Alleluia!
I love that as soon as it's okay to start saying Alleluia again, the choir starts singing hymns whose lyrics are only "Alleluia" ... over and over and over again.
At first it's a little stomach-turning. It's like watching someone who just quit the Atkins diet eat 6 donuts, simply gratuitous. But, somehow it leaves me settled and happy; I want to join in with their repeated "Alleluias!" Such a gratuitous act of Creation, Incarnation, Passion and (wow!) Resurrection from our God merits only these redundant cries of joy and praise. On Easter, the core of our faith is celebrated, hence the ridiculous litanies and "Alleluias" I experienced at the Cathedral last night. As we emphasize the central aspect of Christian belief, the Resurrection of Christ, we expose the very center of all Christian worship, "Alleluia!"
At first it's a little stomach-turning. It's like watching someone who just quit the Atkins diet eat 6 donuts, simply gratuitous. But, somehow it leaves me settled and happy; I want to join in with their repeated "Alleluias!" Such a gratuitous act of Creation, Incarnation, Passion and (wow!) Resurrection from our God merits only these redundant cries of joy and praise. On Easter, the core of our faith is celebrated, hence the ridiculous litanies and "Alleluias" I experienced at the Cathedral last night. As we emphasize the central aspect of Christian belief, the Resurrection of Christ, we expose the very center of all Christian worship, "Alleluia!"