Saint Michael the Archangel Parish

21 Manning St

Hudson, MA 01749

Holy Saturday: The Easter Vigil

“He is not here, but he has been raised...”  
Luke 24: 6

The Easter Vigil

Holy Saturday is the third day of the Sacred Paschal Triduum and it is the Saturday before Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord.

The Easter Vigil begins between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Sunday. The Easter Vigil Mass is held and is the first official celebration of Jesus Christ's Resurrection from the dead. 


The Easter Vigil is the greatest and most holy of all solemnities in the Catholic Church. 


On this holy night, the Church keeps watch, celebrating the Resurrection of Christ in the Sacraments and awaiting his return in glory. It is the turning point of the Sacred Paschal Triduum, the Passover of the new covenant, which marks Christ's passage from death to life. Therefore, the Easter Vigil does not correspond to the usual Saturday evening Mass and its character is unique in the cycle of the Liturgical Year.

What are the elements and parts to the Easter Vigil Mass?


The Easter Vigil consists of four parts:


  • The Service of Light


  • Liturgy of the Word


  • Liturgy of Baptism


  • Liturgy of the Eucharist



The Service of Light


In a suitable place, a "blazing fire" ( rogus ardens) is to be prepared so that the people may experience the flames dispelling the darkness and lighting up the night.


Thus do the beauty of the fire, its warmth and its light, draw the liturgical assembly together. As the celebrant blesses the fire he says a prayer with hands outstretched.


The Paschal Candle is brought forward. The Paschal Candle is the symbol of the "light of Christ, rising in glory," scattering the "darkness of our hearts and minds." Jesus is the light of the world.


The celebrant cuts a cross into the candle. Then he makes the Greek letter Alpha above the cross, the letter Omega below it, and the four numerals of the current year between the arms of the cross.


After these rites, the priest lights the Paschal Candle from the new fire and says: May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.

After the procession, the Easter Proclaimation is proclaimed from the ambo. This poetic text captures the whole Easter mystery placed within the context of the economy of salvation.

The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. They appear together on the Paschal candle and signify the eternal presence of Jesus Christ.
Christ is the beginning and the end.



Liturgy of the Word

One of the unique aspects of the Easter Vigil is the recounting of the outstanding deeds of the history of salvation. These deeds are related in seven readings from the Old Testament chosen from the law and the prophets and two readings from the New Testament, namely from the apostles and from the gospel.


Thus, the Lord "beginning with Moses and all the prophets" meets us once again on our journey and, opening up our minds and hearts, prepares us to share in the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup.


Liturgy of Baptism

After the readings, the liturgy of Baptism begins.


Christ's Passover and ours are given full expression when baptismal water is blessed in the font and when the Christian Initiation of Adults takes place at the Easter Vigil.


While the new members of the community are baptized, the faithful join in renewing our promises as the whole community is sprinkled with the water as we remember our baptism.


Liturgy of Eucharist

Regarding the Eucharist, we are reminded "about the preciousness of so great a mystery, which is the climax of initiation and the center of the Christian life".


The Easter Vigil comes to a climax in the sharing of the Eucharist.

The Exsultet:

The Proclamation of Easter


The Exsultet is said or sung during the Easter Vigil, after the Easter candle is lit. The deacon usually sings this proclamation, or the priest. If there is no deacon or priest to sing, then another person may sing.

Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven,
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation
sound aloud our mighty King's triumph!


Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.


Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lightning of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.


(Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty,
that he, who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me his light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle's perfect praises.)


(V. The Lord be with you.
R. 
And with your spirit.)
V.
 Lift up your hearts.
R.
 We lift them up to the Lord.
V.
 Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R.
 It is right and just.

 

It is truly right and just, with ardent love of mind and heart
and with devoted service of our voice,
to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten.


Who for our sake paid Adam's debt to the eternal Father,
and, pouring out his own dear Blood,
wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness.


These, then, are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers.


This is the night,
when once you led our forebears, Israel's children,
from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.


This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin.


This is the night
that even now, throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin,
leading them to grace
and joining them to his holy ones.


This is the night,
when Christ broke the prison-bars of death
and rose victorious from the underworld.


Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.

O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault
that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!


O truly blessed night,
worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!


This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me,
and full of gladness.

The sanctifying power of this night
dispels wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.
On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.


But now we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God's honor,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees
to build a torch so precious.


O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed to those of earth,
and divine to the human.


Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honor of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.


Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.


May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death's domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.


R. Amen.


Excerpt from the English translation of the 

Roman Missal

© 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved


They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Luke 24: 2-3

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