Exsultet! Rejoice!

It's a spectacular song. Late in the day on March 26, or in some places early in the wee hours of March 27, it will be sung. From Blessed Sacrament Parish in San Diego to St. John's Parish in Bangor, Maine; from St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Key West, Florida to St. Philip Neri Parish in Portland, Oregon; and in every other Catholic church across the country and world, this ancient Christian hymn will be heard. It's the Exsultet, named for the first word of the hymn, Latin for "rejoice."

The Easter Vigil is a service of light. After the paschal candle is blessed and then lit from the newly blessed fire, after all the participants' candles are lit from this paschal candle, and after the Lumen Christi (Light of Christ) procession into the church, it's the one and only time all year for the Exsultet. Miss it this year and you will need to wait another full year to hear it.

Scholars of sacred songs have identified several variations of the Exsultet, but many believe these were later versions. What is sung today probably dates to the late fourth or early fifth century. Many scholars think St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan from 374 to 397, is the author. Others aren't so sure. They think this song, although reflecting other writings by Ambrose, is not as polished as other Ambrosian writings and therefore suggest another author--anonymous. Whoever wrote this perennial hit song certainly had a way with words and a flair for festivity.

It begins with a series of invitations to rejoice: heavenly powers, radiant earth, and mother church. Then the song asks all present to join in, asking God that the singer receive the grace to sing this Easter praise. Next comes the familiar beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer: "Lift up your hearts ... Let us give thanks to the Lord." Then comes a poetic proclamation of the mighty acts of God throughout salvation history, including the famous phrase "O happy fault," referring to Adam and Eve's sin. Sometime in the Middle Ages this phrase was omitted from the hymn; medievalists never were much for happiness or fun. Happily, this phrase was reinstated after a several-hundred-year hiatus.

During the Middle Ages artistic scrolls containing both the text of the song and elaborate visuals illustrating various phrases were unwound as the Exsultet was sung. The visuals were painted upside-down on the scroll so that, as the singer unfurled the scroll as he sung, the upside-down visuals became right side up for the congregation. These pictures helped churchgoers who no longer spoke Latin to understand the Latin text. One such illustrated scroll was over 22 feet in length.

One line from the Exsultet, "This is the night that heaven married earth," has always caught my imagination. I would like to see how some of the liturgical artists of the Middle Ages visualized that line. It's such an intimate image with heaven as the loving pursuer instead of earth.

Listen carefully to the words of the Exsultet playing for a single night only at the Easter Vigil near you. Realize that you are participating in one of the oldest known hymns of Christendom. And know that this is the night that divinity marries humanity!

PETER GILMOUR ([e-mail]) teaches at the Institute of Pastoral Studies of Loyola University Chicago.