The Easter Vigil: The Blessing of Fire and the Paschal Candle

Tonight we will celebrate what St. Augustine called, “the Mother of all Vigils,” for tonight we will keep vigil in preparation for Feast of feasts, the Resurrection of the Lord! In the early Church, it was common to keep vigil with much prayer in order to prepare for the central feasts of the year, yet no vigil was as rich in prayers and ceremonies as tonight’s.

Let us waste no time, then, in deliberation, but let us enter into examination and contemplation of the mystical rites and symbols that pervade this Liturgy. We can only scratch the surface of this ancient Liturgy, I fear, for the actions of it are of unimaginable depth.

This solemn Vigil begins where we left off yesterday in the Church’s liturgy, Christ is dead and buried; the Light of the World is apparently extinguished, and even the darkness of our earthly night says this. Let us imagine ourselves, for understanding many of these rites the best, to be in one of the great cathedrals of old. The Easter Vigil is mandated to always begin after sunset, and it is appropriate that night has already begun.

In a time without streetlamps and electric lights, this would impose a profound feeling. The Faithful are all gathered in darkness within the empty church. We consider the church building empty, for the Eucharist is still at Its place of repose from yesterday's service, and although it may be decorated for the Easter solemnities, the holy water fonts remain empty and the candles are extinguished. When the time approaches for the beginning of this solemn service, however, the Faithful arise from their preparation of prayer to leave the church building!

In this act, we are going to meet Christ, for He is still within the tomb; His soul remains in the realm of Sheol with the faithful patriarchs and prophets who are awaiting the moment when they shall be freed from their prison and be able to enter the Heavenly realm. In this moment, outside in the darkness, let us unite ourselves with them, for we are now participating in the Sacred Liturgy, which transcends time itself! Unlit candles are held in the hand, to symbolize the longing of the patriarchs for the light and full revelation Christ would bring.

This longing has enkindled a great fire in the soul, in which we also share, for we long for the Heavenly realm as well, and we may see this in the blazing fire prepared outside the church. But this fire can do nothing for us without Christ, Who, through it, can grant the grace to lighten our souls with the light of faith, hope, and charity. We wait, then, by the fire for the moment when we shall see Christ come to us.

Then, the sacred moment comes! The priest comes forth in procession with the sacred ministers! In this we must see Jesus Christ coming to greet the faithful who awaited their redemption in the realm of the dead and proclaim the good tidings to them, but we may also see Him as coming to meet us. The Liturgy of this night is all about the initiation of the Elect into the Church, and, thus, allusions to Baptism shall penetrate every part of it. Nevertheless, it is also a vigil in preparation for the Resurrection of Christ, which shall not occur until the first light of dawn penetrates the earth on Easter morning. In this, then, we have a spirit of joyful penance, for we remember the great and marvelous work of Jesus Christ's Resurrection from the dead!

The Priest begins the Liturgy of this night with the words, "The Lord be with you." Here we see the greeting of Christ to the souls in Sheol who awaited His coming and Redemption. As the Office of Readings this morning said:

"He [Christ] has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross . . . . At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: 'My Lord be with you all.' Christ answered him: 'And with your spirit.' (Second Reading of the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday)"

Our conversation with Jesus Christ has begun! Throughout this Liturgy, we shall converse with Him in a unique way, for we are focusing especially on Baptism, and desiring the new life He has given us and will give us again. And that we may fully understand these ceremonies and the life Jesus is giving to us, the Priest instructs us in these words:

“Dear brethren (brothers and sisters),
on this most sacred night,
in which our Lord Jesus Christ
passed over from death to life,
the Church calls upon her sons and daughters,
scattered throughout the world,
to come together to watch and pray.
If we keep the memorial
of the Lord’s paschal solemnity in this way,
listening to his word and celebrating his mysteries,
then we shall have the sure hope
of sharing his triumph over death
and living with him in God.”


Let us note some of the features of this greeting. The first thing we may notice is the emphasis on the Passover of the Lord. The First Reading of the Mass of the Lord's Supper proclaimed, "It is the Passover of the LORD," yet here we are two evenings later and it is still the Passover of the Lord. As we have already noted, these three days may be viewed as one long day, for the events are all tied together in the Paschal Mystery. The Cross is not separated from the Resurrection and the Resurrection is not separated from the Cross. Yesterday and throughout today, we die with Christ, but on the third day of our Passover, we are to arise with Christ to new life!

But mention is also made of a call by the Church to all Her sons and daughters, "to watch and pray." How can we not recognize the request made by our Lord to the Disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane? On the night of Holy Thursday we prayed that we may not fail in keeping the Passion of Christ with a reverent and contrite spirit, but the Passion has ended; now it is the hour of the Resurrection. We must now pray for two things. First, we must beseech the Lord for those to be reborn in Baptism, that they may pass over into new life, and also for ourselves that we may be renewed in our Christian Life we received in Baptism. Secondly, we must pray that the fruits we have gained in the Passion of our Lord may not be lost through negligence, sloth, and pride, but that we may always persevere in them.

The entire world, in this solemn vigil, awaits the Resurrection of Christ. As we noted yesterday, the world was in mourning. Now it is in expectation, it is in expectation for the new life it shall receive. And this new life is promised to us if we keep this vigil with faith. It has many parts. The readings are long, and the mysteries presented are deep. However, with the grace of our Lord we may be vigilant and pray with fervor.

This solemn vigil then continues with the blessing of the fire. We have already noted that the fire represents the longing of humanity for the Divine blessings which man cannot attain on his own; they must be given by God to man. This longing in man is for salvation, for eternal beatitude. It is the driving force of every action of man, for everyone wills their happiness.

However, to attain this happiness, we must direct our intellects and our wills properly, namely towards God. But how can we know the way to do this? Jesus Himself has taught it to us, for He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6)." We must conform ourselves to the image of Jesus Christ. And has not this been what we have already been so focused on this Triduum? The past two days we saw how we must love with the love of the Cross. With this charity, we are conformed to Jesus!

The words of blessing for the fire are:

“O God, who through your Son
bestowed upon the faithful the fire of your glory,
sanctify + this new fire, we pray,
and grant that,
by these paschal celebrations,
we may be so inflamed with heavenly desires,
that with minds made pure
we may attain festivities of unending splendor.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.”

We have said the fire represents the longings of the Faithful, thus, it may be said to represent God, for it is by the gift of Himself these longings are fulfilled. The fire is then made to represent the Triune God, an ancient analogy to explain the Trinity, used especially by St. Justin Martyr. The blessing refers to Christ bestowing the fire of His glory, and this is a reference to His revealing the Trinity to us, for in the Trinity we see the glory of the Godhead!

The rest of the prayer is a request that, just as the fire spreads, so the light of faith, hope, and charity, may ever spread and grow in us. We pray we may always have faith in the Resurrection of Christ, that we may be strengthened and purified through hope in Christ's triumph over death, and made perfect in charity, especially the love shown in Jesus Christ. May our love for Him always burn in our hearts as a resplendent fire!

But we must move on in our considerations of this imposing vigil, and the next ceremony we are to consider is perhaps the most important one to the Easter Season, for it is the blessing and lighting of the Paschal Candle. The Paschal Candle, through the blessing conferred upon it, becomes a symbol of the Risen Christ. It will be with us throughout the Easter Season, to shed its light upon us! First, however, it must be figuratively wounded and pass from death to life, just as Christ did, so that it may be a fitting image of Him.

The formula for its sanctification and blessing is detailed and rich in symbolism. It begins with the following prayer, during which symbols are cut into it with a stylus by the Priest:

“Christ yesterday and today [while cutting a vertical line]
the Beginning and the End [while cutting a horizontal line]
the Alpha [while cutting the letter Alpha above the vertical line]
and the Omega [while cutting the letter Omega below the vertical line]
All time belongs to him [while cutting the first numeral of the current year in the upper left corner of the cross]
and all the ages[(while cutting the second numeral of the current year in the upper right corner of the cross]
To him be glory and power [while cutting the third numeral of the current year in the lower left corner of the cross]
through every age and for ever. Amen [while cutting the fourth numeral of the current year in the lower right corner of the cross]”

 The Divinity of Jesus is declared in this prayer, especially through His Lordship over all Creation, including life and death itself. Though He entered into time, as the Son of God, He is eternal and therefore, all time is subject to Him. In union with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He is the source and end of all Creation, i.e. the Beginning and End, the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8).

But let us examine the meaning of the symbols the Priest carves onto the Candle. He begins by forming a cross on it. The Cross is the the symbol of Christ's victory over sin and death; it is the sign of His Resurrection! The early Church used to display only barren crosses, not crucifixes, in their churches, as a testament to the Resurrection. How appropriate that the image of the Risen Christ, the Paschal Candle, be first marked with this emblem.

The next symbols show His Divinity, for the Greek letters alpha and omega are etched onto the Candle. Finally, His dominion over all Creation is displayed by the marking of the current year upon the Candle. He is risen from the dead! Jesus is not a bygone king, but He is the present and eternal King, Who lives and reigns for ever and ever!

But Jesus was made King through His Crucifixion. Therefore, there must also be emblem of this, and it is to be accomplished through the insertion of five grains of incense, to symbolize the five wounds Christ's received upon the Cross. Grains of incense are used here, because these wounds were a pleasing fragrance to the Father; they were given to Christ on the altar of the Cross, and therefore, they may be said to be part of the offering to the Father.

But the five wounds, one in each hand and foot, and the one in Christ's side, remain in His Resurrected Body; they testify to His infinite love for mankind! They are proofs of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, as related to us in His appearing to Thomas (John 20:24-29). It is only appropriate, then, that this Candle, which makes the Risen Lord present among us in a unique way, also bear holes within it, wherefrom fragrant aromas come to us.

The prayer for placing the five grains into the Candle is:

“1. By his holy
2. and glorious wounds,
3. may Christ the Lord
4. guard us
5. and protect us. Amen.”

The wounds of Christ are our protection against the snares of Satan, for he will not dare to approach so near to the marks of his defeat. Plus, Jesus will undoubtedly guard in a special way those who place themselves within these wounds. May we be among that number in this Paschaltide!

With the blessing of the Candle complete, the only thing that remains is for it to be lit. The Priest, then, lights a taper from the blazing fire and lights the Paschal Candle with these words:

“May the light of Christ rising in glory dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.”

 Our longing is fulfilled! Christ rises from the dead, and with Him we rise to new life! He would not leave us enslaved to death in the tomb, but He wills us to be raised up, as the Second Reading of today's Office of Readings says:

"Rise . . . . The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. . . . The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity."

The Kingdom of Heaven indeed awaits us, and we may see it symbolized by the interior of the church building, to which we are about to enter. But the Kingdom of Christ is already among us, within His Church, also symbolized by the bricks of the physical church. Into the Church, the Kingdom of God on earth, the Elect are to enter in such a short time. It would also behoove us, children of the Church that we are, to recall that we already passed into this new life and Kingdom through our Baptism. May the entrance into the church behind the Paschal Candle, the passage from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, the passage from death to life, be in our minds as the procession into the church now begins.

The Procession is led by the thurifer with a smoking thurible. We must recall that incense is a sign of the Divinity, and its presence before the Paschal Candle is a reminder that this Candle has been configured into an image of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Paschal Candle is immediately behind the thurifer, supported by the Deacon. Here we must see Jesus Christ leading us out of death into new life.

Jesus is, "the first-born of the dead (Revelation 1:5), therefore the Candle should be first to enter into the church, for Jesus was the first to rise from the dead of all mankind. Immediately upon its entrance into the church, symbolizing the moment of the Resurrection, the Deacon chants:

“The Light of Christ."

And the people reply:

"Thanks be to God.”

Indeed we must be thankful for Christ has enlightened us with definitive proof of His Divinity through the Resurrection and has brought us into the life of grace!

But the Resurrection was to avail all faithful peoples, not only Christ Himself. Through Baptism we all rise to new life, and to show how we have been raised through Christ, all the other hand candles, both of the Sacred Ministers and the Faithful are now lit.

Again the Deacon, with the Paschal Candle in the middle of the church, chants:

"The Light of Christ."

And the Faithful again reply:

"Thanks be to God."

Jesus gives us participation in His life. We are joined to the light of the Divinity and already begin to live here below, the life of Heaven!

However, Christ was not to remain upon earth after His Resurrection. The time was not ripe for Him to begin His earthly reign, so He ascended to the highest Heavens, where He now reigns triumphantly! To show this, the Deacon takes the Paschal Candle all the way to the altar, turns towards the congregation, and chants a third time:

"The Light of Christ."

And the Faithful reply a third time:

"Thanks be to God."

Jesus has ascended to Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit among us as He promised (John 16:7)! The reign of the Church on earth has begun, and for this we must ever rejoice, for now the Gospel has gone forth to all the nations. Jesus, the Risen Lord, has been proclaimed to all peoples, and we the sons and daughters of the Church have been given a new and glorious inheritance of life and grace in that Church through our dying and rising in Baptism!