The Easter Vigil: The Primary Liturgy. Which Shows The Church As A Sac

1074 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of church services

Every year, on the day before Easter, one of the biggest and most important masses of the year happens on that night. The mass is called the Easter Vigil. The Vigil brings out the true and full nature of the Catholic Church and all of its people. It celebrates Jesus Christ, as he rises from the dead and ascends into heaven. Since this mass is so large, it is split into four parts. The first, the Service of Light, and is the most solemn part of the mass the Church celebrates. The second part is the Liturgy of the Word, in which you listen to a reader who reads from the books of the Bible such as Genesis and Exodus. The third part of the celebration is known as the Celebration of the Rites of Initiation. At this point people become part of the Church and receive such sacraments as Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation. The fourth part of the vigil is the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the climax of the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil is the biggest mass in the Church and it requires four parts in the Service of Light, The Liturgy of the Word, the Celebration of the Rights of Initiation, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, but also requires much more faith and concentration to fully appreciate it.
The first part of the Easter Vigil is the Service of Light. The Service of Light is the most solemn time during the Easter Vigil and where the people of the Catholic Church show the most respect. All the lights in the Church are turned off. The minister carries the paschal candle slowly into the Church. As the candle is shared with the rest of the congregation, the atmosphere is very dark and glum. As the minister brings the candle towards the altar, the following response is sung by the pastor and by everyone else in the Church. The Deacon or the Celebrant sings “Christ our Light” and everyone responds, “Thanks be to God”. This is done three times and after this the choir sings the Exultet. The focus on signing is of the risen Jesus Christ. After, the paschal candle reaches the altar; it is placed on a stand next to the lantern. This marks the ending of the first part of the Easter Vigil, the Service of light.
The second part of the Easter Vigil is the Liturgy of the Word.

Show More
Related

  • Compositional Techniques in Mozart's Requiem

    515 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Roman Catholic tradition, the requiem mass is a ritual celebration of the Last Supper within the context of a funeral. The requiem mass is distinguished from masses for other occasions by the presence of a specific text, laid out in the missal of Pope St. Pius V from 1570, and the absence of the more joyful parts of mass, such as the Gloria, and the Credo (Cave).

    Read More

  • Describing Catholic Lent

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    The period of conversion lasts forty days, starting with Ash Wednesday. On this day parishioners go to mass and get the sign of the cross on their forehead marked with ashes. The colors observed for the decoration of the church and the clothing of the priest is purple which means mourning and penitence. The ashes are made out of blessed palms used in Palm Sunday the previous year; they are christened with holy water and scented with incense. At the moment where the faithful get the ashes, the priest who is the person marking the cross tells them a remainder saying: dust you are and dust you will become. The remainder is there to help achieve a spirit o humility and sacrifice.

    Read More

  • Protestant Worship: Traditions In Transition Summary

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    When reading Protestant Worship: Traditions in Transition written by James F. White, I was reminded of the great deal of history that has lead Protestantism to where it is currently standing. This division of the Body of Christ is in possession of tumultuous roots and branches, but she still stands to be the Hands and Feet of Christ. Within this book there was history that I knew very well, along with ideologies within separate denominations that I didn't necessarily agree with. Regardless of the details of the Body of Christ, we have all grown from one particular movement which has changed the direction of Christianity irrevocably.

    Read More

  • The Sacrament of the Altar

    1627 Words  | 4 Pages

    The body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is given to us though the holy sacrament of communion. The Lutheran confessions practice two sacraments, baptism and Holy Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper or the Sacrament of the Altar (198, Luther’s Small Catechism). “A sacrament is a sacred act instituted by God, in which God Himself has joined His Word of promise to a visible element, and by which He offers, gives, and seals the forgiveness of sins earned by Christ” (197, Luther’s Small Catechism). According to Lutheran teaching, the sacraments are acts performed by Christ and related to a divine promise. Having faith in God and Lutheran beliefs is necessary for receiving the sacrament. Martin Luther wrote an explanation of these sacraments in The Small Catechism. Along with baptism and Holy Communion, he explains The Ten Commandments, The Apostles’ Creed, and The Lord’s Prayer (Worship Facts). Luther’s Small Catechism speaks of what Holy Communion is, where it is written, what the benefits are, how it can do great things, and who worthily receives this sacrament (28-29, Luther’s Small Catechism). Partaking in Holy Communion is important in the Lutheran religion in order to show faith and receive Christ’s own body and blood.

    Read More

  • Lent

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    A:Historically, Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, it began on Ash Wednesday and ended on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday). In recent years, this has been modified so that it now ends with evening Mass on Holy Thursday, to prepare the way for Triduum.

    Read More

  • A Mass in a Catholic Church

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the end of the mass the priest will say either "go in the peace of

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Eucharist

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    John’s church on the other hand is a catholic church, so there are several minute differences in the way the service is held. There is a lot more structure and symbolism in a Catholic Church service. When I attended St. John’s last Sunday, it started off with the priest entering with altar servers. This church is more heavily ornamented than Trinity Lutheran church. It has high archways and many panels of stained glass windows giving St. Johns an archaic effect. After making the sign of the cross, he begins greeting people and says a prayer. The next part is the liturgy of the word, where three scripture readings are given, usually starting off in the Old Testament. The liturgy of the Eucharist starts with the preparation of the altar and gifts. This means parishioners are randomly selected to take part in presenting the gifts, meaning they step to the altar with a tray of bread and a pitcher of wine and give them to the priest and altar servers. They bow to each other after the priest and altar servers have the gifts. This occurs after the donations to the church are collected. Once the priest has the gifts, the priest starts the Eucharistic Prayer. This is the longest event leading up to the sharing of the communion. It is composed of three short songs and the congregation kneels during the prayer’s entirety and recites the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father). The priest then gives the communion to himself and then distributes bread and wine to Eucharistic ministers who, after

    Read More

  • Lent

    519 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lent is a tradition that has been celebrated for countless years in the Catholic church. There has almost always been a recording of people preparing for Easter. The preparations range from fasting for forty hours or eating a single meal a day, to giving something up for forty days or trying use your free time to help someone in need. To me, Lent is more than just giving something up, or trying to do something better. Lent is about realizing some of the painful things Jesus had to give up in his life to save us.

    Read More

  • The Easter Vigil Mass

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although different Churches and Christian orders may have minute differences in some of the rituals during the mass, the overall feeling in the Easter Vigil liturgy is of solemnity and holiness. The ceremony begins in almost complete darkness and is slowly lighted by the flames of the congregation's candles paralleling Jesus, symbolically lighting the world we live in. All Easter Vigil liturgies include four parts, the Service of Lights, the Liturgy of the Word, Celebration of the Rites of Initiation, and Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Service of Light is composed of three parts. The Service of Light opens the Mass.

    Read More

  • Dogmas And The Resurrection Of The Catholic Church

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    The consecration of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is one of the central dogmas in the Catholic religion. Catholics believe that on the night before His death, during the Last Supper that He shared with the Apostles, Jesus Christ blessed the bread and wine. He gave it to them and proclaimed this should be done in memory of Him.

    Read More

  • Ecclesia De Eucharistia Description

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    To begin, we must first explain and summarize the true meaning of the Eucharist and what it means and signifies to the Catholic faith. Fundamentally, the Eucharist is a story of the actions of Jesus during the Last Supper with his 12 disciples prior to his crucifixion. During that meal, Jesus broke bread and while giving the bread to each of his followers decreed that the bread was his body and they should eat. As he passed around wine for the disciples he declared, “This is my blood,” and they were to accept his gift and continue on with his work after his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection and ascension into Heaven (Lk 22:19-20). Catholic bel...

    Read More

  • The Eucharist

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...s of Scripture readings, a sermon, and prayers. This part of the Eucharist, apparently adapted from Jewish synagogue worship, has been prefixed to the service of bread and wine at least since the middle of the 2nd century. The second part of the service, the “service of the Upper Room,” consists typically of an offering of bread and wine; the central Eucharistic prayer; the distribution of the consecrated elements to worshipers; and a final blessing and dismissal. This particular part of the service has its roots in the ancient traditional table prayers said at Jewish meals.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Lent in the Church Today

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Lenten season occurs immediately after the festival of Epiphany. Liturgically, Lent lasts for 48 days starting on Ash Wednesday before the Paschal Triduum. Traditionally, the Lenten fast is observed for 40 days beginning on Ash Wednesday through Holy Week. Sunday’s were excluded from the Lenten fast because Sunday is a feast of the resurrection of our Lord. However, the Sunday’s of Lent are still a part of the Lenten liturgical season in the Western Church and the worship services tend to be more subdued. The Gloria and the joyous “Alleluias!” are not spoken during Lent until Easter season. The liturgical color of Lent is violet and symbolizes royalty and remorse. To show a state of mourning, on Maundy Thursday the altar is stripped down and on Good Friday the altars and pastors are dressed in black.

    Read More

  • The Development of Christian Worship

    2500 Words  | 5 Pages

    this essay it is the former of these that I am going to focus upon. In

    Read More

  • Importance Of Holy Week

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...serve Holy Week much as the Catholic Church does. Of Protestant fellowships, perhaps the Holy Week services of the Moravian Church are the most extensive, as the Congregation follows the life of Christ through His final week in daily services dedicated to readings from a harmony of the Gospel stories, responding to the actions in hymns, prayers and litanies, beginning on the eve of Palm Sunday and culminating in the "Easter Morning" or Easter Sunrise service begun by the Moravians in 1732. Some Protestant churches make much of the foot washing ceremony on Maundy Thursday, for others it may be the only time in the year when Holy Communion is celebrated. These Protestants conduct more informal celebrations of Holy Week, usually including sermons about the last week of Christ's life, and possibly some special services on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and or Easter Sunday.

    Read More

More about The Easter Vigil: The Primary Liturgy. Which Shows The Church As A Sac

Open Document