THE EASTER VIGIL
1. Free and Risen with Christ
2. I Was There
3. Liberated and Living in the Covenant of Love
Structure of the Rite. The Easter Vigil rite harmoniously integrates everything in one continuous celebration that follows the normal structure of the Eucharistic celebration.
The Liturgy of the Light is the opening rite of the Mass.
The Liturgy of the Word is an expanded version of the usual Liturgy of the Word, so that we can hear about God liberating his people both in the Old and in the New Testaments; here the Gloria comes after the readings from the Old Testament and before those of the New Covenant to mark our entering into the definitive covenant of joy and life.
After the Gospel and the homily comes the Baptismal Liturgy, everywhere with the blessing of water and the renewal of baptismal vows, and in parishes hopefully with an actual baptism. In the case of the baptism of an adult, if the celebrant has also helped in the preparation for baptism of the candidate, the law itself entitles him to confer also the rite of confirmation, without recourse to the bishop.
Finally comes the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Those participating in it are considered to have complied with the Office of Readings for Easter.
General Introduction by the Celebrant or a Commentator
As there is an introduction by the Presiding Celebrant for each part of tonight’s celebration, a suitable lay minister could give the general introduction at the beginning of the service.
2. I Was There
The reality of the whole Easter event is so tremendous and real for us that we must relive it as not just an event from the past but something present and real affecting us today. When Jesus died on the cross, I was there and looked up to him. When Jesus died on the cross and was buried, I was there and died and was buried with him, for I have been baptized in his death. When Jesus rose from the dead, I was there with him, for I rose with him to the new life of baptism. When Jesus, as the firstborn from the dead, went ahead of us to the promised land of heaven, I was there with him and I began, with the whole people of God, my journey to the promised land of heaven and I am still on the way in hope. Sisters and brothers, this is what we relive in this Easter celebration. It is our greatest celebration, for it is the celebration of life and joy.
3. Liberated for the Covenant of Love
Tonight we celebrate the capital central event for Christianity: the liberation of God’s people from the slavery of sin, so that they can enter into the new and everlasting covenant whereby God, at his own initiative, binds his people to himself in a deep union of life and love. For God’s people in the Old Testament God saw the hardships they suffered in their slavery in Egypt, liberated them and made with them the covenant through Moses on Mount Sinai. For us Christians, God saw our slavery to sin and our inability to get rid of it. So he sent Jesus, his own Son, to make us free by his death on the cross on Mount Golgotha and by his resurrection. Now we are a free people, capable of love and service and justice. We celebrate this freedom and covenant this very night.
PART I: SERVICE OF THE LIGHT
Introduction by the Celebrant
Dear People of God: At the beginning of the Jewish Easter celebration the youngest in the group asked: “Why is this night so different from all other nights?” and the head of the family answered: “Tonight we celebrate because once we were slaves under the Pharaoh of Egypt, but the Lord God has set us free and led his people out of Egypt with joy.” When we Christians ask ourselves tonight: “Why celebrate in the dark of the night?” we answer, “We begin our celebration in the dark because we were once slaves in the darkness of sin, but the Lord Jesus has set us free by dying for us on the cross. But in the night of Easter he rose from the dead and brought us the life of his risen life. There he made us God’s new chosen people and became our light to lead us to the promised land.” This is why we light the fire and the Easter candle as we sing our praise and thanks to God.
– Then follow the blessing of the fire, the lighting of the Easter candle, the procession into the church and the Exultet.
PART II. THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Introduction by the Celebrant
We listen now to the Word of God with open ears and hearts and with great joy. God’s Word tonight speaks of the liberation of the people of God, old and new, and therefore how we too have been liberated by the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Note. The seven Old Testament readings may be reduced to three. Exodus 14, on the passover from Israel to the Promised Land, should always be among those selected.
First Reading (Gen 1:1—2:2): The Beautiful Poem of Creation
In this first act of salvation, God created order out of chaos and light out of darkness. He created man and woman in his own image and entrusted the earth and its resources to them to develop.
Reading I: Gn 1:1—2:2
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said,
“Let there be light,”” and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”
Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day.
Then God said,
“Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other.”
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome “the sky.”
Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.
Then God said,
“Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear.”
And so it happened:
the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land “the earth, ”
and the basin of the water he called “the sea.”
God saw how good it was.
Then God said,
“Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it.”
And so it happened:
the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.
Then God said:
“Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night.
Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth.”
And so it happened:
God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day,
and the lesser one to govern the night;
and he made the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.
Then God said,
“Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.”
And so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
“Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.
Then God said,
“Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.”
And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.
Then God said:
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”
God created man in his image;
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying:
“Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth.”
God also said:
“See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food.”
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished
with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 104:1-2,5-6,10,12,13-14,24,35
R. (30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You fixed the earth upon its foundation,
not to be moved forever;
with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
above the mountains the waters stood.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You send forth springs into the watercourses
that wind among the mountains.
Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they send forth their song.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You water the mountains from your palace;
the earth is replete with the fruit of your works.
You raise grass for the cattle,
and vegetation for man’s use,
Producing bread from the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
Introduction before the Gloria and the Opening Prayer.
The candles on the altar are now lit for we enter the New Testament, in which Christ is our light.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that we may follow wholeheartedly
Christ, our light and life
(pause)
Lord our God,
your have brightened this night
with the glorious light of Christ.
Make us rise with him to a new life
of faithful love in the new covenant
and renew us in mind and body
that we may be your loyal sons and daughters
and give you wholehearted service,
together with your risen Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First New Testament Reading (Rom 6:3-11): Risen With Christ
We become part of the death and resurrection of Christ through baptism; there we have taken up the struggle against sin and begun to live the life of Christ.
Epistle: Rom 6:3-11
Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.
For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him,
so that our sinful body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
As to his death, he died to sin once and for all;
as to his life, he lives for God.
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin
and living for God in Christ Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Year B (Mk 16:1-8): The Lord Is Risen!
To their surprise, the women do not find the body of Jesus in the tomb, for he is risen. They have to announce this good news to the apostles. It is also our Good News.
Gospel: Mk 16:1-8
When the sabbath was over,
Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome
bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
Very early when the sun had risen,
on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
They were saying to one another,
“Who will roll back the stone for us
from the entrance to the tomb?”
When they looked up,
they saw that the stone had been rolled back;
it was very large.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,
and they were utterly amazed.
He said to them, “Do not be amazed!
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.
Behold the place where they laid him.
But go and tell his disciples and Peter,
‘He is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him, as he told you.’”
PART III. THE LITURGY OF BAPTISM
Note. If the baptismal font is to be blessed, whether there are actual baptisms or not, the Litany of the Saints is sung or prayed. If the font is not to be blessed, there is a blessing of holy water, followed by the renewal of baptismal vows.
Introduction by the Celebrant
Renewal of Baptismal Vows
Brothers and sisters in Christ in this beautiful night we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By dying he destroyed death for us, by rising he has affirmed our life. In baptism we have died with him to sin but we have not yet won all our struggles against evil and God’s life in us has not yet come to full bloom. This is why the Church invites us again to reject what is against the covenant of love and to promise, as we did in baptism, to live according to its law of service and goodness. We renew our baptismal promises. And so:
Do you reject…
Do you believe…
General Intercessions
Where the Litany of the Saints has been used at baptism and/or the blessing of the font, it serves as General Intercessions. Otherwise:
Let us pray to God our Father, who has raised Jesus from the dead, and let us say: R/ Lord raise us up with your Son.
– For those who have been baptized tonight and for all Christians, that they may remain faithful to their baptismal promises in all circumstances of life, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
– For all who suffer and for the dying that their hope and strength may be Jesus, who, through and beyond death, has built a road to new life, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
– For all those whose experiences have discouraged or disillusioned them in life, that they may not remain obsessed by the past but look forward to the future with its new prospects and opportunities, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
– For all those who have committed themselves to serve the needs of others, that they may keep faith in a better world in which peace and justice are not empty words, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
– For all of us gathered here in the joy of Easter, that we may be happy and jovial people who know that God loves us with an enduring love and that we may radiate this love on one another, let us pray: R/ Lord, raise us up with your Son.
Our God and Father, you call us your sons and daughters and that is what we really are. Make us gratefully cooperate with you in the works of your creating and serving love and to look forward in hope to the happiness without end promised us in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer Over the Gifts
Lord, God of life,
you gather us around this table
to celebrate the Easter meal
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept with this bread and this wine
the prayers and offerings of your people.
Make our faith firm,
that your Son may continue
to live in us and to lead us to you,
our living and loving God for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let our joy brim over in this Eucharist as we give thanks to the Father for having saved us by the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Invitation to the Our Father
Sons and daughters of the Father through baptism,
let the joy of the Spirit cry out in us
in Jesus’ own words. R/ Our Father…
Invitation to Communion
This is our Risen Lord, who said
and says again to us this night:
“I am the bread of life.
Those who eat my flesh and drink by blood
have eternal life and I live in them.”
With this faith, come to the table of the Lord.
R/ Lord, I am not worthy…
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, our Father,
with joy we have shared
in the Easter meal of your Son.
Through his body and blood you have assured us
that we are destined for eternal life
and that this life is already stirring in us.
Keep filling us with the Spirit of your love,
that we may live in the joy of your one people,
one in heart and mind,
and living for one another and for you,
our God for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
What an experience of joy
if we have really relived tonight
what we have become through Jesus’ resurrection.
May we keep living in the hope and happiness
of a people that is risen above sin and evil
and live for all that is good and beautiful.
May the almighty and loving God bless you all:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord, alleluia, alleluia!
R/ Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!
Reflection:
30 March 2024 Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil
Mark 16:1-7
The Journey from Tomb to Galilee
The darkness of the Easter Vigil gives way to the first light of dawn. Just as the women set out toward Jesus’ tomb, bewildered and grieving, we too find ourselves on a journey—a journey from sorrow to joy, from death to life.
The Gospel of Mark recounts the women’s visit to the tomb. They went “to see the tomb,” expecting to find the body of Jesus there, but instead, they encountered emptiness. Their hearts were heavy with grief, burdened by disappointment and loss. How often do we also experience life’s sealed tombs—where we may feel trapped by our failures, weighed down by sin, or exhausted by the struggles of this world?
The women, upon seeing the empty tomb, turned around and retraced their steps. They left the tomb behind and ran to the disciples, proclaiming the Good News: Jesus is risen! He awaits us in Galilee.
Pope Francis reminds us that our encounter with Jesus is not merely a memory of the past. It is a present reality, a living encounter that dispels darkness. Just as the women left the tomb, we too must leave behind our sealed tombs—the disappointments, the bitterness, the weariness—and run toward the light. Our journey, like that of the disciples, passes through Galilee.
It was in Galilee that Jesus called his first disciples, performed miracles, and preached the Good News. He met ordinary people and transformed their lives. Galilee represents the everyday, the ordinary, and the places where we live out our faith. Easter proclamation calls on us to embark on this journey from the tomb to Galilee:
The Lord is Risen! Alleluia!