Easter Vigil

The night in which Our Lord ‘passed over’ from death to life, from darkness to light, is the climax of Holy Week and, indeed, of the Christian year.

The Easter Vigil, which must begin after dusk on Holy Saturday, is THE celebration of Easter. This is so important that it could be argued that there should be no other Mass at Easter, but for practical, pastoral reasons there must be. But no matter how many Masses are celebrated at the Easter weekend, none should outshine the Vigil in the solemnity of the ritual and music.

The Vigil liturgy has four distinct parts:

The Service of Light

The Liturgy of the Word

The Liturgy of Baptism

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

The Service of Light begins with the gathering of the congregation outside the church, where a fire has been lit, the ‘new fire’ symbolising the rebirth of the Church, which has died with Christ on Good Friday. From this fire the Paschal (or Easter) Candle is lit and carried by the priest at the front of a procession into the dark church building. As the congregation follows the priest into the church, light is taken from the Paschal Candle and given to those present so that the building becomes ablaze with the light of Christ. The Paschal Candle is now placed in its stand on the sanctuary and the congregation, holding their lighted candles, listen to the Easter Proclamation, the ‘Exsultet.’

In the Liturgy of the Word we have a series of readings from the Old Testament which recall some of the ways in which God saved his people throughout history. The psalms (or hymns) and prayers following each of the readings comment on or explain the Christian context of these readings. These readings lead almost naturally into the hymn of praise, the ‘Gloria’ before we listen to a passage from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans. During Lent, the ‘Alleluia’ (a Hebrew word meaning “Praise God”) has not been sung. It is now solemnly intoned to mark the Resurrection of Jesus., and it leads into the Easter Gospel (this year from Saint Luke) and the homily.

The scene now shifts from the sanctuary to the baptistery for the Liturgy of Baptism.

This begins with the Litany of the Saints, a reminder of our fellowship with the Church in heaven as well as on earth. The baptismal font is then blessed. At St. Mary’s this year we shall baptise one adult, Dawn, and receive another adult, Claire, into Full Communion with the Catholic Church. After Dawn has been baptised, Claire will join with the rest of the congregation in renewing her baptismal promises. Both of them will then receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The Bidding Prayers lead into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the climax of theEaster Vigil from which the whole congregation including its new members is sent out to proclaim that “the Lord has truly risen from the dead. Alleluia!”