Victimae Paschali Laudes
Victimae paschali laudes
immolent Christiani.
Agnus redemit oves:
Christus innocens Patri
reconciliavit peccatores.
Mors et vita duello
conflixere mirando:
dux vitae mortuus,
regnat vivus.
Dic nobis Maria,
quid vidisti in via?
Sepulcrum Christi viventis,
et gloriam vidi resurgentis:
Angelicos testes,
sudarium, et vestes.
Surrexit Christus spes mea:
praecedet suos in Galilaeam.
Scimus Christum surrexisse
a mortuis vere:
tu nobis, victor Rex,
miserere.
Amen. Alleluia.
Click here for an English translation.
This is beautiful sequence used by the Catholic Church, written in 1048. Sublime, poetic, and beautiful, this hymn is considered extremely precious by the Church. She only makes use of it once a year, during the greatest feast of her liturgical year! This hymn expresses a simple, living and childlike faith that the Saints were known to have. How beautiful it is, to see that the same things were believed at the beginning of the second millenium! This hymn is almost a thousand years old, yet our Faith is the same today as it was then. How marvellous is the Catholic Faith, which doesn't change with the times, but always remains the same - "Jesus Christ yesterday, today, and tomorrow". The essentials of our Faith must never change, as there is no change with God or Jesus Christ. God is the Unchanging One.
Easter is indeed the greatest feast, even greater than Christmas. There is at least 40 days preparation for Easter, but only 4 weeks for Christmas. Furthermore, Our Lord was born in order to redeeem us -- so the feast celebrating his life's mission (the Redemption) must be the most important.
This is found on the following CD(s):
Chant Compendium 1.
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