Easter Vigil

R. (30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!

You are clothed with majesty and glory,

robed in light as with a cloak.

You fixed the earth upon its foundation,

not to be moved forever;

with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;

above the mountains the waters stood.

You send forth springs into the watercourses

that wind among the mountains.

Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;

from among the branches they send forth their song.

You water the mountains from your palace;

the earth is replete with the fruit of your works.

You raise grass for the cattle,

and vegetation for man´s use,

Producing bread from the earth.

How manifold are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you have wrought them all—

the earth is full of your creatures.

Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.

or Ps 33:4-5, 6-7, 12-13, 20 and 22

R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Upright is the word of the LORD,

and all his works are trustworthy.

He loves justice and right;

of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made;

by the breath of his mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea as in a flask;

in cellars he confines the deep.

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Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

From heaven the LORD looks down;

he sees all mankind.

Our soul waits for the LORD,

who is our help and our shield.

May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us

who have put our hope in you.

R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord.

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,

my body, too, abides in confidence;

because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.

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READING III Ex 14:15-15:1

The LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to go

forward. And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea, split the

sea in two, that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land. But I will make the

Egyptians so obstinate that they will go in after them. Then I will receive glory

through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and charioteers.The Egyptians shall

know that I am the LORD, when I receive glory through Pharaoh and his chariots and

charioteers."

The angel of God, who had been leading Israel´s camp, now moved and went around

behind them. The column of cloud also, leaving the front, took up its place behind

them, so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians and that of Israel. But the

cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed without the rival camps coming any

closer together all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the

LORD swept the sea with a strong east wind throughout the night and so turned it into

dry land. When the water was thus divided, the Israelites marched into the midst of the

sea on dry land, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.

The Egyptians followed in pursuit; all Pharaoh´s horses and chariots and charioteers

went after them right into the midst of the sea. In the night watch just before dawn the

LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud upon the Egyptian force a glance

that threw it into a panic; and he so clogged their chariot wheels that they could hardly

drive. With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel, because the LORD

was fighting for them against the Egyptians.

Then the LORD told Moses, AStretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may

flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers." So Moses

stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal

depth. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea, when the LORD hurled

them into its midst. As the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the

charioteers of Pharaoh´s whole army which had followed the Israelites into the sea.

Not a single one of them escaped. But the Israelites had marched on dry land through

the midst of the sea, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left. Thus the

LORD saved Israel on that day from the power of the Egyptians. When Israel saw the

Egyptians lying dead on the seashore and beheld the great power that the LORD had

shown against the Egyptians, they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his

servant Moses.

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: I will sing to the LORD,

for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.

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R. (1b) Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;

horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

He is my God, I praise him;

the God of my father, I extol him.

The LORD is a warrior,

LORD is his name!

Pharaoh´s chariots and army he hurled into the sea;

the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.

The flood waters covered them,

they sank into the depths like a stone.

Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,

your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.

You brought in the people you redeemed

and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance

the place where you made your seat, O LORD,

the sanctuary, LORD, which your hands established.

The LORD shall reign forever and ever.

READING IV Is 54:5-14

The One who has become your husband is your Maker; his name is the LORD of

hosts; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, called God of all the earth. The LORD

calls you back, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, a wife married in youth and

then cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great

tenderness I will take you back. In an outburst of wrath, for a moment I hid my face

from you; but with enduring love I take pity on you, says the LORD, your redeemer.

This is for me like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah should

never again deluge the earth; so I have sworn not to be angry with you, or to rebuke

you. Though the mountains leave their place and the hills be shaken, my love shall

never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the LORD, who has mercy

on you. O afflicted one, storm-battered and unconsoled, I lay your pavements in

carnelians, and your foundations in sapphires; I will make your battlements of rubies,

your gates of carbuncles, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children shall

be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children. In justice shall

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you be established, far from the fear of oppression, where destruction cannot come

near you.

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear

and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;

you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger lasts but a moment;

a lifetime, his good will.

At nightfall, weeping enters in,

but with the dawn, rejoicing.

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;

O LORD, be my helper.

You changed my mourning into dancing;

O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

READING V Is 55:1-11

Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no

money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink

wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what

fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to

me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting

covenant, the benefits assured to David. As I made him a witness to the peoples, a

leader and commander of nations, so shall you summon a nation you knew not, and

nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the LORD, your God, the Holy

One of Israel, who has glorified you.

Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel

forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for

mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your

thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are

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above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your

thoughts.

For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till

they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who

sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my

mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end

for which I sent it.

R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his

deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all

the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

is the Holy One of Israel!

READING VI Bar 3:9-15, 32C4:4

Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life: listen, and know prudence! How is it, Israel,

that you are in the land of your foes, grown old in a foreign land, defiled with the dead,

accounted with those destined for the netherworld? You have forsaken the fountain of

wisdom! Had you walked in the way of God, you would have dwelt in enduring peace.

Learn where prudence is, where strength, where understanding; that you may know

also where are length of days, and life, where light of the eyes, and peace. Who has

found the place of wisdom, who has entered into her treasuries?

The One who knows all things knows her; he has probed her by his knowledge The

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One who established the earth for all time, and filled it with four-footed beasts; he who

dismisses the light, and it departs, calls it, and it obeys him trembling; before whom

the stars at their posts shine and rejoice; when he calls them, they answer, "Here we

are!" shining with joy for their Maker. Such is our God; no other is to be compared to

him: He has traced out the whole way of understanding, and has given her to Jacob, his

servant, to Israel, his beloved son.

Since then she has appeared on earth, and moved among people. She is the book of the

precepts of God, the law that endures forever; all who cling to her will live, but those

will die who forsake her. Turn, O Jacob, and receive her: walk by her light toward

splendor. Give not your glory to another, your privileges to an alien race. Blessed are

we, O Israel; for what pleases God is known to us!

R. (John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The law of the LORD is perfect,

refreshing the soul;

the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,

giving wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

the command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.

The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever;

the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just.

They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup

or honey from the comb.

READING VII Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28

The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Son of man, when the house of Israel

lived in their land, they defiled it by their conduct and deeds. Therefore I poured out

my fury upon them because of the blood that they poured out on the ground, and

because they defiled it with idols. I scattered them among the nations, dispersing them

over foreign lands; according to their conduct and deeds I judged them. But when they

came among the nations wherever they came, they served to profane my holy name,

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because it was said of them: "These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave

their land." So I have relented because of my holy name which the house of Israel

profaned among the nations where they came. Therefore say to the house of Israel:

Thus says the Lord GOD: Not for your sakes do I act, house of Israel, but for the sake

of my holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you came. I will

prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations, in whose midst you

have profaned it. Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the LordGOD,

when in their sight I prove my holiness through you. For I will take you away from

among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your

own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities,

and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new

spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural

hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to

observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your fathers; you shall be my

people, and I will be your God.

RESPONSORIAL

PSALM Ps 42:3, 5; 43:3, 4 or Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6 Ps 42:3, 5; 43:3, 4

When baptism is celebrated.

R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

I went with the throng

and led them in procession to the house of God,

Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,

with the multitude keeping festival.

Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on

And bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling-place.

Then will I go in to the altar of God,

the God of my gladness and joy;

then will I give you thanks upon the harp, O God, my God!

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When baptism is not celebrated. Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his

deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

is the Holy One of Israel!

When baptism is not celebrated Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19

R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Cast me not out from your presence,

and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. I will teach

transgressors your ways, and sinners shall return to you.

For you are not pleased with sacrifices;

should I offer a holocaust, you would not accept it.

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;

a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

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EPISTLE Rom 6:3-11

Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus

were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into

death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we

too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be

united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him,

so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery

to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with

Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised

from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he

died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must

think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.

R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his mercy endures forever.

Let the house of Israel say,

"His mercy endures forever."

The right hand of the LORD has struck with power; the right hand of the LORD is

exalted.

I shall not die, but live,

and declare the works of the LORD.

The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.

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