The first eight days of
the Easter season ("Bright Week") make up the Octave of Easter and
celebrated as Solemnities of the Lord. Singing
the Easter sequence, Victimae Paschali Laudes, at Mass throughout the
Octave is recommended, though not required. At the end of Masses during the
Easter Octave, the dismissal, as at Easter, is sung by the deacon or priest; to
which the people respond in song, “Thanks be to God,
Alleluia! Alleluia!”
"The
Christian should be an Alleluia
from head to
foot!"~
St Augustine
“Let
us keep the holy feast of Pascha and then, adding day by
day
the
holy Pentecost, which we regard as feast upon feast,
we shall keep the festival of the Spirit." ~ St Athanasius (4th c)
we shall keep the festival of the Spirit." ~ St Athanasius (4th c)
"We are an Easter people
and 'Allelujah' is our
song."
St Augustine
"...
we are given two liturgical seasons, one before Easter and the other after. The season before Easter signifies the
troubles in which we live here and now, while the time after Easter which we are
celebrating at present signifies the happiness that will be ours in the future.
What we commemorate before Easter is what we experience in this life; what we
celebrate after Easter points to something we do not yet possess. This is why we
keep the first season with fasting and prayer; but now the fast is over and we
devote the present season to praise. Such is the meaning of
the Alleluia we sing. ...
Now therefore,
brethren, we urge you to praise God. That is what we are all telling each other
when we say Alleluia. You say to your
neighbor, “Praise the Lord!” and he says the same to you. We are all
urging one another to praise the Lord, and all thereby doing what each of us
urges the other to do. But see that your praise comes from your whole being; in
other words, see that you praise God not with your lips and voices alone, but
with your minds, your lives and all your
actions."
on
the Psalms (Ps. 148, 1-2: CCL 40, 2165-2166)
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