HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT – VIGIL OF EASTER . Year B - SATURDAY, 2024 (Longer Liturgy of the Easter VIGIL)

HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT – VIGIL OF EASTER. Year B - SATURDAY, 2024 (Longer Liturgy of the Easter VIGIL)

 

(This is the whole vigil of Readings and Holy Saturday Mass – It is traditionally much longer than the usual Mass and filled with ancient beauty and profound symbolism)
++++
Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers, and homily) for HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT – VIGIL OF EASTER. Year B – SATURDAY 2024, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-holy-saturday-night-the-vigil-of-easter-year-b-2024-episode/s-v55QH6iUEoc

+++++
The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night

STRUCTURE OF THE CEREMONY
I. The Solemn Beginning of the Vigil (also known as "Lucernarium"):  Blessing of the Fire, Procession, Exsultet

II. The Liturgy of Word:           Readings/psalms/prayers, Gloria, Homily

III. Renewal of baptism

IV. The Liturgy of Eucharist:    Preface of Easter I, (Easter Communicantes, Hanc igitur in Euch. Prayer I)

V. The Concluding Rites:         Dismissal with Alleluia

READINGS:       
I     Gen 1:1 - 2:2: God saw all he had made, and indeed it was good.
Ps 103:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35: R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

II    Gen 22:1-18: Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac.
Ps 15:5, 8-11: R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

III  Ex 14:15 - 15:1: Tell the children of Israel to march on, to walk through the sea on dry ground.
Ex 15:1-6, 17-18: R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

IV  Is 54:5-14: But with everlasting love I have taken pity on you, says the Lord, your redeemer.
Ps 29:2, 4-6, 11-13: R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

V   Is 55:1-11: Come to me and your soul will live. With you I will make an everlasting covenant.
Is 12:2-6: R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

VI  Baruch 3:9-15,32 - 4:4: Walk in the way of God and you will live in peace forever.
Ps 18:8-11: R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

VII Ezek 36:16-28: I shall pour clean water over you and I shall give you a new heart.
Ps 41:3, 5; 42:3, 4: R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God.

Rom 6:3-11: Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again.
Ps 117:1-2, 16-17, 22-23: R. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Mark 16:1-8:  Do not be alarmed. He has been raised!

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 585677387 - Easter resurrection - abstract artistic religious digital illustration with the figure of the risen Jesus Christ and the cross of light rays - Illustration Formats. Illustration Contributor: Thoom

+++++

Christ is Risen!    He is Risen indeed.   Christ is risen; as he said!!  
A spiritual writer once said … and put it so beautifully for us who have been keeping vigil in meditation and prayer, right up until this wonderful night…..

 

He writes:

"One of the powerful things that Easter says to us today, is this: You can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there. You can nail truth to a cross, or wrap it in winding sheets;  and shut it in a tomb, but it will rise again! "   (Clarence W. Hall).

 

Tonight we celebrate the fact that Christ has risen….he has Risen Indeed! 

 

He, who IS the way, the truth and the Life…..  could not possibly be held in death's grasp for too long. He broke free and promises us eternal life too.

 

God has the final say over the tensions and tragedies of life…..… and it is good news….    God says "yes" to the goodness of creation and "Yes" to each one of us……  it was right to remain faithful //   our hope in his promises is fulfilled…..

 

EASTER IS ABOUT FAMILY – first and foremost – we are all one family of God…  God loves us and cares about us…  and is faithful us forever……   and desires with all his heart that we love others with his heart too…Easter is also about our own individual families (sharing time for family, or if we are not able to be with them this easter, certainly giving thanks for the gift of them in our lives…)…..and giving thanks to God for the many ways in which God brings us to the fullness of life even on this side of Heaven.

 

 

We give thanks for our FAMILY, our friends….and    for so many graces and blessings we have received in life…  to nurture us and give us strength and joy……

 

Easter is the perfect time for celebrating Baptisms and welcoming people into our church communion…….    We give thanks for those who will be baptized and received into the church this season. God's gentle grace has led them here… and their decision is a great source of renewal and thanksgiving for the whole community.

 

Easter is not only about the promise of everlasting life in heaven,..// ..  there are so many ways in which Jesus' rising from the dead is a sign of God's constant work to "bring us out of the entombment" that we can experience in our lives…// // Tonight  is also about the real promise that "God can and does" want us to be "fully alive".,… //  and renewed in spirit and mind…. and brought to life again from so many things that can sap the life out of us…. weigh us down….  and imprison us……   whether it be fear, guilt, pain, illness, doubt, grief……   or countless other equally painful struggles….

 

Anyone who has ever gone through a "dark night of the soul" in their life, (and that is each of us at one time or another)…….and has come through the other end and now finds themselves in a renewed place, raised up again,  (never imagining that they would be in this new space) but here they are!!!….with the help of God's grace, (shown by the helping hands of family, friends, colleagues, ….and so many other ways…)….   anyone who has gone through this can testify…   Christ really IS at work brining us to new life (in so many ways)……    and Tonight  we give thanks for this…. and pray for those who continue to hope and trust in God's faithfulness….  // God's love and care for us will never fail….. God effects resurrection IN our lives, in ways beyond our expectations….. beyond our presumptions or in ways different from the literal limits of our requests …..   Often, we only recognize a 'resurrection moment in our lives' with a kind of 'dawning realization'  - like Mary Magdalene:  thinking that someone had hidden the body of our Lord….. searching and praying that she might find where they had hidden his body….…   and not at first realizing that her prayers had been answered in this man she initially mistakes for a gardener, (but no, it is the Lord himself)…..

 

May the Lord of the resurrection bless you and renew you with fullness of life – here and now (and forever)…. 

Lord, this -- new day dawns…!!"

+++++
References:

Fr Paul W. Kelly

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 585677387 - Easter resurrection - abstract artistic religious digital illustration with the figure of the risen Jesus Christ and the cross of light rays - Illustration Formats. Illustration Contributor:
Thoom


HOLY SATURDAY NIGHT – VIGIL OF EASTER . Year B - SATURDAY, 2024 (Longer Liturgy of the Easter VIGIL)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PREFACE: Preface I of Easter
Euch prayer I

++++

++++++++
Archive of homilies and reflections:  http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email:  paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks


Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection"  - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants  — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989,  and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009,  The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful -   " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'.   E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" -  By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria,  Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly.  Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer.  Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

Sound Engineering and editing -  P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: -      Shure MV5 Digital Condenser (USB)

Editing equipment:    NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44

Sound Processing:  iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor

[Production -  KER -  2024]
May God bless and keep you.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++