Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide Monday of the Easter Octave (Easter Monday)

 Praying The Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide

He is not here. He is risen.

Easter Monday

Communion Antiphon

“Christ, having risen from the dead, dies now no more; death will no longer have dominion over him, alleluia.” (cf. Romans 6:9)

 

Thinking about the Words

The whole Communion Antiphon is not simply a statement. It is a proclamation of the Easter message.

Dies now no more.

Notice that the word dies is in the present tense. We too in faith can die no more because of the Resurrection. We need to choose to die no more to sin, to old behaviours and patterns. We choose with God’s grace to die no more.

Dominion

 The word “dominion” At its simplest, dominion means:

rule, authority, control, mastery over something. However, in Scripture, it carries a deeper, more layered meaning.

 1. Dominion as power that governs

Think of a king and a kingdom.

If something has dominion, it:

• sets the terms
• decides the outcome
• has the final say

So when the antiphon says:

“death will no longer have dominion over him”

…it means:

• Death no longer governs Christ
• Death no longer determines what happens to Him
• Death has lost its authority

 

2. Dominion as a power that holds someone

There is also a more personal nuance.

Dominion is not just external rule—it can feel like:

• something that has a hold on you
• something that keeps returning
• something that seems stronger than your will

In that sense, we might recognise “dominion” in:

• fear that keeps coming back
• habits we can’t seem to shift
• thoughts that dominate our inner world

 

3. Dominion as final control

This is the deepest layer.

Dominion is not just influence—it is ultimate control.

So the antiphon is not saying:

• death is weakened
• or death is less frightening

It is saying:

Death has lost ultimate control
Death is no longer the end of the story

 

Now listen again:

Death will no longer have dominion.

There is a finality here. Something has been broken—completely.
Not eased. Not softened. Broken.

Death no longer has the last word. It has no power over Christ. Because of Him, it also has no power over us. This is the Church placing on our lips a truth that is almost too large to take in.

 

This means:

• death can still appear- we are human and mortal. Death comes to all of us. However, there are many deaths that occur in our lives on a daily basis.
• it can still wound
• it can still be felt

 

When we pray this word, you might gently ask:

What feels like it has dominion over me right now?

Not in a heavy way… just honestly.

And then:

Is this truly the final authority in my life?
Or does Christ have the final word here?

 

A very simple way to carry it

 We could even reduce it to a quiet line during the day:

“This (name it) does not have dominion.”

Not denying reality but placing it in the light of the Resurrection.

 

The Gospel Connection — Encounter

Today’s Gospel (Gospel of Matthew 28:8–15) is full of movement.

The women leave the tomb quickly. They are filled with fear and great joy. They run to tell the disciples

And then—
Jesus meets them.

Not later. Not after they have everything sorted. On the way.

And what does He say?

“Do not be afraid.”

 

Now hold the antiphon and the Gospel together:

• The antiphon proclaims: death has no dominion
• The Gospel shows: fear is already being undone

Because if death has lost its power,
then fear—its closest companion—begins to lose its grip too.

The women still feel fear but they are moving anyway.

And in that movement, they encounter Jesus.

 

This is in direct contrast to the soldiers who run away in fear to tell the chief priests and scribes. Their fear was inward- about themselves whereas the women, although still having some fear run to share the good news with the disciples.

 

For Us: Where is Resurrection today?

Where am I still living as though something has dominion over me?

• fear
• discouragement
• exhaustion
• old patterns

The antiphon says:
This does not have the final word.

Like the women, I may still feel it but the good news is that I do not have to stand still inside it.  I make the choice to move. I can move, even if it is a small tentative step It is often on the way rather than at the end—that Jesus meets me.

 

 Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You have broken the power of death.

When fear still rises in me,
teach me to keep moving toward You.

Meet me on the way,
as You met the women at the tomb.

Let Your risen life take hold in me today,
so that nothing may have dominion over my heart
but You.

Alleluia.