Alleluia!

Alleluia! returns to our liturgy on Easter, the Day of Resurrection and never leaves again until Septuagesima (which used to be the name for the third Sunday before Lent, the seventh Sunday before Easter). With our disuse of the “...gesima” Sundays, the Alleluia! is meet and right every Sunday except Sundays in Lent, because every Sunday is Easter all over again.

Alleluia (Hallelujah) means literally “praise Jahweh” or “praise God” or “praise the Lord.” In ancient liturgical tradition the people stand and the Alleluia is sung before the reading of the Gospel as a greeting to the Savior who is present and about to speak to the gathered congregation in the words of the Gospel text for the day. The church, in fact, has a number of lovely and memorable Alleluia tracts or Gospel acclamation settings for singing before the Gospel is read. 

Practice has become to ease off somewhat “Protestantly” and sing any hymn of our choosing before the Gospel; but tradition, again, is to sing the Alleluia, a rite or act in itself as we welcome and greet the Savior who is about to speak to us in the Gospel.

Even trumpets are appropriate to herald the King of kings and Lord of lords! Alleluia!

TW+