ROMERO: ¡Resucitó! He is Risen!

“¡Resucitó, resucitó, resucitó, aleluya!” That was the song a Portuguese Neocatechumenal Way group sang as we were walking out of the Monastery of La Encarnación in Ávila, Spain, on the first days of our World Youth Day pilgrimage last year. Listening to this song not only gave me the chills and brought tears to my eyes, but it reminded me of how beautiful and universal our Catholic Church is and transported me back to my childhood when I sang this traditional song with my church choir during Easter. This song specifically sings about a central point of our faith: The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. For as St. Paul reminds us, “And if Christ has not been raised, then empty (too) is our preaching; empty, too, your faith” (1 Cor. 15, 14). As we begin this Easter season, I continually reflect on the joy we experience knowing that He rose from the grave and conquered death.

As a musician, I have the joy of being able to live the Triduum fully since I have to select the songs that will be sung on those special days. The lyrics of each of these songs give me the opportunity to appreciate the message of salvation from a liturgical perspective. Using my voice and playing an instrument allows me to be a protagonist in the celebration; in short, all my senses are alert to my own encounter with the risen Christ. For this reason, it was inevitable that I reacted emotionally when the young adults sang and praised: ¡resucitó! As leader of the Spanish choir at my home parish, Holy Family Church in Missouri City, song preparation leads me to truly live and experience the Paschal Mystery of the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord. The feeling and rhythm of the music changes day by day as the Easter Triduum passes. We live various states of emotion, such as the sadness that invaded the Lord when He knew that He was going to be betrayed and then the joy of the resurrection. Music enhances the moment and unites the congregation.

On Holy Thursday, the songs bring us together to remember the Last Supper and the washing of feet, where the disciples did not understand the meaning of that action of purification, which the Lord sent them to continue loving and serving others. Good Friday is a day of much silence and meditation. The songs I chose reminded us of the sacrifice of the cross and the agony that the Lord experienced on the way to Calvary and until His death. The Easter Vigil at my parish is lived in such a beautiful way by celebrating a multilingual mass with songs in English and Spanish. The Exultet, the epistle and prayers of the faithful are also proclaimed in different languages that represent our community, such as Italian, Igbo, and Tagalog.

The most emotional moment for me during the Triduum is the Easter Vigil, during which the lights are turned on and the Gloria is sung. It is so breathtaking to hear the bells ring and see how we go from darkness to light. The Easter Vigil is so extraordinary because it is where we welcome our brothers and sisters in Christ who have prepared to receive their Sacraments of Christian initiation into the Church. We celebrate the resurrection of Christ in the Sacraments, awaiting His return in glory. On Easter Sunday, the songs are joyful. Since our choir is mostly a band, we go all out on Easter Sunday and choose the most epic selections to glorify that He is alive!

My hope is that not only the musicians/liturgical ministers can live Easter so fully but also those sitting in the pews. I pray that everyone can feel that real presence of the Risen Lord whether sitting in the pews or anywhere in the world. Let all of us this Easter exclaim with joy along with the singers I heard in Spain: “¡Resucitó, resucitó, resucitó, aleluya!” 

Thalia Romero serves as an associate director for the Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry.

(Photo by James Ramos/Herald)