Day 49 - Tuesday of Easter Week - St Paul Outside the Walls

Here we are again at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls. Appropriately, the liturgy is related to St Paul and his ministry.

The Introit of today’s Mass clearly refers to St Paul, he who was the “vessel of election, to carry the name (of Jesus) before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.” The Church sings “He gave them the water of wisdom to drink, alleluia; he shall be made strong in them, and he shall not be moved, alleluia: he shall exalt them forever, alleluia, alleluia.”

PASCHALCAzT 2017 49 Easter Tuesday [ 4:59 ]

Acts 13 records for us the sermon by St. Paul, preaching the Resurrection in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia.

And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of Him, taking Him down from the tree, they laid Him in a sepulcher. But God raised Him up from the dead the third day: Who was seen for many days, by them who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who to this present (day) are His witnesses to the people. And we declare unto you, that the promise which was made to our fathers, this same God hath fulfilled to our children, raising up Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Each day of Easter week, the first part of the Gradual is the same verse of Psalm 117, “This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein.” The following verse changes daily, and today it comes from Psalm 106: “Let them say so that have been redeemed by the Lord, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and gathered out of the countries.”

Certainly, St. Paul himself was redeemed from the hand of the enemy whose purposes he served when he persecuted the Church; but after his conversion, by his missionary work, many were gathered from the nations of the world.

The Alleluia verse returns to the first words of Paul's sermon cited above, “The Lord hath risen from the sepulcher, even He who for us hung upon the tree.”

The Communion antiphon proclaims the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians (3: 1-2), which is sung at the Mass of the Easter vigil: “If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, alleluia: mind the things that are above, alleluia.”