The Easter Vigil

Some friends recently asked about the significance of the Easter Vigil celebration in Catholic churches held on the Saturday evening before Easter. Since this Mass contains elements of liturgy that are not experienced on any other day of the year, I thought it might be interesting to explain the history and tradition behind a few of these elements.

During the first three centuries of the Church, a celebration of the Lord's resurrection was the only feast observed. The early Christians chose the night time hours to celebrate Christ's victory over sin and death because it was during those dark hours that the mystery happened. It was a common belief within early Christianity that Christ would return during those same hours on Easter Vigil, so his followers wanted to be ready and waiting. They were preparing to experience his final and glorious coming and fulfill the proclamation of "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!"

Our renewed ritual of the modern Easter Vigil Mass echoes the early celebration. Here are a few of the elements and their significance:

1. The vigil begins with the blessing and lighting of the Easter fire. This was not a part of the original ritual. This tradition comes as a counter to a pagan practice of lighting bonfires and praying to deities for the beginning of spring and good crops. This practice was common in pre-Christian times in places like Germany and Ireland. However, St. Patrick , in an attempt to counter the spring bonfires among the Celtic Druids, began blessing a bonfire outside the church on Holy Saturday night. Irish missionaries carried the tradition to the European continent. The tradition eventually spread to Rome and became part of the Easter Vigil liturgy.

The blessed fire also serves the practical purpose of relighting the lamps extinguished on Holy Thursday allowing celebrants and readers to see.

2. The Easter Candle is also lit using this new fire. The tradition of lighting this special candle dates back to the ancient ritual of Lucerne ("lighting of the lamps"). It was present in ancient Rome where people held lit candles to symbolize the risen Christ.

A further symbolism has been added to this candle. A cross is cut or traced into the wax with the proclamation: "Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end," adding the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, "Alpha and Omega." The numbers of the current year are added in the four angles of the crossbars with the proclamation: "All time belongs to him and all the ages; to him be glory and power through every age forever. Amen" Four grains of incense, sealed with wax red nails, are inserted at the ends of the crossbars, and one is inserted where the crossbars meet with the words: "By his holy . . . and glorious wounds . . . may Christ our Lord . . . guard us . . . and keep us. Amen

3. The service then proceeds with the Liturgy of the Word. Here, as in the original ritual, time is spent in Scripture reading and prayer. The readings, usually twelve in all, retell the prophetic timeline of our faith. Stories such as the story of creation, the fall, the flood, the sacrifice of Isaac, the Passover, and the entry into the Promised Land are included.

4. Next comes the ritual blessing of the Easter water, with the chanting of the Litany of Saints, by plunging the Easter candle into the water and by mixing it with holy oils. Then those catechumens who have been preparing to join the faith are baptized and confirmed.

5. The Mass continues with the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Understanding the elements of our faith helps we Catholics learn more about who we are and where we come from. Like with any family, the more we know about our history, the more we understand ourselves, and our place in it.

Continued Easter Blessings on this first Wednesday of Easter.

[Source: Catholic Customs & Traditions: A Popular Guide by Greg Dues. Twenty-Third Publications ©2000, 1989.]