Vigil of mourning leads into light of Easter

The 40 days of Lent conclude at dusk today, Holy Saturday, but before anyone celebrates the end of his or her self-imposed deprivation by breaking into a chocolate Easter bunny, there’s still a vigil of mourning to be observed in the hours of darkness before Easter Sunday.

Christians now know there’s a happy ending in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But the somber period of reflection recalls the experience of Christ’s original followers who believed their crucified savior lay in his tomb, "wondering what has happened to the whole idea of freedom and the Promised Land," said the Rev. Giovan King of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Kailua.

Some churches begin the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening or at midnight, but St. Christopher’s will begin Sunday at 6:45 a.m. as dawn is breaking. The timing uses the natural transition of night giving way to day, a powerful symbol of the resurrection, she said in an interview. The pre-dawn observance was also a tradition in Jerusalem, described by a Spanish nun who was there on a pilgrimage in the fourth century, King said.

The service begins with a small fire lit outside the entrance of the church. A new Christ or paschal candle will be lit from this fire, and the candle will be walked to the front of the dark sanctuary while attendees chant, King said. The service will continue with more readings about the creation of the world and the Jews’ exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, while the church is still lit only by this candle.

After dramatic proclamations of Christ’s resurrection, "we experience the Easter triumph, the complete triumph over death, and the lights go on, the bells are all rung, the organ plays and then we sing ‘Christ Our Lord Is Risen Today,’" King said. "And we realize we always will be free from sin and evil and death. To me that’s spine-tingling."

Everyone is invited to bring their own bells to ring to celebrate. "And then we get to sing wonderful songs, eat a wonderful breakfast afterwards and look for Easter eggs. … Easter Sunday is the biggie for everyone!" King said.

Nonreligious people might associate Easter only with the Sunday traditions of brunches, egg hunts and new spring outfits, but there’s lots of drama built up in the preceding Holy Week. It began Sunday with Palm or Passion (Latin for "suffering") Sunday, heralding Jesus’ entrance on a humble donkey into Jerusalem.

According to various websites, the heavyweight events occur during the Paschal Triduum (three full days that begin Thursday evening and end Sunday evening), which consists of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and the climactic Easter Sunday.

Maundy Thursday is so named as "maundy" means "commandment" in Latin. It refers to Jesus’ commandment (John 13:34-35) to his disciples that they "love one another," his top priority. To honor the day, a common custom in churches is for a pastor to wash the feet of his parishioners, just as Jesus washed the feet of his 12 disciples, demonstrating that a leader is willing to be a humble servant.

Church members usually share a meal to commemorate the disciples’ Last Supper with Jesus, which was institutionalized as the Eucharist or Holy Communion. After that the church altar is stripped bare or draped in black to symbolize the desertion of Jesus by his disciples once he is arrested, and his isolation on the cross. Some churches hold an overnight vigil to accompany Jesus in spirit as he agonizes in the Garden of Gethsemane while his disciples sleep.

On Good Friday, Jesus is arrested, tried, crucified and buried. His journey to the cross and unparalleled suffering are depicted in 14 iconic scenes displayed on church walls, called "Stations of the Cross." Services are held that include members stopping at each station to pray and meditate.

Another Friday tradition is the Tenebrae (Latin for "darkness") service held in the evening, characterized by the gradual diminishing of light in the sanctuary. The last light remaining is usually the Christ or paschal candle, which is then carried outside, leaving the church in complete darkness, representing the hopelessness of the world without Jesus.