Alleluia is the well-known proclamation of Easter joy. All through Lent we haven’t seen or spoken a single syllable of the word, but now it bursts forth everywhere we look.
The word comes to us from the Jews—it was their cry of praise to God. It is often used in the Psalms.
In Hebrew, Allelu is an exclamation reserved for divine praise meaning “All hail” or “Glory in the highest.” Ia refers to God Himself, “Him Who Is.”
Allelu-ia, therefore, means “All hail to Him Who Is” or even—roughly—“Glory to God in the highest.”
When Catholics adopted the phrase, it soon became very important in the Liturgy and Office.
It is always removed during Lent because of its joyful character, and returns with the great celebrations of Easter:
During Eastertime it is the characteristic Paschal note of varying parts of Mass and Office, constantly appearing at the beginning and end, and even in the middle, of psalms, as an instinctive exclamation of ecstatic joy.
—The Catholic Encyclopedia
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