THEO 288.8

CATECHETICAL MATERIAL

Catechesis on the Celebration of the

Easter Vigil

CONTEXT:

This material is intended for the catechumens; however, interested parishioners are also welcome to join this event. This is a catechesis on the meaning of the celebration of the Easter Vigil as Catholic Christians.

  1. Preparation

Registration

House rules

Expectation setting

> the speaker will ask the assembly to share their understanding of the Easter vigil celebration, particularly the meaning of the rituals in it as a sharing the new life in Christ.

II. Disposition

  1. Show the video clip
  2. Processing: After showing the video, the following questions will be asked:
  • What is the most important event in the liturgical calendar?
  • What is the emphasis of the video clip presented?
  • As presented in the video what are the proofs or indications that Jesus resurrected?
  • What is the importance or significance of the resurrection in the life of Christians?
  • Why is the resurrection the summit of our Christian faith?
  1. Synthesis: The resurrection as new life in the risen Christ will be explained supported by the Scriptures and Church Teachings. The following points will be emphasized:
  1. Scriptures

The empty Tomb( John 20)

  • It is a real event; the manifestations of the Risen Lord are attested to by the New Testament.
  • The Empty Tomb – essential sign for all. The discovery of the resurrection is a first step in recognizing the truth of the resurrection. Affirm the mystery when they saw and believe. Jesus had not simply returned to earthly life.
  • Apparitions as attested by his disciples. Mary Magdalene and the women; Peter and the other apostles etc.
  • The resurrection with all the testimonies written in the scripture and all those handed in the tradition is clearly faith account of the followers of Jesus.
  1. Church Teachings
  1. Church Documents

- Resurrection is a faith account that could be verified by the sign of the empty tomb and by the reality of the apostles’ encounters with the Risen Christ... it transcends and surpasses history. CCC 647

- Christ’s death freed us from our sins and his resurrection brought us a share in the new life. CFC 624,2037

Thus, Resurrection is:

  • summit of all Christ’s teachings and ministry in fulfilment of the scriptures
  • confirmation of Jesus divinity and the avenue to a new life in God.
  • brings about filial adoption that we may share in his life;
  • and is principle and source of our future resurrection and the transformation of the whole of creation
  1. Excerpt from Pope Francis on the Easter vigil homily.

For Pope Francis: The resurrection offers us the greatest hope because it opens our lives and the life of the world to God's eternal future, to complete happiness, to the certainty that evil, sin, and death can be conquered.

He reminds us that the hope of the resurrection and the joy it brings is uncontainable. To be Christian is to live for the resurrection and let that promise radiate outward in our lives, infusing those around us with the same hope that fills our hearts. Through the Resurrection and Christ's gift of his Spirit, we are empowered, re-created and made into a new people. We have been given a new life!

The Pontiff continues by challenging the Catholic flock saying "We believe in the Risen One who has conquered evil and death! We must have the courage to 'go out' to bring this joy and this light to all the areas of our lives. Christ's Resurrection is our greatest certainty. It is our most precious treasure! How can we not share this treasure, this certainty, with others? It is not just for us: it is to be proclaimed; to be given to others; to be shared with others. This is precisely our witness."

III. Exposition

A. Structure of the Easter Vigil celebration rite

Easter Vigil celebration has four parts: first, the Service of Light; second, the Liturgy of the Word; third, the Liturgy of Baptism; and fourth, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. It is important to understand and see these four parts as interconnected to each other.

The Service of the Light is the first part of the Easter Celebration Rite. This rite can be considered as a kind of “announcement”. For the words and symbolic actions used here proclaims that darkness has been overcome by light. The central point of this celebration is on the declaration of “Christ our light”, and the culminating point of this part is the solemn Easter proclamation: the night becomes as clear as the day and the light becomes our joy.

  1. The Service of Light

Structure:

  1. Introduction
  2. Blessing of the fire
  3. Preparation of the Candle
  4. Procession (interpretation of the light and spread of the light)
  5. Easter proclamation (Exsultet)

Meaning and Significance of the Signs and symbol and gestures/actions

  1. The darkness – light : It is Christ’s passing over from death to life; our passing over with

him in celebrating the mysteries, and our hope to share his life forever.

  1. Fire: is the symbol of Christ, “the light of the world”, and it is also as symbol of our

purification going on in the celebration of the Easter mysteries. Fire is a purifying element (besides being destructive) and by its heat and force destroys unclean or dangerous elements; we ask that the Risen Lord will “purify our minds by the Easter celebration.”

  1. The Cross:The cross is a symbol of Christ’s power over death and sin. It reminds us that

no matter what happens in our lives, nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God and from life with God. The cross represents our hope in times of trouble. It reminds us that bad things in life will never be able to totally conquer good things. Good is more powerful than evil.

  1. Alpha and Omega:Alpha means beginning and Omega means end. Jesus Christ existed

with God before time began and he lives at the end of time calling all of history to come toward his promise of love and eternal life with God. Jesus will be with you personally in a special way at the end of your life and will be with all of us at the end of the world.

  1. The Current Year: Not only is Jesus present at the beginning and the end, he is also present

with us now. Jesus is the Lord of all time. Every moment is an opportunity to encounter him and find joy and meaning in life. We glorify God every time we acknowledge the unwavering presence of Christ in our daily lives.

  1. The Five Grains of Incense: Symbolizes the five wounds of Christ. It is also a symbol of

God’s protection. Christ entered suffering and death in order to guard and protect us from despair. We all must face suffering and death in our lives. The wounds of Christ remind us that our God has been there, in the midst of great suffering and horrible death, before us. No Christian suffers or dies alone. Christ is there to be with us and protect us from evil.

  1. The color white: is an important symbol on the Easter candle. All Easter candles are white.

White is a symbol of victory. Kings in Biblical times often rode white horses after they were victorious in battle. We celebrate Christ’s resurrection victory over sin and death. Our white candle is a symbol of Christ’s resurrection.

  1. pillar of fire: is Christ Himself the only source of light and life. To emphasize this the

priest or deacon lifts the candle high and sings the acclamation and the people respond with Thanks be to God”;

  1. Procession:Christ led us from slavery to freedom and shows us the way also today. Our

following of the Easter candle is a beautiful expression of the Christian existence, Just as our ancestors followed the pillar of fire to safety, we also follow the pillar of fire (the Easter Candle) to the Promised Land (Christ’s kingdom on earth). We are people who follow Christ, the Light of the World. We follow Christ who dispels the darkness of sin.

  1. Adopting light form the Paschal candle: After the second time all light their candles from the Easter light. It is very moving to experience how by the handling on of the light darkness is overcome. We watch the light spread from the large candle to the many small ones, all contribute to the total effect of releasing a spiritual energy that is both human and divine.
  2. Easter proclamation: is solemn song of praise and thanksgiving for our redemption.

Taking into consideration all the salvific events that happened during this night in the past and are happening today in the liturgical celebration, we cannot help offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving: a sacrifice of praise, and the offering of the candle. Connected with this is the hope that Christ may come, find us with this burning light, and welcome us to his wedding feast. (Mt. 13; Rev. 19:7)

Questions:

  1. What did you see at the liturgies of the Easter Vigil?
  2. Think of the symbols and gestures you saw at the celebrations.
  3. What do the symbols and gestures mean to you as you experienced them?

In the Service of Light it is very important to create the proper atmosphere for the celebration. Everything should be dark, no lights in the church, people are gather outside the church around the fire. This fire can remind us of God and of his special presence in the assembly during the night. In the OT God often chose fire to announce his presence as the scene of the burning bush (Ex. 3:2).

In brief introductory words the priest welcomes the congregation and explains them the meaning of this vigil and the following thoughts are included: the darkness – light experience, Christ’s passing over from death to life, our passing over with him in celebrating the mysteries, and our hope to share his life forever (eschatological dimension).

The fire ritual – the Fire is the symbol of Christ, “the light of the world”, and it is also as symbol of our purification going on in the celebration of the Easter mysteries. Fire is a purifying element (besides being destructive) and by its heat and force destroys unclean or dangerous elements; we ask that the Risen Lord will “purify our minds by the Easter celebration.”

The preparation of the Candle – is to make clear that it is a representation of Christ. That is why it is marked with the cross and decorated with five grains of incense as a reminder of his five wounds. The inscription of the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last letter of the Greek alphabet. These symbols refers to Christ as the Beginning and our end. Lastly, the numerals of the current year make visible – that means “all time belongs to Him and all the ages” - Christ yesterday, today and forever. The preparation of the candle ends with the lighting it from the fire and with blessing that the light of Christ may penetrate our whole person. The people now will sing the old hymn in honor of Christ – “O radiant light Sun Divine.” It is the hailing of the Easter light before the procession begins, and leading up to the solemn praise of the light in the Easter proclamation.

Then follows the procession which is introduced by the interpretation of the Easter candle that it symbolizes “Christ our light”. To emphasize this the priest or deacon lifts the candle high and sings the acclamation and the people respond with “Thanks be to God”; this is repeated at the entrance to the church, and once more when he arrives at the altar. After the second time all light their candles from the Easter light. It is very moving to experience how by the handling on of the light darkness is overcome. We watch the light spread from the large candle to the many small ones, all contribute to the total effect of releasing a spiritual energy that is both human and divine.

Another meaning of procession comes from the OT: “God accompanied his people during their escape from Egypt and it was he who led them in their journey to freedom. He went before them “by day in a pillar of cloudto lead them along the way, and by night in apillar of fire to give them light” (Ex. 13:21). In this way God showed them his love and his care for the people and his presence among them. In the NT the pillar of fire is Christ: he lead us from slavery to freedom and shows us the way also today. “I am the light of the world. He who follows me does not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of fire (John 8:12). Thus, our following of the Easter candle is a beautiful expression of the Christian existence, namely to be followers of him who will lead us to the promised land of heaven.

Finally, another important truth of our faith is expressed in the procession. The darkness of this night is overcome only by the fact that our light is handed on to others. If the light of the Easter candle would remain the only source of light, it still would be rather dark, but by sharing the light with others darkness is expelled. This conveys that the message that the light which Christ must be communicated.

The Easter proclamation (Exsultet) concludes the service of light. The custom to sing or say a praise of God after having lighted a lamp goes back to Jewish religious tradition ( a rite of lighting a candles, accompanied by a prayer, recalling the many blessings of God. This Easter proclamation is solemn song of praise and thanksgiving for our redemption. Taking into consideration all the salvific events that happened during this night in the past and are happening today in the liturgical celebration, we cannot help offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving: a sacrifice of praise, and the offering of the candle. Connected with this is the hope that Christ may come, find us with this burning light, and welcome us to his wedding feast. Mt. 13; Rev. 19:7)

2. Liturgy of the word

Liturgy of the Word (Ministry of the Word)

The Liturgy of the Word is the second part of Easter Vigil. There are nine readings provided, seven of which are taken from the Old Testament (The story of creation, Abraham and Isaac, Crossing of the Red Sea, Exodus, God’s presence in renewed Israel, Salvation for all, New heart, New Spirit, and Gathering of God’s people)and two are from the New Testament (the Epistle to the Romans and one of the synoptic Gospels). Responsorial Psalm is read or sung after each reading. It is repeated to invite meditation and reflection after each reading. While the Gloria is sung before the reading of the Epistle as a celebration of the true Paschal Lamb who is consecrated and raised in glory, and the Alleluia is sung before the Gospel.

The readings render an overall view of God’s great love to humanity through the salvation history in the Old Testament and fulfilment of God’s promise of salvation through Christ’s salvific mission in the New Testament. Also, the readings intend to remind us of the various aspects of Christian life, and to renew baptismal promises and live it out.

Reading 1: The Story of Creation(Genesis 1:1-2:2) and Psalm 33:1-11

Let us pray.Silence

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

Reading 2: The Flood(Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:8-18; 9:8-13)and Psalm 46

Let us pray.Silence

Almighty God, you have placed in the skies the sign of your covenant with all living things: Grant that we, who are saved through water and the Spirit, may worthily offer to you our sacrifice of thanksgiving; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading 3: Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac(Genesis 22:1-18)and Psalm 33:12-22

Let us pray.Silence

God and Father of all believers, for the glory of your Name multiply, by the grace of the Paschal sacrament, the number of your children; that your Church may rejoice to see fulfilled your promise to our father Abraham; through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

Reading 4: Israel's deliverance at the Red Sea(Exodus 14:10-15:1)
The Song of Moses–(Exodus 15:1-6,11-13,17-18)

Let us pray.Silence

O God, whose wonderful deeds of old shine forth even to our own day, you once delivered by the power of your mighty arm your chosen people from slavery under Pharaoh, to be a sign for us of the salvation of all nations by the water of Baptism: Grant that all the peoples of the earth may be numbered among the offspring of Abraham, and rejoice in the inheritance of Israel; through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

Reading 5: God's Presence in a renewed Israel(Isaiah 4:2-6)
Psalm 122

Let us pray.Silence

O God, you led your ancient people by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night: Grant that we, who serve you now on earth, may come to the joy of that heavenly Jerusalem, where all tears are wiped away and where your saints forever sing your praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.