Easter is the highest celebration of the liturgical year, being the longest season aside from Ordinary Time and the entire octave of the first week of Easter being considered a solemnity, the highest order of feast. It is the culmination of our faith that “Christ has been raised from the dead” and “in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:20,22). As a backdrop, the liturgy of Holy Thursday does not end with a final blessing, but rather a solemn procession out of the church with the blessed sacrament and therefore does not properly conclude. Good Friday’s liturgy is not even a mass, properly speaking, as it not only lacks a blessing at the start and the end, but also does not contain the consecration of the Eucharist, using only what was left after Holy Thursday. The Easter vigil mass does not have a collect (a short prayer masses begin with) to start it either, showing that the liturgies of all 3 days are considered a singular string of worship and recognition of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.
The Easter vigil liturgy begins outside in the dark, where a fire is lit that brings light to everything, reminiscent of the beginning of creation in Genesis 1, which is the first reading that will be encountered later. The fire is then used to light the easter candle, a totem of wax reminiscent of the pillar of fire which led the Israelites from Egypt during the night (Ex. 13:22). All the congregation receives candles lit from the source of the Easter candle as the priest or deacon processes in with the easter candle, leading a responsory saying, “the light of Christ,” and the congregation responds “thanks be to God,” as Christ Himself proclaims that He is “the light of the world” (John 8:12).
What follows after this is the Exsultet, a long chant that outlines salvation history and expounds upon the countless graces that flow from the resurrection. It cites many prefigurements of the Resurrection and of Baptism and expounds upon the sharing of fire unto other candles: “A fire into many flames divided, yet never dimmed by sharing of its light.” This point sounds very reminiscent of God’s love and grace, which are poured out upon us as God “first loved us” (1 John 4:19), and which we are called to share with others.
After this, 8 readings and 7 responsories follow and then a final reading from the Gospel occurs, the longest liturgy of the word of the entire year. The first reading from Genesis goes over the creation of the universe and is followed by Psalm 104, which relates closely and repeats “Lord send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.” The next reading is God’s testing of Abraham, asking him to sacrifice Isaac, one of the most direct prefigurements of Christ’s sacrifice as in Hebrews it is said that “Abraham… offered up Isaac, and… was ready to offer up his only-begotten son,” and “he considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead” (Heb. 11:17-19). The following Psalm is Psalm 16, which speaks of God as our inheritance, corresponding to Abraham having been promised nations, a land, and that he would give a universal blessing, all of which are ultimately fulfilled in Christ. The third reading is Israel’s passage through the Red Sea, a prefigurement of Baptism, both by the water and by its washing and freeing them from the grasp of slavery in Egypt, an analog to being washed free of sin in Baptism. The responsory that follows is the song of Moses and Miriam, praising God for granting them salvation from the Egyptians.
The fourth reading is from Isaiah, who speaks of how God longs to be reunited with His bride, Israel, who has been cast out in exile. He speaks of how God longs to bring them back and to make them new. The responsory is Psalm 30, a song of praise for God rescuing and bringing us back not only to our former state, but a new glory. The fifth reading is again from Isaiah, speaking of how God “will renew… the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David” (Is. 55:3). And he speaks in the same passage of the expansion of the covenant, telling them “so shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you” (Is. 55:5). The responsory that follows is from Isaiah 12, saying “you shall draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation,” indicating expanding of the covenant pointed out by Christ when he meets with the Samaritan woman at the well, where Jesus tells her that “a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). The sixth reading comes from Baruch, praising how God has made his commands and his love known to Israel, while also exhorting them to follow his precepts that they may experience peace and joy, as opposed to the despair and loss they experienced due to their unfaithfulness. The sixth responsory is Psalm 19, praising God’s law, wisdom, and simplicity and having shared these things with mankind, as the words of God are “more precious than gold” and “sweeter than syrup or honey from the comb” (Ps. 19:10).
The seventh reading is from Ezekiel, proclaiming that God will bring Israel back to their home and give them a new spirit, not on account of their behavior among the other nations, which was idolatrous, but because of who God is and for the sake of showing His glory unto others, which is ultimately for the sake of bringing others to worship Him. The seventh and final responsory is Psalm 42, which speaks of how our souls yearn for God as intensely as deer thirst for streams of water. Following this, the Gloria is sung as bells are rung and all the candles of the Church are lit as the liturgy transitions to the New Testament, bringing light to all the world. The eighth and final reading is from Romans, as Paul speaks of how we are united to Christ through Baptism, both into His death, and also into His glorious Resurrection into new life. The Alleluia that follows is the longest of the year, with 3 sections of Psalm 118 proclaiming that “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (Ps. 118:17). This comes after the Alleluia goes unused for the entirety of Lent, as we can now truly celebrate the resurrection after a season of calling to mind Christ’s passion and death.
The liturgy of the word culminates in a Gospel narrative of the discovery of the Resurrection, the thing upon which the entirety of our faith hinges, as Paul says, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor. 15:14). Following the homily, all those to be baptized are brought to the holy water font, where new water is poured in and blessed by the priest, holding the Easter candle in the water. Then, the catechumens are all baptized. Following the baptisms, all the candidates for Confirmation are brought forward to the altar, where they are confirmed, called by the name of the saint they have chosen as their patron. Following this, the liturgy of the eucharist follows according to the usual order of mass, completing the trifecta of the sacraments of initiation for those newly joining the Church. After the Eucharist is reposed in the tabernacle, the sanctuary candle will be lit, as it will now hold the blessed sacrament after laying open and empty since Good Friday. After the altar is cleared, a final blessing is given and the people are sent forth with an Alleluia, to spread the good news that Christ is truly risen!