Finally! On Easter Day, finally, we welcome the
word Alleluia back into our worship –
and we do so in droves! In Easter
season, Alleluia is the first and
last word of every Eucharist. We begin
with, “Alleluia. Christ is risen,” and
we end with, “Thanks be to God.
Alleluia!” And in between, we
sing hymns full of Alleluias. Throughout
these 50 days, the word Alleluia punctuates our worship.
Alleluia
is a form of Hallelujah, which comes from the Hebrew Hallel Jah, or Praise God. Praising God is a very appropriate thing for
us to do – especially in Easter season, as we raise our joyous shouts of
acclamation for the miracle of resurrection, the gift of new life.
We
are accustomed to dropping the use of Alleluia in the somber season of Lent
(although occasionally we forget – even clergy!!). But did you know that the rubrics of The Book of Common Prayer also call for
a limited use of the word Alleluia in seasons other than Easter? If you look at the rubrics on pages 340 or
366, you’ll see that the words Alleluia,
alleluia are to be added to dismissals only
in the 50 days from Easter through the Day of Pentecost. That’s why our clergy add them to the
dismissal only in Easter season and not all year through.
Why
would the BCP limit the use of Alleluia in
such a way? My guess is that saving it
up only for the 50 days of Easter marks Easter as the exceptional, priceless,
ultimate season that it is. We make
unfettered use of the joyous word throughout these 50 days, and then we
restrain ourselves so that we may celebrate more fully when the season circles
around again. So let those Alleluias
roar this Easter! And then let us
lovingly store them up for our celebration next year.
Faithfully,
Anne+
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