process into the church, which is in darkness . The subdeacon, still vested in violet, carries the unveiled processional cross. An acolyte carries a taper lit from the new fire. The deacon carries a special triple candlestick. When he enters the church, one of the three candles on the triple candlestick is lit by the acolyte with the taper. The deacon genuflects, holds up the triple candlestick, and sings, “Lumen Christi.” All genuflect and respond, “Deo gratias” (page 6). This ceremony represents the light of Christ coming back into the world at the Resurrection. At the middle of the church, the second candle of the triple candlestick is lit, and the deacon sings again to a higher pitch, “Lumen Christi.” We all respond again, “Deo gratias.” When thethe Old Testament and the New Testament. Most importantly, it draws connections to the Passover sacrifice and the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt through the Red Sea. This event in the Old Testament is one of the strongest precursors to our redemption. It connects the Paschal candle with the pillar of fire with which God lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 13:21-22). The pillar of fire never failed, just as the light of Christ never fails (John 1:5).





The Exultet even expresses joy over the original sin of Adam that caused us to receive our Redeemer. This original sin is called a felix culpa or “happy fault,” a term coined by St. Augustine, because even though it was a sin that offended God and caused mankind