Peccator, su, tutti quanti
The Paschal Call to Joy
The sinner is invited to rejoice in the triumph of Christ over death and the liberation of the saints.
Sinner, come on—every one of you—let's rejoice with longing: this is the day that God has made; let each one exult and sing. Sinner, death is dead: this death gives life; today the suffering brings comfort to everyone—a sweet suffering and a good death.✦1 Today the servant is crowned; the saints come forth from hell.✦✦2
The Fruit of the Grain
Christ is presented as the grain of wheat that dies to bear fruit, becoming the holy bread that feeds the faithful.
Today the grain reaches heaven—the Grain of him who died on earth. If this Grain hadn't died, it wouldn't have borne any fruit at all; today this fruit, in Mary's garden, comforts those who weep.3 This ear of grain has grown its fair fruit and made it into bread: holy bread that feeds everyone at the daily tables.✦ Oh, happy are the human minds that eat the bread of the saints!
The Holy Night of Light
The darkness of the night is transformed by the light of the Resurrection, guiding the people and surpassing the glory of the sun.
Blind night, how holy you are—you saw him raised. In your darkness such light for the world has no equal: your shadows were brighter than all the sun's rays.4 In the dark of night, the pillar shows the people in the desert the straight and sure path; it strikes fear into the Egyptians, hell trembles at such pure light, and in heaven, the saints sing.✦ O blessed and worthy night—your Maker wants great good for you! Though the sun may scorn us, you saw a more beautiful Sun: such glory can't be praised in words or mortal songs.5
Putting on the Armor of Light
The believer is exhorted to abandon darkness and live a life hidden in Christ.
Let everyone cast off the clothing of the dark night and put on the armor of light; let everything within us be light.✦ Our life, hidden in Christ, is light in God; sing, you saints.✦
Read the original Latin
Peccator, su, tutti quanti, rallegriamci con disio: questo è il dí c’ha fatto Iddio: ciascheduno esulti e canti.
Peccator, la morte è morta: questa morte vita dona; la pena oggi ognun conforta, dolce pena e morte buona. Oggi il servo si corona, dell’inferno vengon santi.
Oggi al ciel la spiga arriva di quel Gran che in terra è morto: questo Gran, se non moriva, frutto alcun non avria pòrto: questo frutto oggi nell’orto di Maria conforta i pianti.
Questa spiga il suo bel frutto ha cresciuto e fatto un pane: santo pan, che pasce il tutto alle mense cotidiane. Oh felice menti umane, che mangiate il pan de’ santi!
Cieca notte, ben se’ santa, che ’l vedesti suscitare: nelle tenebre tue tanta luce al mondo non ha pare: l’ombre tue furon piú chiare che del sole i raggi tanti.
Mostra il cammin dritto e certo la colonna nell’oscura notte al popol nel deserto: agli egizi fa paura; l’inferno a tal luce pura triema, e ’n ciel cantono i santi.
O beata notte e degna, tuo Fattor gran ben ti vuole! Benché ’l sol forse ne sdegna, tu vedesti un piú bel Sole: tanta gloria con parole non si lauda o mortal canti.
Ciaschedun lasci la vesta della notte tenebrosa; della luce l’arme vesta: luce in noi sia ogni cosa. Nostra vita in Cristo ascosa luce è in Dio: cantate, o santi.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Cor.15.54-1Cor.15.55 — But when this perishable puts on imperishability, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 1Cor.15.55 — Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?
- ↩1Pet.3.18-1Pet.3.19;Matt.27.52-Matt.27.53 — For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God — put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit. 1Pet.3.19 — in which also he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, Matt.27.52 — and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised Matt.27.53 — and after his resurrection they came out of the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.
- ↩Isa.52.13;Phil.2.8-Phil.2.9 — Behold, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Phil.2.8 — And he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Phil.2.9 — Therefore God also exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name,
- ↩John.12.24 — Truly, truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
- ↩Exod.13.21-Exod.13.22 — And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. Exod.13.22 — The pillar of cloud did not depart by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
- ↩Rom.13.12 — The night is far gone, and the day is at hand; let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
- ↩Col.3.3 — For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Notes
- 1 ↩questa morte points to Christ's death on the cross, which paradoxically kills death and gives life; pena/dolce pena is the saving pain of the Passion, not ordinary affliction.
- 2 ↩il servo may mean the redeemed sinner-servant or Christ as Suffering Servant now crowned; dell'inferno vengon santi points to the Harrowing of Hell, so both senses remain theologically live.
- 3 ↩Gran is capitalized in the source as a Christological figure of the grain of wheat; keep Grain as a title-metaphor, not ordinary cereal.
- 4 ↩Italian suscitare is the resurrection sense: the night is praised for witnessing Christ raised from the dead, not mere waking or stirring.
- 5 ↩Sole is capitalized in the source for Christ as the true Sun over against the natural sun (sol).
Spiritual Lauds companion
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Chosen Portion is a modern Book of Hours: it turns the fixed-hour structure this collection preserves into scheduled, tappable daily prayer on your phone.
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