www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology the Latin Easter Vigil

Alex,

I really cannot remember about the Anglican Church - it was a long time ago and after all I had been'convent educated' where everything that could be removed was, and anything that could not was veiled.

Yes our altars are stripped, after the Blessed Sacrament has been taken to the Altar of Repose after the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday . It really gives you an odd feeling seeing this happen , and then the door of the Tabernacle is left open - to remind us that The Lord is not there.

The congregation leave the Church in Silence and some return for Night Prayer at 10.15 following which the empty Church is locked until Morning Prayer is said at 9.30 on Holy Friday. I wish it remained open for watching but there would be quite a problem with security - I don't know of a Church here which is open during the night. Very sad but I fear a sign of the times

Following this a plain white cloth is put on the altar after the Veneration of the Cross on Holy Friday before the Ciborium with the Reserved Sacrament for use that day, is brought from the Place of Reposition for Communion. Again it is removed after Communion and the Altar is once again stripped and left until the Vigil. All this really leaves you with an empty feeling. We cannot genuflect - as The Lord is not there - we just bow to the altar as we enter and leave the Church. Mind it has to be said that there are bows and bows - usually it is just a small inclination of the head.

[ 04-04-2002: Message edited by: Our Lady's slave of love ]

Dear Alex,

If we have all-night vigils, I've never heard of them. If it's done at all, it'll be done in India, but probably not here.

Angela, thank you. This brings back memories, very good ones. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Exultet, here is a link giving the text and real audio link. It is truly one of the shining jewels of the Western Church. And it is very old; the Catholic Encyclopedia places its composition between the fifth and seventh centuries.

http://www.op.org/domcentral/life/exsultet.htm


Vicki

Dear Angela,

Thank you for sharing the treasures of the Western Church with us!

(You people aren't so bad after all )

Seriously though, this reminds me of what someone once wrote upon seeing Latins and Greeks worshipping together at the Holy Shrines in Jerusalem during Passion week.

He remarked how each tradition was so inspiring!

I visited the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and prayed at each of the six sections of the Church that belongs to six different Churches, including the Latin Catholic.

When I came to the Tomb of Christ, there was a Coptic Priest (on the other side), who took my hand and nudged it toward the stone on which Christ's Body rested and from which Christ arose.

He said, "Touch, touch - Jesus Christ was here!"

Alex