Triduum, Part III

The last couple of weeks has focused on the services of the Triduum (the three days from sundown Maundy Thursday through Easter); today’s offering concludes this series.

Last week, Rubrics focused on the theological significance and historical development of the Great Vigil of Easter: its place as the keystone of the liturgical year and its relation to baptism and eucharist. This week we will examine the four components of the Vigil service: the Service of Light, the Service of Lessons, Christian Initiation, and the Holy Eucharist.

The opening rubric of the Vigil indicates that this is the first service of Easter Day and may be celebrated any time between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter morning. People frequently ask why is this the first service of Easter when it is only the day after Good Friday. It is important to remember that we mark the liturgical day in the same manner as our Jewish brethren: the liturgical day begins at sunset (hence, sundown Friday through Saturday marks the second day; the third begins sundown on Saturday).

If you have never attended the Easter Vigil, it begins outside, in darkness, with the kindling of the new fire, from which the paschal candle is lighted. In one sense, the use of candles at an evening service is utilitarian; however, the symbolism of the candle with ‘the Light of Christ’ is clearly evident. The lighting of a new fire is also a deeply symbolic act. Prior to the invention of matches, the lighting of a fire was a serious matter, and the ritual extinguishing of the old fire and the kindling of a new one was an obvious act of renewal. At the Vigil, we kindle a new fire in the dark night as a symbol of the new life in Christ. This lighting of the new fire is probably Celtic in origin and predates the seventh century in practice. By the late Middle Ages it had become a normal component of the rite.

It is by the light of the paschal candle that the Exsultet is sung. At least as old as the custom of the new fire, if not older, this glorious prayer calls upon the whole company of heaven, all the creatures of earth, and all the members of the church to rejoice in Christ’s victory. While a prayer for light, the real focus of the Exsultet is the paschal mystery. If you are unfamiliar with this prayer, it begins on page 286 of the Prayer Book.

The Service of Lessons – readings from scripture, interspersed with psalms or canticles and prayers – is basic to a vigil. In the early church, this series of readings extended from sunset until cockcrow. As the mediaeval church formalized the rite, the number of lections was no fewer than four and as many as twelve. Our current liturgy provides for nine lessons; a rubric specifies that at least two must be read and that the lesson of Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea never be omitted. All the lessons are from the most striking passages of the Hebrew Scriptures and tell of God’s saving acts. The readings depict the great themes of salvation, the psalms reflect on them meditatively, and the collects apply them to the Easter baptismal celebration.

The Easter Vigil was the time of baptisms in the early church; gradually other days, most notably Epiphany and Pentecost, also became baptismal days. However, Easter always remained the principal feast. No other day of the church year so powerfully reinforces the concept of baptism as the passover from death into life as this day on which we commemorate the passover of Israel from bondage to freedom and the passover of Jesus from death into life. The celebration of baptism is both structurally and theologically the climax of the Great Vigil. In addition to celebrating the baptism of new members, it is also an occasion for members to renew their baptismal vows, recommitting themselves to living the new life in Christ into which they entered at their baptism.

The Great Vigil culminates in the celebration of the eucharist, which begins with a song of praise. Grounded in the paschal mystery, the celebration completes the passage from Lent to Easter and our passage with Christ from death to life. It is at the celebration of the Easter eucharist that we welcome the newly baptized for the first time at the table. It is as the celebration of the Easter eucharist that the church and its individual members are renewed and built up. It is the reception of communion that binds us to the risen Christ and to one another.

As the early Church developed its traditions of commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus, it clearly understood the various events of Holy Week and Easter to be one event, one single observance of Christ’s victory over death and of the Christian’s death and rebirth through baptism. The Great Vigil of Easter presents most fully the church’s resurrection faith. Since its restoration to its primary place in the liturgical year, the Vigil has become the Easter service for many in the church. If you have not had the opportunity to participate in all the services of Holy Week, and especially the Great Vigil of Easter, you are invited and encouraged to do so.