Easter Vigil

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Holy Saturday is marked by profound silence, since this is the day when Lord’s body lay in his tomb. We recall the Apostles’ Creed which says “he descended to the dead”. Ideally, Holy Saturday should be the quietest day of the year (although this is not so easy in our busy world or household as it might be in a convent or monastery).

It is a day of suspense between darkness, sin and death, and the Glorious moment of the Resurrection and the restoration of the Light of World.

On Holy Saturday, the Church waits at the Lord’s Tomb, meditating on His suffering and death. The Altar is left bare and the sacrifice of the Mass is not celebrated. Only after the solemn vigil, during the night, held in anticipation of the resurrection, does the Easter celebration begin, with the Spirit of Joy which overflows.

During the Easter Vigil, the Church reads the account of creation as a prophecy. In the resurrection, we see the most sublime fulfillment of what this text describes as the beginning of all things. God says once again: “Let there be light!” the resurrection of Jesus is an eruption of light. Death is conquered, the tomb is thrown open. The Risen One himself is Light, the Light of the world.

Waiting for the great event of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christians persevere with Mary in praying and meditating. Nightfall on Holy Saturday is a time for joy and greatest expectation because of the beautiful Liturgy of the Easter Vigil, often referred to as the mother of all vigils, or the great service of light.

The Easter Vigil was restored to the liturgy in 1955, during the Liturgical Reform which preceded Vatican Council II. During the day, preparation at home which must be made for Easter day are appropriate, because they keep our attention fixed on the holiness and the importance of the most central feast of the Church.

This holy night is the most solemn memorial, in the entire year, of the central mystery of our redemption: Christ’s saving death and glorious resurrection. With gratitude and joy we should take part in it to the best of our ability. It may be presumed that reception of Holy Communion will constitute our most intimate sharing in the feast.  

The vigil has four parts:

1) The Service of Light

2) The Liturgy of the Word

3) The Liturgy of Baptism

4) The Liturgy of the Eucharist

This is the story of our salvation – how God prepared to rescue us from the power of sin and death.  The God who created us, who led a chosen people out of slavery, raised Jesus from death.  We can rejoice that death has no final victory over us. Behold the body of Jesus in the tomb today, contemplate the mystery on this holy Saturday, in anticipation of celebrating the gift of life.