THE EASTER VIGIL

In the early centuries, Our Blessed Lord’s Resurrection was celebrated each year by a vigil service on the night of Holy Saturday and Easter Day, during which candidates for Holy Baptism were baptised and confirmed, and made their first Communion at the Easter Eucharist.

The Easter Vigil begins after dusk on the evening of Holy Saturday.  The Vigil joyfully honours Our Blessed Lord as the Light and Life of the World, symbolised by the Paschal Candle and the baptismal water, and in a dramatic way it expresses the meaning for us of the Resurrection.

The Vigil has three main parts: the Service of Light, the Baptismal Service, and the Eucharist.

The Service of Light

The Vigil begins with the Blessing of the New Fire, the Blessing of the Paschal Candle, the Solemn Procession and the Easter Song – the Exsultet.

The service starts with the church in darkness.  The congregation all have a small unlit candle.  Then, at the door of the church, a new fire is kindled from a flintstone, a vivid symbol of Christ’s Resurrection: as the spark leaps from the flint, so he arose from the rocky tomb.

An outline of the Cross, with the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet – Alpha and Omega – and the numerals of the current year, is first inscribed on the Candle to teach us that the Risen Christ, the Lord of all ages, should shine in our lives during the coming year.  Five nails or grains of incense, symbolising Christ’s wounds, are fixed to the cross on the Candle.

Then the great Paschal Candle is lit and blessed, representing Our Risen Lord shining in the light and splendour of his Resurrection.  As the Israelites of old were led out of the bondage of Egypt by a pillar of fire, so Our Risen Lord leads his people out of the bondage of sin into the promised land of Heaven.

The great candle is then borne in procession through the church.  Three times the deacon or celebrant, carrying it, sings, “The Light of Christ” and the congregation joyfully sing “Thanks be to God”.  As the procession moves through the church the candles of those nearest the Paschal Candle are lit from it and the flame is passed from one to another until everyone’s small candle is alight.  The sole source of everyone’s flame is the Paschal Candle just as Christ is the sole Light of the world.

So we see a vivid and dramatic representation of the Light of Christ spreading to enlighten all humankind.  At the same time, helping one’s neighbour to light his or her candle is a reminder of our duty to spread the light of the Gospel which we ourselves have received from others. (1)

The Procession is followed by the Exsultet, that ancient and beautiful song of joy celebrating Christ’s victory over sin and death on that night of nights.