Bishop Robert Deeley celebrates the Great Vigil of Easter

"Let us be grateful for all that life has given us that brings us to this place, this church, this night." - Bishop Robert Deeley

From darkness to light and from silence to celebratory song, Bishop Robert Deeley celebrated the Great Vigil of Easter, the sacred night on which Christ passed over from death to life, bringing the same hope and promise to the faithful around the world.

“There is hope for us all. Jesus, risen from the dead, lives forever with God,” Bishop Deeley said. “In his resurrection, he gives us the confidence that our lives are not without purpose and will not fail in the end.”

The bishop said when the angel first appeared to the women at the tomb telling them the good news that Jesus had risen, his message was one of hope and assurance, not only for them but for us today.

“The message the angel wants to convey is that even when Jesus suffered and died, he was not abandoned by God. Neither are we. God is with us. That is the message of the resurrection. In life and in death, God is with us, holding us in his eternal love,” the bishop said.

The Easter Vigil Mass began with the lights of the church off and with candles yet to be lit. The only illumination came from a fire burning in the narthex of the cathedral, located at the back of the church.

In the glow of the flames, the bishop asked God to sanctify the new fire. He then prepared the paschal candle, on which are depicted a cross, the nails of a cross, and the letters alpha and omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The bishop traced the arms of the cross and the letters and then touched the nails, saying, “Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end, all time belongs to him and all the ages. To him be glory and power through every age and forever. By his holy and glorious wounds, may Christ our Lord guard us and protect us.”

The paschal candle was then lit from the new fire, and from the paschal candle other candles were lit, the Light of Christ shared, candle by candle, from clergy to altar servers to parishioners, the gentle glow increasing pew by pew until the cathedral, from the narthex to the sanctuary, was aglow.

With the church still lit only by candles, Father Seamus Griesbach, rector of the cathedral, sang the Exsultet, a poetic hymn of rejoicing, praise, and thanksgiving to God that may date back as far as the fourth century.

“O truly blessed night, worthy alone to know the time and hour when Christ rose from the underworld! This is the night of which it is written: The night shall be as bright as day, dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness,” the Exsultet proclaims.

Salvation History

Among the features of the Easter Vigil Mass is a series of readings that tell of salvation history. At the Mass at the cathedral, they were shared in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish, reflecting the cultural diversity of the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes.

The readings began with Genesis and the story of creation and concluded with Matthew’s telling of the discovery of the empty tomb. The bishop said what those readings show us is that our ancestors' situation was much like ours today, with times of both glory and struggle.

“In sum, as God’s human creation, we have not always been faithful to the covenant with God. What we learn in this vigil celebration, however, is that God has always been faithful with us. Jesus, the Word of God, became flesh and dwelt among us. He has died on the cross for us and been raised from the dead. Now, he leads us by his word, charged with new life, and feeds us with his body and blood. Jesus Christ, in his life, death, and resurrection, calls us to share in his new and eternal life,” the bishop said.

New Life

The Easter Vigil Mass is a time to celebrate new life, and one way the Church does that is by welcoming new members. In parishes across Maine, 59 people were baptized, confirmed, and received first Eucharist. They included six young people who were baptized by the bishop during the vigil Mass at the cathedral. The six included two youths from Portland, one from Rwanda, one from Honduras, and two from Puerto Rico.

After the six were baptized and confirmed, the candles they were given were used to again light the candles of all in the congregation, who then joined in renewing their baptismal promises, a reminder, the bishop said, of what our baptism calls us to do.

“We are reminded that, with Jesus’ resurrected life within us, we can work for life here and now. We can foster life in the downtrodden, we can preserve life in the defeated, and we can protect life in the unborn. God has given us a new life in him. That life is ours today in baptism,” the bishop said. "We see signs of Jesus’ resurrected life wherever people take up the cross of Jesus in self-sacrificing service. It is present when people who have not spoken to each other in years reconcile with one another and try again to be with each other and support each other. Resurrected life shows itself whenever people put aside their selfish interests and reach out to help and console those in need.”

Liturgy of the Eucharist

The Vigil Mass continued with the Liturgy of the Eucharist which began with Vietnamese dancers who presented the gifts to the bishop.

In his homily, the bishop noted that the Eucharist gives us strength every time we celebrate it, not just on this one night.

“Every Eucharist celebrates Easter, and every Eucharist is a source of hope, encouragement, and strength for us in living as Jesus called us to do. The Eucharist is the moment when the angel’s words ‘Do not be afraid’ take root in us,” the bishop said.

The Mass concluded with the congregation joining in singing “Jesus Christ is Risen Today."

During the Mass, bells, which had been silent since Holy Thursday, rang out again. The Easter Vigil Mass was also the first time that parishioners joined in saying and singing alleluia since the beginning of Lent.

The celebration of Easter continues on Sunday with the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord. Bishop Deeley will celebrate Mass at the cathedral at 10 a.m. You can find a list of all Easter Sunday Masses around the diocese at www.portlanddiocese.org/easter.