The Great
Vigil of Easter (also called the great service of light), when observed is the
first service of Easter. It is celebrated at a convenient time between the
sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise of Easter Morning. The Easter Vigil is one
that showcases the faithful's eagerness in anticipation of Christ's
resurrection and in welcoming Our risen Christ; The Light Of The world.
"And
I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying "Now the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the
accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night
before our God." Revelation 12 : 10
This age old tradition and concept of a vigil dates back to the early church when Christianity had taken a basic shape. Up to the 6th century AD, the vigil would go on from Saturday night until day break. By the 10th century AD it prolonged as far as Easter Sunday afternoon. However by the middle ages the tradition of Easter vigil was lost due to an unstable practice that was changing with time and was celebrated as early as on Holy Saturday afternoon.
Then how is it that the tradition was brought back and we now observe the vigil on Holy Saturday night?? Well, In the year 1955 the Vatican officially announced that it was right that the vigil should be held on the sunset of the Holy Saturday
Here is the exact of the 1955 Vatican reform issued by the Holy See:
“In the middle ages various causes conspired to bring them forward earlier and earlier into the day, so that eventually they became morning functions, impairing the earlier harmony with the accounts given in the Gospel narratives. This disharmony was most glaring on the Saturday, which became liturgically the day of Resurrection instead of that day’s eve, and, liturgically again, from a day of darkest mourning became a day of light and gladness.”
Then how is it that the tradition was brought back and we now observe the vigil on Holy Saturday night?? Well, In the year 1955 the Vatican officially announced that it was right that the vigil should be held on the sunset of the Holy Saturday
Here is the exact of the 1955 Vatican reform issued by the Holy See:
“In the middle ages various causes conspired to bring them forward earlier and earlier into the day, so that eventually they became morning functions, impairing the earlier harmony with the accounts given in the Gospel narratives. This disharmony was most glaring on the Saturday, which became liturgically the day of Resurrection instead of that day’s eve, and, liturgically again, from a day of darkest mourning became a day of light and gladness.”
Now that
we know a little history of how the vigil came into being, lets deep dive into
the order of the vigil. Shall we??
The vigil
of the Roman Catholic church consists of 4 main parts:
- Blessing of the Easter Candle:
Before the start of
the vigil, the lights of the church are turned off and the priest (main
celebrant) greets the other celebrants and deacons and proceeds towards the
main bon fire which is kept outside the church to bless and in lighting of the
paschal candle. Well, I'm guessing that
by now you have pictured the Easter candle therefore, I'll spare an explanation
of how the candle looks like and proceed further.!
What does the paschal candle symbolize?
The
Paschal candle represents Christ, the Light of the World.
The
pure beeswax of which the candle is made represents the sinless Christ who was
formed in the womb of His Mother. The wick signifies His humanity, the flame,
His Divine Nature, both soul and body.
In
kindling new fire and lighting the paschal candle, we are reminded that Christ
came as a light shining in darkness (John 1:5).
The main
celebrant then prepares the Easter candle by inserting 5 incense grains into
the candle. (As shown in the picture below)
The 5 grains
represent the 5 wounds suffered by Jesus namely:
The three nails that
pierced his hands and feet, the spear thrust into his side, and the thorns that
crowned his head.
As these grains are
being placed the celebrant identifies the other symbols etched on the candle:
1.The cross is
always the central symbol, most clearly identifying it as the Paschal candle
2.The Greek letters
alpha and omega signify that God is the beginning and the end (from the Book of
Revelation)
3.The current year
represents God in the present amidst the congregation( as shown in the picture
which is 2013)
After the blessing of
the paschal candle the Priest (or Deacon) takes the candle and, three times
during the procession to the altar, lifts it high and sings alone "Christ
our light" to which the people respond "Thanks be to God".
After the
second such response all the people light their candles with a flame taken from
the Easter Candle. With this, it is in a matter of a few minutes after which
the entire church illuminates with the tiny drops of candle light of the entire
congregation. The sight is indeed spectacular and filled with grace. A very
familiar picture that comes to mind is the incident of the Pentecost.
"Then, what looked like flames or
tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was
filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages as the Holy
Spirit gave them this ability" Acts ch 2 : 3-4
Exultet
After the Easter candle is rested up on the mantle set up for
the purpose, the entire congregation rises up to rejoice and in proclaiming
Christ's light by taking part in a an age old proclamation sung with great joy
and elegance; The Exultet
During the
next 15 minutes, a deacon (or a priest, or a lay cantor if need be) intones the
Exultet; one of the most evocative and poetic hymns of praise in all liturgy.
For a
beautiful traditional version with included sheet music, you may click on the youtube
video link below:
The text of the
Exultet can be found in the website listed below:
- Liturgy Of The Word
The end of
the Exultet concludes the 1st part of the service and begins the second part
which is The liturgy of the word. This part is a collection of seven readings
taken from the old testament (2 readings from Genesis, 1 Exodus, 2 from Isiah,
1 Baruch and the last reading from Ezekiel) after every reading a responsorial
psalm is recited or sung . Although there are seven readings, a congregation
may choose to have a minimum of 3 readings only. In the church where I go to,
we have only three readings.
After the
readings, a special prayer is said followed by the Gloria. This will be the
first Gloria that has been sung since before Lent with an exception of Maundy
Thursday and the solemnities that occur during lent.
Following
the Gloria is the opening mass prayer after which follows the Epistle of the
Romans. Towards conclusion of the liturgy the priest reads the Gospel of
Christ's resurrection and lastly the
Easter homily.
- Christian Initiation and Renewal of Baptismal Vows
This beautiful part
of the service gives us Catholics a chance to renew our baptismal vows once a
year. The renewal of our baptismal promises enables us start a new and detest
Satan and all his empty promises. In other words Christ's resurrection gives us
new life. I will not be explaining the entire procedure but here are the
prayers offered during this part of the service.
Invitation
Litany of
the Saints
Blessing
of the Water
Renunciation
of Sin
Anointing
with the Oil of Catechumens
Profession
of Faith
Baptism
- Liturgy Of The Eucharist
The vigil ends with
the celebration of Eucharist (Mass) as usual and at the end the priest gives
the final blessing and dismissal to which the people respond 'Thanks be to God,
Alleluia , Alleluia'
The intention of
this blog is to provide a better insight of the Easter Vigil. Also, do not
forget to take a candle with you for the vigil. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it.
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