Saturday evening's Mass at the parish we attend was a little different yesterday - in a really cool way. The new translation of the Roman Missal includes an extended version of the Pentecost Vigil liturgy - basically, to mirror the Easter Vigil that began this season. It's extended in the sense that there are four "first" readings - each with their own psalm, then the "second" reading, and then the Gospel. And, you guessed it, that's exactly how Mass was celebrated yesterday evening.
It was an hour and a half of EPIC AWESOMENESS. Yes, that's right. It was awesome. Seriously. I can't get enough of these things - they always remind me of the depth of beauty and levels of meaning in the Mass - they make the sacred that much more real to me. And the new translation of the Missal has just made it that... much... better. Ahhhhhhhhhh, yeah!!!! :D
As I was sitting in Mass last night, listening to the additional Old Testament readings, I found myself considering the entire concept of Saturday evening Mass - of Vigil Masses. "Masses of Anticipation." So often, I think we consider Saturday evening Mass as a way to "check the box" or "get it over with" for the weekend. And if we think of it that way, an extra half hour at Mass on Saturday evening becomes an imposition - even an annoyance.
That's really sad. I mean, think about this. We have an Easter Vigil - the Mass that anticipates Easter Sunday - there are Vigil Masses for Christmas - and we treat those as particularly special - which of course, by rights, they are. They are special because they are unique to the great feasts they anticipate. But, any Saturday evening Mass is still a vigil, still anticipatory - the liturgy is still cognizant of the fact that the people of God are holding vigil in anticipation of Sunday and the remembrance of Christ's resurrection - even if we don't recognize that fact.
Every Sunday is a great feast in and of itself, and so ALL vigil Masses are special.
Contrary to what some might like to believe, Saturday evening Masses don't simply exist for our convenience, or to satisfy our desire to sleep in on Sunday morning (and don't get me wrong, sometimes I like to sleep in on Sunday morning, too!).
Wouldn't it be cool if everyone recognized that, when we go to Saturday evening Mass, we are there to keep vigil - there to anticipate the great celebration of the resurrection on Sunday? How awesome would it be to really keep a Saturday vigil in all its meaning - to revive that meaning and bring it back to our minds, back to our hearts? How wonderful would it be if we recognized more constantly the sacred being made real in front of us at Mass, through the power of the Holy Spirit whose descent on the Church we have celebrated today?
Indeed, "Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, enkindle in them the fire of your love..."
(and yep, another pic from yesterday's ordinations!)
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