MSI Press Blog

   Continuing in the series of Sula (parish cat) Easter posts and especially on Caturday, here is another excerpt from Sula's Easter book; it comes from the section on the Easter vigil: Waiting before the Vigil The church is always dark on Easter Vigil. I am among the first there, waiting not just for the Resurrection that is to come but also for the people who will be coming to wait together—they with me and I with them. I like greeting the people as they come in. Often, I will know with whom I should be waiting. That, after all, is my mission.     The Mass The Easter Vigil Mass is unique. It is not like any other Mass during the year. The Vigil Mass is also complex—and rich. It goes from dark to light, from people who cannot see each other to people welcoming new members into the body of Christ. The Mass has four elements. These are (1) the Service of Light, (2) the Liturgy of the Word, (3) Baptism, and (4) the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Service of Light starts outside, around

  (drawing by Uliana Yanovich) What is Easter Vigil? A vigil is a period of waiting. Easter Vigil is considered the greatest of all vigils and reflects the waiting that the disciples and especially the women who followed Jesus did after Joseph of Arimathea, having gotten permission from Pontius Pilate, laid Jesus in the tomb. They waited a very long time: three days. With Easter Vigil, the Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Saturday Vigil is brought to a close. The waiting will end on Easter morning with the Resurrection. That will be joyful. For now, though, we all wait. In sadness. In the dark. photo by Stacey Gentry Waiting before the Vigil The church is always dark on Easter Vigil. I am among the first there, waiting not just for the Resurrection that is to come but also for the people who will be coming to wait together—they with me and I with them. I like greeting the people as they come in. Often, I will know with whom I should be waiting. That, after all, is my m