Thursday, March 29, 2012

Bees are Back!

Bees have been restored to their rightful place in the new Roman Catholic English translation of the Exsultet, which is chanted before the Paschal Candle near the beginning of the Easter Vigil. The restored excerpt:

On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise, this gift from your most holy Church.But now we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God’s honour,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious.


I join First Things and the New Liturgical Movement in rejoicing.

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