Sharing the Easter Vigil
This year, the celebration of the Easter Vigil Mass was very special to me, not only because it is a very holy day, but because three of my aunt in-laws decided to accompany us to the Mass. Now, this may seem like nothing special; however, my in-laws are Taoist so their asking to attend Mass more and more often is of special significance, and as one of my aunts put it “This is so beautiful.”
My aunts had been keen to attend other Masses with us during Holy Week, but problems with schedules kept arising, especially on Good Friday. Still, God’s grace had touched the hearts of my aunts and they freed themselves on Saturday for the Easter Vigil Mass.
It was all surprising and new to them, as they had never seen a fully darkened church and what caught them even more was that we actually arrived an hour before the start of the Mass to ensure that we would have seats. Surprisingly, they didn’t complain at all; rather, just watched as we prayed and asked some questions about the evening. Then, it began.
The projector emanated an image of the two priests, the altar servers, and a few laity upon the screens at the front of the church. There we could see a huge flame which had been erected and the parish priest began to bless the flame. He then proceeded with blessing and lighting of the Paschal candle. My aunts’ eyes were transfixed on these images.
As the priests made their way into the church, they spread light of Christ and everything was aglow with candle light. One of my aunts then turned to me and said, “This is so beautiful.” I replied to her, “This represents the light of Christ and how it spreads, and you can see it can light up the whole world.” At that moment, it seems that it struck her deeply and she started to really understand what was happening at the Mass.
That aunt, the youngest of the sisters, continued to ask me occasional questions, which I tried to answer while paying attention to the Mass. But, one thing was sure; she had been touched by God. She paid attention to every reading, sang every hymn and just seemed like a sponge. She even went as far as repeating the renewal of baptismal vows. Now, I know that she is not baptized, but it is the symbolic meaning behind it. She was also incredibly drawn to the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation which took place during the night. She made comments tantamount to her desiring more in regard to the Church, and I hope that will mean that she will be brought into the Church in the future.
This Easter Vigil Mass strengthened me and allowed me to celebrate the rising of our Lord to whom I am eternally grateful and I serve with all my heart and soul, but it also allowed me to see yet another soul touched by the profoundness and mystery of the Church. It truly does seem that God is calling her, and that grace is beginning to touch her heart and soul so I truly hope that in the future that my aunt will continue to attend Mass and eventually become a member of the body of Christ.
My aunts had been keen to attend other Masses with us during Holy Week, but problems with schedules kept arising, especially on Good Friday. Still, God’s grace had touched the hearts of my aunts and they freed themselves on Saturday for the Easter Vigil Mass.
It was all surprising and new to them, as they had never seen a fully darkened church and what caught them even more was that we actually arrived an hour before the start of the Mass to ensure that we would have seats. Surprisingly, they didn’t complain at all; rather, just watched as we prayed and asked some questions about the evening. Then, it began.
The projector emanated an image of the two priests, the altar servers, and a few laity upon the screens at the front of the church. There we could see a huge flame which had been erected and the parish priest began to bless the flame. He then proceeded with blessing and lighting of the Paschal candle. My aunts’ eyes were transfixed on these images.
As the priests made their way into the church, they spread light of Christ and everything was aglow with candle light. One of my aunts then turned to me and said, “This is so beautiful.” I replied to her, “This represents the light of Christ and how it spreads, and you can see it can light up the whole world.” At that moment, it seems that it struck her deeply and she started to really understand what was happening at the Mass.
That aunt, the youngest of the sisters, continued to ask me occasional questions, which I tried to answer while paying attention to the Mass. But, one thing was sure; she had been touched by God. She paid attention to every reading, sang every hymn and just seemed like a sponge. She even went as far as repeating the renewal of baptismal vows. Now, I know that she is not baptized, but it is the symbolic meaning behind it. She was also incredibly drawn to the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation which took place during the night. She made comments tantamount to her desiring more in regard to the Church, and I hope that will mean that she will be brought into the Church in the future.
This Easter Vigil Mass strengthened me and allowed me to celebrate the rising of our Lord to whom I am eternally grateful and I serve with all my heart and soul, but it also allowed me to see yet another soul touched by the profoundness and mystery of the Church. It truly does seem that God is calling her, and that grace is beginning to touch her heart and soul so I truly hope that in the future that my aunt will continue to attend Mass and eventually become a member of the body of Christ.
Comments