“Rejoice, O Pure Virgin!”

For this joyful Easter week, a brief musical interlude:



The Angel cried to the Lady full of grace:

Rejoice! Rejoice, O pure Virgin!

Again, I say rejoice! Your Son is risen

from His three days in the tomb.

With Himself He has raised all the dead.

Rejoice, rejoice all ye people!

Shine! Shine! Shine, O new Jerusalem!

The Glory of the Lord has shown on you.

Exult now, exult and be glad, O Zion!

Be radiant, O pure Theotokos, in the Resurrection,

the Resurrection of your Son!

***

This is one of my favorite Easter hymns. It’s based on an Eastern Orthodox chant which reflects an oral tradition that Mary was the first to hear of Christ’s Resurrection, by a message from an angel. The idea is that it was sort of a second Annunciation; just as Mary was the first to hear the good news of the Incarnation, it seemed fitting that she would also be the first to know of the Resurrection.

I particularly like this hymn, because it’s one of the few that celebrates the Marian dimension of the Paschal mystery—which in turn, can help show us as consecrated virgins the particular way in which we are called to interiorize this sacred mystery in our own life of faith.

H/t to Emily for finding a video and the words to this song.

(P.S.: How does everyone like the new template?)