Fr Chad, who will be leading Home Prayers on Holy Saturday, shares an adapted Easter Vigil for use in homes on Saturday evening with us here.
AN EASTER VIGIL (adapted)
Leader: On this sacred night the Church calls upon her scattered sons and daughters to watch and pray.
Light a large central candle
Leader: Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. May the light of Christ rising in glory dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.
Light smaller individual candles from the central candle
Individuals to proclaim the readings, all to join in the response
Keep a little silence between readings,
Genesis 1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water. God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness. God called light ‘day’, and darkness he called ‘night.’ Evening came and morning came: the first day.
R. Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.
Genesis 22
The angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham…Do not raise your hand against the boy... Do not harm him, for now I know you fear God….Because you have not refused me your son, your only son, I will shower blessings on you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven
R. Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
Exodus 14
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove back the sea with a strong easterly wind all night, and he made dry land of the sea. The waters parted and the sons of Israel went on dry ground right into the sea, walls of water to right and to left of them.
R. I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!
Isaiah 54
For the mountains may depart, the hills be shaken, but my love for you will never leave you and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken, says the Lord who takes pity on you
R. I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
Isaiah 55
Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come! Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live. Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near.
R. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Baruch 3
He sends the light – and it goes, he recalls it – and trembling it obeys; the stars shine joyfully at their set times: when he calls them, they answer, ‘Here we are’;they gladly shine for their creator.
R. You have the message of eternal life, O Lord.
Ezekiel 36
I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you…. You shall be my people and I will be your God.
R. Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.
Matthew 28
After the sabbath, and towards dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to visit the sepulchre. And all at once there was a violent earthquake, for the angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His face was like lightning, his robe white as snow. The guards were so shaken, so frightened of him, that they were like dead men. But the angel spoke; and he said to the women, ‘There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has risen from the dead and now he is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him.” Now I have told you.’ Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.
And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.’
R. Alleluia ! Christ is risen!
Take a wooden spoon and a saucepan and make as much noise as possible!
Final hymn
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory, thou o'er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave clothes where thy body lay.
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,
Endless is the vict'ry, thou o'er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the Church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting.
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,
Endless is the vict'ry, thou o'er death hast won.
No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life;
life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love:
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,
Endless is the vict'ry, thou o'er death hast won.
Musical backing can be found on Youtube…