Haec dies quam fecit Dominus: exultemus et laetemur in ea, Alleluia.
In recent years my parents initiated a new daily ritual. Somewhere between the morning walk and the bowl of granola, they clasp hands and recite these Easter -familiar lines to each other: This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Initially, this struck me as sweet, an upbeat affirmation that probably looks great on a poster. Then I wondered if this might be a daily roadmap to focus on the sunny bits and steer around sickness and fatigue, the nightly news and traffic jams, the demands of others and their own worries.
I recognize now that this is their renewed commitment to receive the day in full, dark and light. Rejoicing is easy some days. Rejoicing in each day is hard. Rejoicing in each day is a statement of faith.
Here is William Byrd’s two minute version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw4iz5ZZtpM

-Julia Koster