By Leon Bent –
The Exsultet is a triumphant hymn of praise, a Paschal or Easter Proclamation, a lengthy chant, a panegyric: A prelude to the Easter solemnities.
It is a majestic song of the Resurrection of Christ, a dramatic invitation to heaven and earth to join with the Church in joy and jubilation. It is the rite of sanctification of light and night, of place and time, of priest and faithful for the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. In itself, it is a symbolic representation of the Resurrection of Christ, a sacramental, a preparing for, and anticipating of, the re-enactment of the Resurrection in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
This Easter-sacramental is a jewel of the liturgy, brilliant in content and composition, in its symbolism and efficacy. The hymn is filled with profound theology, radiant with youthful enthusiasm, flowing in the most solemn rhythms of the psalms, resounding in the most jubilant cadences of Gregorian chant. This sacramental, based on the ritual of the Old Testament and containing as it does, venerable relics of apostolic tradition, and reflects and transmits to us an echo of the glorified joy of early Christianity.
The Exsultet is the proclamation of the beginning of Easter and the invitation to celebrate the Paschal mysteries; therefore, it is in the form of a Gospel. It is the blessing and oblation of light, a sacrificial rite; therefore, in the form of an anaphora (a repetition of words or phrases).
The actual graces produced by the Exsultet are acts of faith in the Resurrection of Christ, and in its re-enactment in the Easter celebration, proclaimed and described in extraordinarily fervent, glowing colours; acts, moreover, of expectant hope, of reverence and admiration for the Easter mysteries; acts of gratitude for the charity and mercy of God, for so great a Sacrifice, for so great a glory merited for us by the Redeemer (cf. John 17).
The light of the Easter candle “blots out crime, washes away sins, restores innocence,” by forgiving venial sins and temporal punishment for sins. It “banishes enmities, produces concord and offers joy to the sorrowful.” The prayer for “humbling the haughty” (literally: bring low the power of empires), refers, not merely to the haughtiness of civil authorities, but also and primarily, to the empire of death, the reign of the prince of this world and his hosts.
The Exsultet has also an abundance of temporal effects, partly implied already in the seven effects enumerated, partly suggested in the great intercession, for example, a quiet and peaceful Easter time, free from disturbances of all kind, so that, Christians may, in complete tranquillity enjoy the holy season. When the Church asks God in so solemn a manner on behalf of the faithful that, He may “ever rule and guide and keep them” in His “devoted protection,” then, this special protection of their way of living, of their health and happiness, is assured. The Exsultet is, both, a wish and prayer, congratulation and impetration of a blessed, glorious, joyful, jubilant Easter.
It is not quite certain who wrote this exquisite and beautiful poetic text. Some think it could be St. Augustine, but the majority of scholars attribute it to St. Ambrose. It certainly goes back to the 4th Century A.D.
When it’s lovely melody breaks the stillness of the Paschal night in the thronged congregation, made brilliant by thousands of candle flames, no one, unless her/his heart is empty of poetic feeling, can remain unmoved. Yet, we are not meant to be only drinking it all. Our mind, heart and spirit should welcome the meaning and implication of the text, and our hearts should sing with gratitude, for the great mercies of God, which are described to us in such mellifluous tones.
The Exsultet speaks to us in terms filled with lyric poetry, with multiple scriptural allusions to evoke images, recall stirring events of the past, and stimulate our longing for what is to come: The Beatific Vision! The composer uses metaphor, paradox, hyperbole, and all the other intricacies of rhetoric. The Church sings, not of mere facts, but of mysteries – of the Christian mysteries first enacted by Christ long ago, but ever renewed among us in the Paschal celebrations.
The Exsultet, without doubt, is exciting. The setting is perfect; the ambience ablaze with light, while darkness reigns outside. The great Paschal Candle with the Sign of the Cross, Alpha, Omega, the year 2019 etched in numerals, the grains of incense, surmounted by its glowing flame. There is a moment of expectant stillness; then the cantor-priest/deacon begins to sing one of the loveliest liturgical tunes ever composed, an inspiring appeal that all heaven and earth should make a “Joyful Noise” (Ps.98:4; Ps.66:1).
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.