The Origins of Our Celebrations
By Father Paul Wilkinson
Although Easter was celebrated in the 1st and 2nd centuries, there was no Holy Week, as such, before the 4th century, when there was a great increase in the number of festivals and a tendency to historicise them, treating them as commemorations of events in the life of Christ.
In the closing years of the 4thC the celebration of Holy Week in Jerusalem, where the events commemorated had taken place, gradually spread throughout the Christian World. A feature of this liturgy was the lighting of lamps or candles, symbolising the Light of Christ, in the days leading up to the commemoration of the Crucifixion, when the lights were extinguished, and their relighting to mark the Resurrection. This is still reflected in the liturgy we celebrate today. Elements of our liturgy such as veneration of the cross and vigils of readings, psalms and hymns also have their origins in the celebrations in Jerusalem, as do the blessing of water and the celebration of baptism.
From the earliest days there was no celebration of the eucharist on Good Friday, the Easter Mass was the Mass of the whole festival. Instead, there was a liturgy of the Word including John’s Passion and nine prayers of intercession. There was then the singing of the Reproaches, probably of Gallican or Spanish origin in the 8th or 9thC, which recount what Jesus has done for us and how we have repaid him with crucifixion. The cross was then uncovered and the people made their veneration.
The main feature of Holy Saturday was the Vigil of Readings in the evening followed by the blessing of the new fire and of the paschal candle. The Exultet was then proclaimed. A composition in praise of the candle, it dates from the 7thC and its theme is the triumph of Christ over darkness. From the10thC five grains of incense, representing the wounds of Christ were inserted in the candle. The candle was then lit from the new fire.
After the Second Vatican Council the rites were simplified, based on the 4thC pattern. The Triduum, is one celebration divided over three days.
Our Celebrations
Because of the particular circumstances of Pilgrim Cross, the liturgy of the Triduum has, over the years, been adapted to suit the needs of the pilgrimage. The first part of the liturgy, on Holy Thursday, is celebrated by each leg.
Good Friday
The principal focus of the Good Friday celebration is a meditation on Christ’s death on the cross.
The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, which usually takes place at 3.00pm on Good Friday, is moved to a later time to allow for the arrival of all the legs in Walsingham. The liturgy begins with an unveiling of the Cross in three stages, as has been the practice since the 7th C. On Pilgrim Cross, this begins when the pilgrimage comes together at the Catholic Shrine and continues on arrival in the village and during the liturgy in the evening. Thus, the walk into the village is part of the liturgy.
The celebration is made up of a Liturgy of the Word, which includes the Passion according to John, used every Good Friday since the 3rd or 4th centuries, General Intercessions, in which the Church throughout the world is united in prayer, and then the third part of the unveiling of the cross follows, after which the Reproaches are sung. Everyone is offered the opportunity to venerate the cross. Please follow the directions given in the service booklet.
Holy Saturday
The Easter Vigil and First Mass of the Resurrection uses the powerful symbols of fire, light and water to communicate the wonder of the resurrection of Christ. The celebration, which must not start before nightfall, begins with the blessing of the new fire, a symbol of the power of the risen Christ to destroy the darkness of evil. The paschal candle is prepared with the tracing out on it of the cross and alpha and omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and the date, to symbolise the eternal nature of Christ, and the insertion of five incense grains that represent the wounds of Christ whose suffering enabled death to be overcome. The candle is lit from the fire and ‘Christ our Light’ of the world is proclaimed. From this one light everyone’s candles are lit. We then process to the church for the proclamation of the Exultet and the vigil of readings which recall the history of salvation.
After the homily, baptismal water is blessed and, if anyone is to be baptised, this then takes place. Everyone present is invited to renew their baptismal promises, recalling their commitment to be ‘children of the light.’ At the preparation of the gifts, the altar, which has been bare up to this point, is dressed with cloth and candles, reversing the ‘stripping’ of Holy Thursday. The Mass then continues as usual.
Easter Sunday
On Easter Sunday morning, in recognition of the ecumenical nature of our pilgrimage, we celebrate an Anglican eucharist at the Anglican shrine. The Anglican eucharist, especially as celebrated in Walsingham, is derived from the Catholic celebration and, in its form and words, is very similar.
If you are new to the pilgrimage you can find out more about our Easter weekend celebrations via the Pilgrim Cross Guide Book. Ask your leader for more details or get in touch via the contact page.