Daniel: (Inviting all to drink the toast) i“We are ready and prepared to observe the toast of the first cup of wine, for the sake of the Holy One. Blessed be God.”

All: “Praised are you, Eternal One, our God, Creator of the World. You have given us life and strength and brought us to this happy season.”

Mary: (Lifting up a sprig of parsley) “The green parsley is a sign that nature comes to life in spring. Following the Jewish custom before we eat it, we shall dip it into salt water, a reminder of the bitter tears of Israel in Egypt. So we pray: Blessed are you, O God of all creation, through your goodness, we have all the fruits of the earth.”

All: “Blessed be God forever!”

Mary: (Invite all to dip parsley into the bowl of salt water at each table and eat it)

Father: (Picking up the matzo at the table) “This is the bread of affliction, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.”

(Breaking the matzo) “Let all who are hungry come and eat! Let all who are in want come and celebrate Passover with us!”

(Inviting all to break the matzo and share it at their table) “May it be God’s will that we are redeemed from all trouble and slavery. Next year at this time may Israel be free.”

Commentator: “At the Passover the youngest children ask their father the traditional questions about the celebration. The four questions we ask here tonight are about our celebration, and about the connection between the Jewish celebration and our own Christian faith.”

Nicholas: (first question) “Why is this night different from all other nights?”

Daniel: “The answer is to be found in Mishnah, the teaching of the Jewish people concerning Passover. Let us listen together to the passage from Mishnah: “You shall tell your children we celebrate and hold festival because of what the Lord did for us, bringing us out of Egypt.”

Nicholas: (second question) “Why do we eat bitter herbs on this special night?”

Daniel: “The Jewish people eat bitter herbs on this night because their ancestors were slaves in Egypt and their lives were made bitter. We who are disciples of Jesus are not afraid to taste this bitterness as a reminder of his bitter passion.”

(Lift radish) “Let us now take some of our bitter herbs, and eat it.”

Nicholas: (Third question) Why do we eat bitter herbs again, but this time dipped into haroseth?

Daniel: (Inviting everyone to take remaining radishes and dip them into haroseth and eat it.) “We dip bitter herbs into haroseth, our sweet paste, just as the Jewish people do as a sign of hope. The bitterness of Israel was sweetened with the hope of freedom; our sharing in the bitter Cross of Jesus brings us the sweet hope of eternal life.”

Nicholas: (Fourth question) “Why did the Jews at the time of Jesus eat lamb when they celebrated Passover?”

Daniel: “The lamb is the reminder of the paschal lamb, the lamb was eaten at the Passover meal, because when Israel was freed from Egypt God commanded each family to take a lamb, offer it in sacrifice, eat it, and mark the doorposts with its blood. This was the sign for the Angel of Death to pass over their houses. So the lamb was eaten as a memorial. Jesus is the Lamb of God who sacrificed himself for us, and enables us to pass over from death to eternal life. That is why St. Paul cries out in triumph: ‘Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us!’”

Mary: “Tonight, then, as we celebrate Passover; tonight, as Christians, we celebrate the new Passover. We recall, with respect, what God did for Israel. We recall with respect and devotion what Jesus did on this night. The memorial of the people’s salvation through the blood of the lamb becomes the special memorial of Jesus’ sacrifice of himself as the Lamb of God for salvation of the whole world. Before the meal begins let us offer a great hymn of praise.”

All: “How much goodness the Lord has shown to us!”

Mary: “Had God delivered us from Egypt?”

All: “It would have been enough!”

Daniel: “Had God given us the beauty of creation?”

All: “It would have been enough!”

Mary: “Had God made us free persons?”