Entering the Joy: Eastertide Entrance Antiphons Series.
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| He is not Here. He is Risen. |
Easter Wednesday: Wednesday in the Easter Octave.
Entering the Joy: Eastertide Entrance Antiphons
Series.
The Entrance Antiphons are an important
part of the Mass. They are meant to set the tone — the theological and
emotional atmosphere for the entire celebration. They help us enter into the
liturgy, prepare our minds and hearts, and reflect the spirit of the day,
especially on feasts and solemnities.
Yet too often, these beautiful texts go
unnoticed. They can sound like a garbled mess, especially if the congregation
doesn’t have the words in front of them. Even with a text to follow, people may
be out of sync — ahead or behind, seldom united in one voice. One might wonder:
What’s the point of the Entrance Antiphon? They don’t always feel very
inviting.
In this Eastertide series, Entering the
Joy: Eastertide Entrance Antiphons, I want to explore these antiphons from both
a biblical-theological and a practical perspective — so these hidden gems might
take their rightful place in the crown of Easter’s spiritual splendour.
Easter Wednesday- Wednesday in the
Easter Octave
“Come you blessed of My Father: receive
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Alleluia”. (Mt
25:34)
This Entrance Antiphon reminds us that
God has prepared the Kingdom for us through the salvation won for us by Jesus. The
Kingdom is prepared and we are to receive it.
This gives us reassurance that the call to holiness is not worthwhile or unnecessary
but that we have the opportunity to be ready to receive the Kingdom now and
when out time comes to leave this earth. The more we live our best life according
to the will of God, just as Jesus gave His life freely in accordance to His Father’s
will, then we will be ready to receive the Kingdom. After all Scripture tells
us that our homeland is in heaven.
This gives us reassurance that the call to holiness is not worthwhile or unnecessary
but that we have the opportunity to be ready to receive the Kingdom now and
when out time comes to leave this earth. The more we live our best life according
to the will of God, just as Jesus gave His life freely in accordance to His Father’s
will, then we will be ready to receive the Kingdom. After all Scripture tells
us that our homeland is in heaven.
However, we should also take into
account that this Entrance Antiphon is only one verse from this Chapter, and so
it is wise to read it in its context as well.
Do we remember what the key features of the sheep on the right were?
·
Fed
the hungry
These features of course are the
corporal works of mercy. So yes, let us claim the Kingdom during this
Eastertide. Let us also consider today as we recite this entrance antiphon that
there is a call for us to be practical in our spirituality. We want to be those sheep on the right at the
end of time. Jesus gives us the roadmap.
The question is how we might respond to
the roadmap today?
Let’s get Practical: Spirituality in
Action.
Sit and read Matthew 25 quietly and
reflectively to see in which area Jesus may be asking us to show His mercy to
others in our lives- family, work colleagues, parishioners, the stranger in the
street, those we meet shopping/at the check out.
How will I practice this antiphon today?
- Be alert for someone who feels left out or unseen — welcome them.
- Offer something small: a snack, a drink, or our time to someone who needs a listening ear.
- Pray for those in hospital or prison, even if you don’t know them. We can visit them with our prayers.
- Clothing the naked might entail having a look in our closet and giving away something that is still wearable and lovely. We must check our motives here. Would we want to wear this item ourselves? Is it still wearable? If the answer is yes, then it is worthy for someone else to enjoy. Perhaps we are able to buy something new and give it away this Eastertide?
- Reflect: “Where have I seen Christ in disguise lately?”
So when we recite this antiphon at Mass or throughout the day, let us rejoice in the glory of Eastertide that Christ is risen and recall that this verse is from Matthew 25-a direct quote from the parable of the Last Judgment — a moment of eternal welcome and blessing:
“Come, you blessed of my Father: receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
It’s not about grand achievements. It’s about seeing and serving Christ in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the sick, the imprisoned, the vulnerable. The kind of life that leads to this welcome is deeply practical — and deeply loving.
The “sheep on the right” live like this:
- Feed the hungry
- Give drink to the thirsty
- Welcome the stranger
- Clothe the naked
- Care for the sick
- Visit those in prison
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