Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil, also known as the Paschal Vigil, the Great Vigil of Easter, or Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil on the Holy Night of Easter, is a liturgy held in traditional Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Historically, it is during this liturgy that people are baptized and that adult catechumens are received into full communion with the Church. It is held in the hours of darkness between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Day – most commonly in the evening of Holy Saturday or midnight – and is the first celebration of Easter, days traditionally being considered to begin at sunset.
Among liturgical Western Christian churches including the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Churches and the Anglican Communion, the Easter Vigil is the most important liturgy of public worship and Mass of the liturgical year, marked by the first use since the beginning of Lent of the exclamatory "Alleluia", a distinctive feature of the Easter season.
In the Moravian Church, the sunrise service starts before dawn on Easter Sunday. Congregations of the Reformed tradition and the Methodist tradition may observe the Easter Vigil or hold a sunrise service. In Eastern Orthodox churches, Oriental Orthodox churches, and other traditions of Eastern Christianity, the extremely festive ceremonies and Divine Liturgy which are celebrated during the Easter Vigil are unique to that night and are the most elaborate and important of the liturgical year.
Earliest known form
The original twelve Old Testament readings for the Easter Vigil survive in an ancient manuscript belonging to the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The Armenian Easter Vigil also preserves what is believed to be the original length of the traditional gospel reading of the Easter Vigil, i.e., from the Last Supper account to the end of the Gospel according to Matthew.In the earliest Jerusalem usage the vigil began with Psalm 117 sung with the response, "This is the day which the Lord has made." Then followed twelve Old Testament readings, all but the last being followed by a prayer with kneeling.
The twelfth reading leads into the Song of the Three Children and is not followed by a prayer with kneeling, but is immediately followed by the prokeimenon of the Eucharistic liturgy. Thomas Talley stresses the importance of this series of reading as representing the oldest known series and the one evidently having the very greatest influence on the development of all subsequent series of readings.
Genesis 1:1–3:24 ; Genesis 22:1–18 ; Exodus 12:1–24 ; Jonah 1:1–4:11 ; Exodus 14:24–15:21 ; Isaiah 60:1–13 ; Job 38:2–28 ; 2 Kings 2:1–22 ; Jeremiah 31:31–34 ; Joshua 1:1–9 ; Ezekiel 37:1–14 ; Daniel 3:1–29.
According to Byzantine historian Andrew Ekonomou, the Easter Vespers was unknown in Rome prior to its introduction in the mid-7th century, and solemnization by Pope Vitalian during the period when Rome was part of the Byzantine Empire. The Paschal vespers was long celebrated in Constantinople prior to this and the liturgy itself has details that appear eastern in origin.
Western Christian Churches
Catholic Church
The Roman Missal states: "Of this night’s Vigil, which is the greatest and most noble of all solemnities, there is to be only one celebration in each church. It is arranged, moreover, in such a way that after the Lucernarium and the "Exsultet", The Easter Proclamation, Holy Church meditates on the wonders the Lord God has done for his people from the beginning, trusting in his word and promise until, as day approaches, with new members reborn in Baptism, the Church is called to the table the Lord has prepared for his people, the memorial of his Death and Resurrection until he comes again."In the Roman Rite liturgy, the Easter Vigil consists of five parts:
- The Lucernarium
- The Liturgy of the Word
- The rite of Baptism
- The Asperges
- Liturgy of the Eucharist
Once the candle has been lit, it is carried by a deacon through the nave of the church, itself in complete darkness, stopping three times to chant the acclamation 'Light of Christ', to which the assembly responds 'Thanks be to God' or 'Deo Gratias'. As the candle proceeds through the church, the small candles held by those present are gradually lit from the Paschal candle. As this symbolic "Light of Christ" spreads, darkness is decreased.
The deacon, priest, or a cantor now chants the Exsultet, after which the people sit for the Liturgy of the Word.
Once the paschal candle has been placed on its stand in the sanctuary, the lights in the church are switched on and the congregation extinguish their candles.
The Liturgy of the Word consists of seven readings from the Old Testament, although it is permitted to reduce this number for pastoral reasons to at least three, or for very pressing pastoral reasons two. The account of the Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea may never be omitted, since this event is at the centre of the Jewish Passover, of which Christians believe Christ's death and resurrection is the fulfillment.
Each reading is followed by a psalm or biblical canticle sung responsorially and followed by a prayer that relates what has been read in the Old Testament to the mystery of Christ. After these readings conclude, the altar candles are lit. The Gloria in excelsis Deo is sung for the first time since before Lent, with the exception of Holy Thursday or any solemnities or feasts that occurred during Lent.
The church bells and the organ, silent, since that point on Holy Thursday, are sounded again. It is customary in some churches to have no organ playing during Lent at all, except when accompanying hymns. In some regions, the statues, which have been covered during Passiontide, are unveiled at this time. After Gloria in Excelsis Deo, the collect is sung or recited by the celebrant. The reading from the Epistle to the Romans is proclaimed, followed by the chanting of Psalm 118. The Alleluia is sung for the first time since before Lent and with special solemnity. The Gospel of the Resurrection follows, along with a homily.
After the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word, the water of the baptismal font is solemnly blessed, and any catechumens and candidates for full communion are initiated into the church by baptism or confirmation. After the celebration of these sacraments of initiation, the congregation renews their baptismal vows and receive the sprinkling of baptismal water. The prayer of the faithful, of whom the newly baptised are now part, follow.
After the prayers, the Liturgy of the Eucharist continues as usual. This is the first Mass of Easter Day. During the Eucharist, the newly baptized receive Holy Communion for the first time. According to the rubrics of the Roman Missal, the Eucharist should finish before dawn.
Revisions
On 9 February 1951, Pope Pius XII issued decree Dominicae Resurrectionis, instituting several changes to the Easter Vigil in an experimental basis. Previously, the Easter Vigil was held on Holy Saturday morning. He changed the hour of the celebration to after sunset. Pope Pius XII made the changes obligatory in 1956.Outside the church the Easter fire was lit and blessed, and five grains of incense were blessed. All lamps and candles within the church were quenched, so as to be relit later with the new fire. The rubrics did not envisage electricity or gas lighting. At the church entrance, in the center of the church, and then at the altar, each of the candles on a triple candlestick was lit from a candle that had been lit from the new fire. On each occasion, this was followed by a genuflection and the chanting of "Lumen Christi". During the singing of the Exsultet, which then followed, the five grains of incense were placed in the paschal candle. The paschal candle was lit from one of the candles on the triple candlestick.
The Liturgy of the Word consisted of twelve readings, for the most part without responsory chants: the seven mentioned above except the fourth and seventh, plus the account of the Flood as the second; followed by a different one from Ezekiel, plus Isaiah 4:1-6, Exodus 12:1-11, Jonah 3:1-10, Deuteronomy 31:22-30, Daniel 3:1-24. The prayers after the readings were preceded by Flectamus genua and a genuflection, except for the last. After the Old Testament readings the baptismal font was blessed, and the conferral of baptism was envisaged, though rarely performed.
The Litany of the Saints followed. Violet vestments were worn except for the deacon, or the priest performing the deacon's functions, who wore a white dalmatic in the procession and at the Exsultet. The priest, unless acting as deacon, wore a violet cope for the blessing of the Paschal Candle, after which the priest wore a violet chasuble. After the blessing of the Baptismal Font and the Litany of the Saints, white Mass vestments were put on, and Mass followed. The Mass was in the then normal form, including the prayers at the foot of the altar, but without Introit, Agnus Dei, and Postcommunion. Its Epistle was Colossians 3:1-4, and the Gospel was Matthew 28:1-7. Mass was followed immediately by abbreviated Vespers.
Under Pope Pius XII, the Easter Vigil was restructured. He separated the blessing and lighting of the Candle from the Exsultet to the beginning, the present position. The triple candlestick was no longer used. It was from the Paschal candle that, at the chanting of "Lumen Christi", without genuflection, the priest would light his own candle at the Paschal candle. For the second, the rest of the clergy plus altar servers would. For the third, the entire congregation.
The Exsultet's function was turned, without change in the text, into a jubilant praise of the Paschal candle already blessed and lit. Of the Old Testament readings, only four were kept: what had been the first, the fourth, the eighth and the eleventh.
Then followed the first part of the Litany of the Saints, the blessing of the font, possible baptisms, renewal of baptismal promises, a novelty with respect to the past and the first inclusion of the vernacular language in the general Roman liturgy, and the second part of the litany. After this came Mass, without prayers at the foot of the altar. This was followed by Easter Lauds, no longer Holy Saturday Vespers. In virtue of the 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, this form may, under certain conditions, still be used because of its inclusion in the 1962 Roman Missal of Pope John XXIII.