EASTER SUNDAY Missa: “Resurréxi”
If Holy Saturday is the night of waiting, Easter Sunday in the ancient Roman Rite is the day of triumph—the full and unrestrained proclamation that Christ has risen from the dead. In the pre-1955 Tridentine liturgy, Easter is not merely a feast among others; it is the Feast of feasts, the axis upon which the entire liturgical year turns, the definitive vindication of Christ’s sacrifice and the foundation of all Christian hope.
The atmosphere of the Church is transformed. The austerity of Lent and the solemn stillness of the Triduum give way to radiant joy. The altar, once stripped, is now adorned; the silence is broken by the jubilant return of the Alleluia, absent since Septuagesima. The Church no longer watches—she proclaims. What was anticipated in shadow during the Vigil is now declared in full light: Resurrexi, et adhuc tecum sum—“I am risen, and I am still with thee.”
The Mass of Easter Sunday in the traditional rite is marked by a profound theological clarity. The Introit itself places the words of the risen Christ upon the lips of the Church, drawn from Psalm 138 (139), expressing not merely a past event but a present reality: Christ lives, and remains with His Father—and with His Church. The Resurrection is not treated as a symbolic or spiritualised notion, but as a concrete, historical, and bodily triumph over death.
The Epistle, taken from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, exhorts the faithful to live as those who have passed through death into new life: “Purge out the old leaven… for Christ our Pasch is sacrificed.” The Resurrection is thus not only something to be believed, but something to be lived. The moral and ascetical dimension is inseparable from the doctrinal: those who are risen with Christ must no longer live according to the old man.
The Gospel, recounting the discovery of the empty tomb, is striking in its restraint. Saint John presents the scene with simplicity and sobriety: the stone rolled away, the linen cloths laid aside, the beloved disciple believing. There is no theatrical display, no attempt to describe the moment of Resurrection itself. Instead, the Church invites the faithful into the mystery through signs—an empty tomb, a folded cloth, a dawning understanding. Faith, not spectacle, is the mode by which the Resurrection is apprehended.
One of the distinctive features of the traditional Easter Mass is the sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes, a chant of great antiquity and theological richness. In it, the Church gives voice to the dialogue between the faithful and Mary Magdalene, who bears witness to the risen Christ: “Tell us, Mary, what didst thou see on the way?” Her testimony—“I saw the sepulchre of the living Christ”—becomes the proclamation of the Church herself. The Resurrection is not an abstract doctrine, but a witnessed reality, handed down through apostolic testimony.
Liturgically, Easter Sunday is suffused with light and solemnity. The use of white vestments, the repetition of Alleluia, the full ceremonial of incense and chant—all express the overflowing joy of the Church. Yet this joy is not superficial exuberance; it is rooted in the deepest theological truth: that death has been conquered, sin has been atoned for, and man has been restored to the possibility of eternal life.
In the pre-1955 structure, Easter Sunday also stands in continuity with the Vigil rather than replacing it. The faithful who have kept watch in the night now enter into the fullness of the day. The newly baptised—traditionally clothed in white—participate in their first Easter as members of the Body of Christ, embodying the very mystery the liturgy proclaims: death to sin, rebirth in grace.
What emerges most clearly from the traditional Easter liturgy is its uncompromising realism. The Resurrection is not reduced to metaphor, nor confined to subjective experience. It is presented as the decisive act of God in history, with cosmic and personal implications. Christ rises not only for Himself, but as the “firstfruits” of those who sleep, opening the way for the resurrection of all flesh.
Thus, Easter Sunday is not merely the conclusion of Holy Week; it is the beginning of a new creation. The Church, having passed through the Passion, now stands in the light of the Resurrection, proclaiming with certainty and joy: Christ is risen—truly risen—and in Him, all things are made new.
Introit
Ps 138:18; 138:5-6
I arose, and am still with Thee, alleluia; Thou hast laid Thy hand upon me, alleluia; Thy knowledge is become wonderful, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. 138. 1, 2 Lord, Thou hast searched Me and known Me; Thou knowest my sitting down and My rising up. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. I arose, and am still with Thee, alleluia; Thou hast laid Thy hand upon me, alleluia; Thy knowledge is become wonderful, alleluia, alleluia.
Collect
O God, who, on this day, through Thine only-begotten Son, hast conquered death, and thrown open to us the gate of everlasting life, give effect by thine aid to our desires, which Thou dost anticipate and inspire. Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
Lesson 1 Cor 5:7-8
Lesson from the first letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians: Brethren, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened: for Christ our Pasch is sacrificed. Therefore let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Gradual Ps. 117:24; 117:1
Alleluia, alleluia! This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us rejoice and be glad in it. V. Give praise unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever. Alleluia, alleluia. 1 Cor. 5. 7 Christ our Pasch is immolated.
Sequentia
Christians! to the Paschal Victim offer your thankful praises.
The Lamb the sheep redeemeth: Christ, who only is sinless, reconcileth sinners to the Father.
Death and life contended in that conflict stupendous: the Prince of Life, who died, deathless reigneth.
Speak, Mary, declaring what thou sawest wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ who now liveth: and likewise the glory of the Risen.
Bright Angels attesting, the shroud and napkin resting.
Yea, Christ my hope is arisen: to Galilee He goeth before you.”
We know that Christ is risen, henceforth ever living: Have mercy, Victor King, pardon giving. Amen. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mark 16:1-7
At that time, Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought sweet spices, that coming they might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen. And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And looking, they saw the stone rolled back. For it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe, and they were astonished. Who saith to them, Be not affrighted; ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: He is risen, He is not here; behold the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples, and Peter, that He goeth before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him, as He told you.
OFFERTORY Ps. 75:9-10.
The earth trembled and was still when God arose in judgment, alleluia.
SECRET
We beseech Thee, O Lord, accept the prayers of Thy people together with the Sacrifice they offer, that what has been begun by the Paschal Mysteries, by Thy working may profit us unto eternal healing. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
PREFACE of Easter
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, at all times to praise Thee, O Lord, but more gloriously especially on this day when Christ our Pasch was sacrificed. For He is the Lamb Who hath taken away the sins of the world: Who by dying hath destroyed our death: and by rising again hath restored us to life. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of Thy glory, evermore saying: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth! Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
Communicating, and keeping this most holy day of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh; and also reverencing the memory, first, of the glorious Mary, ever Virgin, Mother of the same our God and Lord Jesus Christ: and of the blessed Apostles and Martyrs Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon, and Thaddeus; Linus, Cletus, Clement, Xystus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian, and of all Thy Saints, through whose merits and prayers, grant that we may in all things be defended by the help of Thy protection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Communion 1 Cor 5:7-8
Christ our Pasch is immolated, alleluia: therefore let us feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
POSTCOMMUNION
Pour forth upon us, O Lord, the spirit of Thy love, that, by Thy loving kindness, Thou mayest make to be of one mind those whom Thou hast satisfied with the Paschal Sacraments. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
