forgotten, the pain no longer matters.
And that Jesus is the Master. We are the disciples with attentive ears.
And the Master speaks to us. Good news! The Gospel teaches us.
How our old Pope resembles the Master! How our bishop and our parish priest resemble him. They
speak the Gospel and their words are those of Jesus.
They are the Master, and we are the disciples.
Go tell my brothers:
Does Jesus ask Mary Magdalene to announce the Gospel to the apostles? Yeah!
She is a layman. Member of the people of God.
They are none other than the Pope and the bishops of Christianity.
Today, lay people also evangelize the Pope, bishops and priests.
From the laity the pastors learn the Gospel of life, the good news that Jesus is alive and very present
among us. The laity tell the priests not to look for Jesus in the empty tomb of theological treatises, but
to look for him in the gardeners, the pilgrims, those who walk at dawn along the shore of the lake.
Jesus is still alive and awaits us here, in our own land, in the soil where our faith was planted and
flourishes. The empty tomb is left behind.
Highlighting the importance of Easter as the source and end of our Christian life offers us the
opportunity to accept Jesus Christ in our lives, and to make priestly vocations emerge in the families of
our communities, who will be the Shepherds of tomorrow who will continue the redemptive work of
Christ.
 Let us reflect on the need for priests in parish communities.
PRAYERS.
Celebrant: Let us pray to the Lord our God, who has chosen to give us his grace through Jesus
Christ. Saying with great confidence: Father, hear our prayer.
Monitor: For the Church: that, strengthened by the bread of the word of God, she may not fall
into the temptation of trusting in powers and means foreign to her mission in the world. Let us
pray.
All: Father, hear our prayer.
Monitor: For catechumenal groups and for all believers who take adult catechesis seriously: So
that they may grow and mature in faith. Let us pray.
All: Father, hear our prayer.
Monitor: For underdeveloped peoples, unable, due to lack of means, to solve their serious
problems: So that they may find fraternal help from the most developed countries. Let us pray.
All: Father, Hear our prayer.
Monitor: For us, gathered here, who have heard “Man does not live by bread alone”: That we
may awaken our hunger for the word of God. Let us pray.
All: Father, Hear our prayer.
Monitor: For our deceased: so that they may soon reach eternal happiness. Let us pray.
All: Father, hear us.
Monitor: We all say the vocational prayer.
All: Oh sweetest Jesus!
That in the abyss of your mercies
You do not want the death of the sinner,
But be converted, and live.
And for this reason you have given us the Sacrament
Of your forgiveness entrusting it to the priestly ministry,
Increase, we pray, the number of your priests,
So that the lost sheep may be more easily found
Find the way to the sheepfold and the prodigal sons
Return repentant to the paternal arms of your Love.
MEDITATIVE REFLECTION SONG.
Celebrant: Let us conclude our encounter with the Lord with the words that he himself taught us. Our
Father…
BLESSING WITH THE BLESSED SACRAMENT AND FAREWELL.
FINAL SONG.
Most High Lord.
Easter Time
The fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday
Easter Sunday is the most important holiday for all Catholics, since it is with the Resurrection of Jesus that our
entire religion takes on meaning.

Christ triumphed over death and with this he opened the doors of Heaven for us. At Sunday Mass we remember
this great joy in a special way. The Paschal Candle is lit, representing the light of the risen Christ and remaining lit
until the day of the Ascension, when Jesus ascends to Heaven.

The Resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact, the proof of which, among others, is the empty tomb and the
numerous appearances of Jesus Christ to his apostles.

When we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, we are also celebrating our own liberation.
We celebrate the defeat of sin and death.

In the resurrection we find the key to Christian hope: if Jesus is alive and is with us, what can we fear? What can
we worry about?

Any suffering takes on meaning with the Resurrection, because we can be sure that, after a short life on earth, if
we have been faithful, we will reach a new and eternal life, in which we will enjoy God forever.

St. Paul tells us: “If Christ had not been raised, our faith would be in vain” (I Corinthians 15:14)

If Jesus had not been resurrected, his words would have remained in the air, his promises would have remained
unfulfilled and we would doubt that he was really God.

But since Jesus did rise again, we know that he conquered death and sin; we know that Jesus is God, we know
that we will also rise again, we know that he won eternal life for us, and in this way, our whole life acquires
meaning.

The Resurrection is a source of profound joy. From then on, Christians can no longer live with sad faces. We must
have the face of those who have been resurrected, showing the world our joy because Jesus has conquered
death.

The Resurrection is a light for men and every Christian must radiate that same light to all men, making them
share in the joy of the Resurrection through their words, their testimony and their apostolic work.

We must be truly joyful for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. In this Easter season that begins, we must
take advantage of all the graces that God gives us to grow in our faith and be better Christians. Let us live this
time deeply.

Easter Sunday marks the beginning of Easter Time, in which we remember the time that Jesus spent with the
apostles before ascending to heaven, during the feast of the Ascension.

The holiday of Easter is so important that one day is not enough to celebrate it. For this reason the Church has
established an octave of Easter (eight days) to contemplate the Resurrection and an Easter Time (fifty days) to
continue celebrating the Resurrection of the Lord.
How is Easter Sunday celebrated?

It is celebrated with a solemn Mass in which the Paschal candle is lit, which symbolizes the risen Christ, light of all
people.
In some places, very early in the morning, a procession called “del encuentro” takes place. In this, a group of
people carry the image of the Virgin and meet another group of people who carry the image of the resurrected
Jesus, as a symbol of the joy of seeing the Lord alive.

In some countries, it is customary to celebrate the joy of the Resurrection by hiding sweets in gardens for small
children to find, based on the legend of the “Easter Bunny.”

The most widespread custom around the world to celebrate Easter is to give candy or chocolate eggs to children
and friends.

Sometimes both traditions are combined, and thus the search for the hidden eggs symbolizes every Christian's
search for the risen Christ.

The tradition of “Easter eggs”

The origin of this custom comes from the ancient Egyptians, who used to give each other eggs decorated by
themselves on special occasions. They decorated them with paints that they extracted from plants and the best
gift was the best painted egg. They put them as decorations in their houses.

When Jesus went to heaven after being resurrected, the first Christians established a time of year, Lent, forty
days before the feast of Easter, in which all Christians were to make sacrifices to cleanse their souls. One of these
sacrifices was not to eat eggs during Lent. So, on Easter Day, they would leave their homes with baskets of eggs
to give to other Christians. Everyone was very happy, because with the eggs they remembered that they were
celebrating Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus.

One of these early Christians remembered what the Egyptians did one Easter and decided to paint the eggs he
was going to give as gifts. The other Christians loved the idea and imitated it. Since then, colored eggs have been
given as gifts at Easter to remember that Jesus rose from the dead.
Little by little, other Christians had new ideas, such as making chocolate and candy eggs to give as gifts at Easter.
These are the ones we give away today.

Where does the “Easter Bunny” come from?

Its origin dates back to pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon festivals, when the rabbit was the symbol of fertility associated
with the goddess Eastre, to whom the month of April was dedicated. Gradually, the image of the rabbit was
included in Holy Week and, from the 19th century onwards, chocolate and sugar rabbits and eggs began to be
made in Germany to give as gifts at Easter.

The Germans, in order to justify "Christianly" the mixture of pagan and Christian symbols, invented a very curious
legend, tale or fable, which has been transmitted from generation to generation and which goes like this:

Once upon a time there was a rabbit that lived in the tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea where Jesus' body
was placed after his death on the cross.
The rabbit was present when he was buried and saw how people cried and were sad because Jesus had died.
When they put the stone that closed the entrance, the rabbit stayed there looking at the body of Jesus and
wondering who this Lord was that everyone loved so much. He spent a whole day and a whole night looking at
him, when suddenly Jesus got up and folded the linen cloths in which they had wrapped him. An angel removed
the stone that covered the entrance and Jesus emerged from the cave more alive than ever! The rabbit then
understood that Jesus was the Son of God and felt obliged to warn the world and all the people who were crying
that they no longer had to be sad, because Jesus was not dead, but had risen from the dead. Since rabbits cannot
speak, it occurred to him that if he brought them an egg, a symbol of life, men would understand the message of
resurrection and joy. Since then, the bunny comes out every Easter Sunday to leave colored eggs in every house to
remind the world that Jesus rose again and that we must live happily.

Some ideas for living Easter Time as a family:

How do we celebrate any important holiday as a family? Our children's birthdays, our anniversaries, a wedding...

Why don't we invest the same time, dedication and resources to celebrate the great feast of Easter? Why settle
for just handing out Easter eggs?

Let's see grandmothers and mothers Let's prepare for Easter with the family!!! So that all the signs and gestures
during the 8 days of Easter may truly be signs of celebration, which help everyone to understand the profound
mystery that we celebrate!!!

The family Paschal candle: A large candle, larger than usual. We decorated it with colored paper, hearts that
represent each member of the family. We put a cross in the center. And on each side of the cross, the number
that represents the year.
Above the cross the letter Alpha and below the cross the letter Omega. We light this candle on Easter night, and
it can accompany our family table throughout the entire Easter octave.

Party signs: Balloons, garlands, door signs, signs, etc.

The family table: For 8 days it is dressed up for a party. With the best things, the ones we put out for when
important guests come: tablecloths, flowers, glasses...

Easter Eggs: There is no need to "indigest" our children on Easter Sunday. Easter lasts 8 days, and it would be
great to be able to eat something delicious at each meal during those days: chocolate eggs, special desserts,
sweets, etc. Our children know that when there is a party there are delicious things on the table. Let's be creative
in preparing something delicious for each day of this holiday!

Greetings and blessings: For each day, we can prepare cards with a special greeting or blessing for each person.
We put them in the Easter candle basket, or on each person's plate. They can be wishes, or short texts from the
resurrection gospels. They can also be intentions, desires or goals to be fulfilled during this Easter season.

A gesture of solidarity: Let us take advantage of this Easter time to think as a family about some gesture of
solidarity that we can make to help those most in need, to help Parish Caritas, or to help a neighbour or family
member who needs our help. Easter always puts us on the path to our brothers and sisters, and it is good that
we can mark this celebration with a gesture of solidarity.

Family Assembly: It would be great if during the Easter octave we could take some time to meet in a Family
Assembly and reflect together on the life we share.
As a suggestion we propose this dynamic:

1 What do I like most about life? What things give meaning to my life?
2 What is the most difficult thing in my life today? What makes me suffer or hurt?
3 What do I want to say to the risen Jesus this Easter? What do I need from life, for my life, for my story today?
Surely, many have more ideas, related to their own family tradition...
LET'S CELEBRATE AND SPREAD THE JOY OF LIFE THAT IS MADE FULL BY THE MYSTERY OF EASTER!!! Let us not be
overcome by haste or routine... Let us stop time to celebrate the mystery that is beyond all time...
These are Easter holidays,
They are celebrations of Life,
It is the Mystery of Eternity present in our stories...
It is the risen Jesus who comes to meet us and wants to celebrate his life with us!!!