Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide: Tuesday of the Easter Octave( Easter Tuesday)

 Praying the Communion Antiphon series Eastertide

He is risen as He said

 Easter Tuesday

Communion Antiphon
“If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; think of what is above, not of what is on earth, alleluia.” (cf. Colossians 3:1–2)

 

1. Thinking about the Words

There is an if at the beginning.

“If you have risen with Christ…”

Not a doubt—but an invitation to remember who we are now.

Through the Resurrection, something has already happened:

• we are no longer where we were
• we are no longer only earthly
• we are already drawn into something more

Therefore  the antiphon calls us to:

• seek
• set our minds

This is active. Intentional.

Not drifting but choosing where our heart rests.

 

 2. The Gospel Connection — Encounter

Today’s Gospel (Gospel of John 20:11–18) brings us to Mary Magdalene at the tomb.

She is:

• weeping
• searching
• looking for Jesus

Even when He stands before her she does not recognise Him.

Why? Because her heart is still fixed on what is earthly:

• the body
• what has been lost
• what she expects to find

And then everything changes with one word:

“Mary.”

 

Now hold the antiphon and the Gospel together:

• The antiphon says: “seek the things that are above”
• The Gospel shows: recognition comes when the heart is lifted beyond what it expects

Mary is not wrong in her love but she is still looking in the wrong way.

It is only when Jesus calls her by name that her gaze is lifted and she sees.

 

3. For Us — Where is Resurrection today?

Where is my mind resting today?

• on what is missing
• on what feels unresolved
• on what I expected but did not receive

The antiphon gently shifts us:

·         Seek what is above

·         Set your mind there

This of course is not as an escape from life but but as a way of seeing life differently since Christ is not absent.
He is present—often unrecognised until something in us lifts.

Sometimes all it takes is:

• a pause
• a prayer
• a quiet calling of our name

Taking The Communion Antiphon Further:

Already there is thread of the Octave between the 2 days- not as separate days but a movement.

From yesterday to today

Yesterday:

“Do not be afraid.”

Today:

“Seek what is above.”

They belong together because you cannot truly lift your heart while it is still held down by fear.

The movement

Yesterday, Jesus meets us in our fear and says:

Do not be afraid.

He does not remove everything but He loosens fear’s grip.

Today, the Church says:

Now… lift your gaze.
Now… seek what is above.

 

The deeper connection

Fear does this:

• pulls us down
• fixes our eyes on what is wrong
• keeps us circling the same place

Resurrection does this:

• frees
• lifts
• reorients

So the journey is:

From fear to lifting
From being held to seeking
From looking down  to looking up

 

And it fits the Gospels perfectly

• Yesterday: the women are afraid… but moving
• Today: Mary is searching… but not yet seeing

And in both:
Jesus meets them where they are and gently draws them further

Yesterday we heard: “Do not be afraid.”
Today we are invited to lift our hearts beyond fear,
to seek what is above, where Christ is.

We may wish to ponder:

·         What fear from yesterday is still sitting in me today?

·         Can I lift it even slightly—toward Him?

 

4. Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You call me by name.

When my mind is fixed only on what is before me,
lift my heart to where You are.

Teach me to seek what is above,
not by leaving my life behind,
but by seeing it in the light of Your Resurrection.

Open my eyes to recognise You
in the ordinary moments of this day.

Alleluia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Praying the communion Antiphons Eastertide series: Introduction

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Eastertide

He is risen as He said. Alleluia.

Praying the Communion Antiphons of Eastertide

Introduction

Each day at Mass, just before we receive Holy Communion, the Church gives us a sentence. It is brief. It is scriptural. It is intentional.

Sometimes we may barely notice it. It may even sound like a garbled sound if we do not have the text in front of us or even like brown cows- a voice from one side of the church and another voice from the other not in unison.

This Eastertide, I would like to build on what we have experienced in the Praying Communion antiphons in Lent series. What does the Church offer us during Eastertide as Communion Antiphons and how can these antiphons deepen our faith in Jesus and the resurrection. How can we carry them within us each day?

They are not random verses. They are chosen words placed on our lips as we approach the altar. What we ponder shapes us. What we carry through the day settles into the heart.

And so, during this holy season, each day we will:

• Think about the words themselves — their meaning, their nuance, their echoes in Scripture.
• Allow them to question us in practical, everyday ways.
• Carry a short prayer drawn from the antiphon into the rest of the day.

Eastertide invites us  with the opportunity to rejoice and to be filled with awe like the women who were first told about the resurrection by the angel. We too can run and tell others about it.

Let us begin.

Collect Series: Easter Sunday Year A

 Collect Series

The Mass: Collect Series

COLLECT SERIES

 

COLLECT

 

The Collect for Easter Sunday Year A reads as follows:

O God, who on this day, through Your Only Begotten Son,

Have conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity,

Grant, we pray, that we who keep the Solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection

May, through the renewal brought by Your Spirit,

Rise up in the light of life.

Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

One God, for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:

 

What does Jesus conquering death and unlocking for me the path to eternity mean for me

How will I keep the Solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection in both good times and in crises in my life.

How will I renew myself with God’s grace in the light of Christ this coming week?

How will I renew my spiritual life during this Eastertide?

What are the areas of my life that need to risen up in the light of life?

 

 

GOSPEL REFLECTION

‘He is not here. He is risen. He will go to meet you in Galilee.’

This Gospel reflection is from Matthew’s Gospel which was read at the Easter Vigil.  On Easter Sunday, the Resurrection account is from St John.

Matthew 28:1–10

Theme: “Do Not Be Afraid — He Has Been Raised.”

 

Setting the Scene

The Sabbath has passed.

In the grey light before dawn, Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” go to the tomb. There is no triumph in their step — only devotion and grief.

Then suddenly:

A great earthquake.
An angel descending.
The stone rolled back.

The guards shake with fear.
The women are told:

“Do not be afraid.”

The words that began the Incarnation now begin the Resurrection.

“He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.”

The tomb is empty — but not abandoned.

It is fulfilled.

 

Gospel Reflection: From Fear to Mission

Matthew’s Resurrection account is marked by movement.

The women come to see the tomb.
They are sent from the tomb.
They run — with fear and great joy.

This mixture is important. Resurrection does not erase awe. It deepens it.

The angel gives them a commission:

“Go quickly and tell his disciples.”

Before they reach the disciples, Jesus Himself meets them.

“Greetings.”

Simple. Ordinary. Almost gentle.

They take hold of His feet — the same feet that had been pierced, the same feet that had walked dusty roads, the same feet washed on Holy Thursday.

The Crucified is the Risen One.

And again, He says:

“Do not be afraid.”

Fear marked Good Friday. Fear marked the disciples in hiding. But fear does not have the final word.

The Resurrection is not merely consolation. It is commissioning.

“Go and tell my brothers…”

Notice the word: brothers.

After betrayal. After denial. After abandonment.

Relationship is restored before explanations are given.

 

Personal Reflection

The Vigil begins in darkness. A single flame pierces it.

Light spreads quietly, candle by candle.

So too in the Gospel.

Resurrection often begins in small obedience — going to the tomb when hope seems buried.

Where in my life do I still sit in Holy Saturday silence?

Where does fear still whisper louder than hope?

The women did not go expecting resurrection. They went to honour love.

Faithfulness preceded revelation. Perhaps that is the key.   Remain faithful. Watch what God rolls away.

 

Questions for Reflection

What “stones” feel immovable in my life right now?

Where has grief overshadowed hope?

How does the Resurrection reshape my understanding of suffering?

What would it mean for me to truly hear, “Do not be afraid”?

Where is God sending me to share hope?

 

Closing Prayer

Risen Lord,
In the quiet before dawn
You broke the power of death.

Roll away the stones
that seal my heart.

Turn fear into courage.
Turn grief into mission.

Let Your light grow in me
until it becomes witness.

Alleluia.
Amen

Praying the Communion Antiphon series; Good FridayA Time Set Apart: Good Friday It Is Finished (No Communion Antiphon – The Church keeps silence) Entering the Day Today is unlike any other. The Church gathers, but does not celebrate the Eucharist. The altar is bare. The tabernacle is empty. The tone is stripped back. There is a holy silence. The Heart of the Day The focus is the Passion from the Gospel of John (John 18–19). And at its centre, these words: “It is finished.” Not defeat. Not resignation. But completion. Everything we have followed through Lent: • mercy • light • healing • being handed over • being lifted up All reaches its fulfilment here. No Antiphon — But a Presence Even though there is no Communion Antiphon, something very profound happens. We still receive Communion. But now we are receiving: • the Body given last night • the gift already offered • the sacrifice now completed There is a deep continuity between: • Holy Thursday (gift given) • Good Friday (gift offered fully) A Deeper Insight Throughout the series, we have followed the movement: • “Do not hide your face…” • “Handed over for us all…” • “To give his life as a ransom…” Now there are no more words to explain it. Only the Cross remains. The Lenten Journey Fulfilled We saw it beautifully earlier: • learning to see • encountering light • receiving mercy • being gathered Now we stand here: before the Cross No explanation needed. No commentary required. Just presence. Reflection (Very Simple Today) • Can I stay with Christ today, even in silence? • Am I willing to look at the Cross without turning away? • What does this love mean for me personally? Prayer Lord, you gave everything for love of us. Help me to remain with you today, in silence and in trust. ________________________________________ Today, your series does something very powerful. It stops speaking as much and allows the liturgy to speak. Because Good Friday is not a day to explain. It is a day to be still… and behold. The Cross is enough. 🌿✝️

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart: Good Friday
It Is Finished

(No Communion Antiphon – The Church keeps silence)

 

Entering the Day

Today is unlike any other. The liturgy starts and finishes in silence.

The Church gathers, but does not celebrate the Eucharist.

The altar is bare. The tabernacle is empty.
The tone is stripped back.

There is a holy silence.

 

The Heart of the Day

The focus is the Passion from the Gospel of John (John 18–19).

And at its centre, these words:

“It is finished.”

Not defeat.
Not resignation.

But completion.

Everything we have followed through Lent:

• mercy
• light
• healing
• being handed over
• being lifted up

All reaches its fulfilment here.

 

No Antiphon — But a Presence

Even though there is no Communion Antiphon, something very profound happens.

We still receive Communion.

But now we are receiving:

• the Body given last night
• the gift already offered
• the sacrifice now completed

There is a deep continuity between:

• Holy Thursday (gift given)
• Good Friday (gift offered fully)

 

A Deeper Insight

Throughout the series, we have followed the movement:

• “Do not hide your face…”
• “Handed over for us all…”
• “To give his life as a ransom…”

Now there are no more words to explain it.

Only the Cross remains.

 

The Lenten Journey Fulfilled

We saw it beautifully earlier:

• learning to see
• encountering light
• receiving mercy
• being gathered

Now we stand here:

before the Cross

No explanation needed.
No commentary required.

Just presence.

 

Reflection (Very Simple Today)

• Can I stay with Christ today, even in silence?
• Am I willing to look at the Cross without turning away?
• What does this love mean for me personally?

 

Prayer

Lord,
you gave everything for love of us.
Help me to remain with you today,
in silence and in trust.

Today, my series  I hope does something very powerful.

It stops speaking as much and allows the liturgy to speak.

Because Good Friday is not a day to explain.

It is a day to be still… and behold.

The Cross is enough. 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Holy Thursday Mass of the Last Supper

Praying the Communion Antiphon series.

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series.

A Time Set Apart: Holy Thursday (Evening Mass)

Given for You

Communion Antiphon (1 Corinthians 11:24–25)
This is my Body, which is for you;
this cup is the new covenant in my Blood, says the Lord.
Do this in memory of me.

 

Thinking About the Words

“This is my Body…”

There is no explanation here.

No symbolism softened. Just a direct gift.

This is.

“Which is for you…”

This is very personal.

Not abstract.
Not general.

For you.

Each person present.
Each person receiving.

“This cup is the new covenant in my Blood…”

This takes us back to covenant:

• promises
• relationship
• belonging

Now the covenant is no longer written on stone.

It is sealed in the Blood of Christ.

“Do this in memory of me.”

This is not just remembrance.

In Scripture, memory means:

• making present
• entering into
• participating in

What happens tonight does not remain in the past.

It continues.

 

A Deeper Insight

Everything we have seen in these last days comes together here:

• “handed over for us all”
• “a ransom for many”
• “to serve and to give”

Now it becomes visible:

He gives Himself.

Freely.
Deliberately.
Lovingly.

 

Connection to the Gospel

Tonight’s Gospel (John 13:1–15):

Jesus washes the feet of His disciples.

This is extraordinary because to wash the feet was the role of the slave.

The One who gives His Body and Blood
first kneels… and serves.

So we see:

• the Eucharist
• and service

are inseparable.

 

Holding Both Together

At the table:

• He gives His Body
• He gives His Blood

At the basin:

• He gives Himself in service

Both reveal the same truth:

Love that kneels.
Love that gives.

 

At Communion

Tonight, Communion is different.

We receive not only:

• the Body of Christ

but the beginning of:

• the Passion
• the Cross gift that will be completed on Calvary

 

Reflection

• Do I truly receive the gift of Christ as “for me”?
• How am I called to serve others in my daily life?
• Can I allow myself to be loved and served by Christ?
• What does it mean for me to “do this in memory of Him”?

 

Tonight, everything becomes very still.

The Church does not rush.

We enter slowly into mystery.

And we hear these words, spoken not just once, but forever:

“This is my Body… given for you.”

Prayer

Lord,
you give yourself completely.
Teach me to receive your love
and to serve as you serve.

 

Other considerations.

The Mass does end with a blessing in its usual way  but the Blessed Sacrament is transferred to the altar of repose representing the garden where Jesus prayed’ If it is possible let this chalice pass me by but not my will, yours be done’.

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon: Wednesday of Holy Week

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon.

A Time Set Apart: Wednesday of Holy Week

To Serve and to Give

Communion Antiphon (Matthew 20:28)
The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.

 

Thinking About the Words

“The Son of Man did not come to be served…”

This overturns expectation. We might expect:

• power
• authority
• honour

However, Jesus defines His mission differently.

Not to receive…but to give.

“To serve…”

Service here is not small or secondary.

It is the very identity of Christ.

Every action of Jesus flows from this:

• healing
• teaching
• forgiving
• accompanying

All of it is service.

“And to give his life…”

Now the meaning becomes clear. Service is not occasional.

It becomes total self-giving.

“As a ransom for many.”

This word ransom connects deeply with what we have seen this week:

• “handed over for us all”
• “bore our sins”
• “gathered into one”

A ransom means:

• a price paid
• a life given
• freedom restored

 

A Deeper Insight

Wednesday of Holy Week  is often called Spy Wednesday — the day Judas prepares to hand Jesus over.

So we hold two movements together:

• Judas prepares to take and betray
• Jesus chooses to give and serve

One closes in on self.
The other opens outward in love.

 

Connection to the Gospel

Today’s Gospel (Matthew 26:14–25):

Judas asks:

“What will you give me if I hand him over?”

There is a price placed on Jesus.

Thirty pieces of silver.

And in contrast, the antiphon reveals:

Jesus Himself is the ransom.

Not bought…
but freely given.

 

Holding Both Together

• Judas measures value in silver
• Jesus reveals value in self-giving love

The contrast is striking.

One calculates.
The other surrenders.

 

At Communion

At Communion, we receive the One who:

• did not come to be served
• but to serve
• and to give His life

We receive the servant who becomes the gift.

 

Reflection

• Where do I seek to be served rather than to serve?
• What does true service look like in my life today?
• Do I recognise the depth of Christ’s self-giving for me?
• How can I reflect even a small part of that love?

This is a very still and profound day.

On the edge of the Passion,
Jesus reveals the heart of everything:

To serve.
To give.
To lay down one’s life.

And in that giving,
we find our freedom

Prayer

Lord,
you came not to be served, but to serve.
Teach me to give of myself
and to walk in your love.

 

 Personal Note: I have been unwell so this is why this posting is late. However, I hope it will speak to you in your Holy Week journey.