Easter Vigil, April 19, 2025
The Church calls the Easter Vigil, the Mother of all Vigils. We experience our most fundamental symbolic actions as we celebrate Christ’s victory over death. The Vigil has four parts; I will write a blog for each part to help you prepare to celebrate this great feast.
Part 1 – Service of Light
After night has fallen—when it is totally dark—we gather for a long “vigil”—a time for prayer and reading of Scripture. We gather around a blazing fire, which casts a brilliant light into the night. As meaningful as this ritual can be today, imagine gathering outside the church in the night before the days of electric lights, cars, and other conveniences. The warmth of the fire and the security of its light would speak volumes about Christ, the one True Light.
From the fire, we light the Paschal Candle—our tallest candle. This huge candle will be a reminder to us throughout the year that Christ conquered death and dispels all darkness. It will sit by the baptismal font as a constant reminder, and will stand at the head of the coffin when we bury our dead—reminding us all of Christ’s victory.
This one candle, finally carried into the darkened church, casts a brilliant light. It becomes more brilliant as we each take the light, passing it from one to another, as the flame of Christ spreads throughout the nave. When all have received the light, a long prayer called the Exsultet is sung.
“This is the night!” we proclaim. Not “that was the night.” This is the night. In this mystery of faith we celebrate, time does not hinder us from actually taking part in the mystery. This is the night for our broken world to be made whole. This is the night when all creation is reordered, joining voices to praise Christ—the light no darkness can overcome.
Prepare for this part of the Vigil by looking up and reading the text of the Exsultet. Spend time meditating on the meaning of the poetic images in this Easter Proclamation. What does this prayer say to you about our salvation in Christ?
