Liturgy of Light

Have you ever been to a Mass and experienced a holy moment and just wanted to stop and think and rest in the beauty of the experience? The Liturgy of Light is kind of like that. This "paraliturgy" is a borrowing of elements from the most intense and beautiful liturgy of the Church year: the Easter Vigil.

Isolating one aspect of this 2-3 hour liturgy, we focus on the Christ candle--hence the name: Liturgy of Light! We also have a child-friendly Exultet sung, which is one of the most beautiful prayers I have ever heard intoned! If you'd like to hear it again, check out the video I have attached!

The children's work in the atrium following the paraliturgy was truly a fruit-bearing exercise. Some children got to work making 3D Easter candles, complete with the symbol for the Alpha and Omega and the incense marking the five wounds of Christ. One child made a cross and taped stones on the parts of the cross where the wounds/incense nails would be. Last year, a child drew a beautiful picture of the Easter candle in the darkness with the bright light eminating from it.

This year, a new child who is in 1st grade made a booklet. One the front page she wrote Jesus, God, Love. The second page was black and on it she wrote (in black) "Can you see me, Good Shepherd?" and on the final white page she wrote, "I can see you in the darkness, Love, Jesus."

We also had a child in the older grade (not CGS) who shared with us an intense experience of Jesus during the Liturgy of Light. He said that he sat there and closed his eyes and tried to think about what God might look like (contemplation!), and he said he saw an image of Jesus--but he looked different than the pictures--and his face was in the flame of the big candle.

It is amazing the fruits that come from prayer and giving God the opportunity to work with souls. CGS is about creating an environment where God and the child meet, but it's funny because any catechist will tell you that when you give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to light a flame in a child's heart, you can't help but be set on fire, too. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Amen.

Mandie DeVries, Catechist & Director of Faith Formation

Here is the video.. The Exultet starts at around 3m30sec. The first part is very like the Liturgy of Light in that there is silence and the spread of light! Divided but undimmed!