InChristian liturgy,avigilis, in origin, a religious service held during the night leading to a Sunday or other feastday.[1]TheLatintermvigilia,from which the word is derived meant a watch night, not necessarily in a military context, and generally reckoned as a fourth part of the night from sunset to sunrise. The four watches or vigils were of varying length in line with the seasonal variation of the length of the night.
Etymology
editThe English term "wake",which later became linked to a gathering before afuneral,also denoted originally such a prayer service,[2]and the term "vigil" is even now also used for a funeral service of that kind.[3][4]
History
editEarly Christianity
editThe practice of rising for prayer in the middle of the night is "as old as the church herself".[5]It may be inspired by Jesus Christ's example of praying all night.[1]There is evidence of the practice from the first years of the second century.[6]Pliny the Youngerreportedin about 112 that Christians gathered on a certain day before light, sang hymns to Christ as to a god and shared a meal.[7]
Tertullian(c. 155 – c. 240) speaks of the "nocturnal convocations" (nocturnae convocationes) of Christians and their "absence all the night long at the paschal solemnities" (sollemnibus Paschae abnoctantes)[8]Cyprian(c. 200 – 258) also speaks of praying at night, but not of doing so as a group: "Let there be no failure of prayers in the hours of night — no idle and reckless waste of the occasions of prayer" (nulla sint horis nocturnis precum damna, nulla orationum pigra et ignava dispendia).[9]TheApostolic Traditionspeaks of prayer at midnight and again at cockcrow, but seemingly as private, not communal, prayer.[10]ThePeregrinatio Aetheriaedescribes the solemn celebration of vigils in the churches ofJerusalemin the early 380s.
During the 3rd century and 4th century, in addition to the celebration of Mass, it was customary to hold a vigil, a prayer service in three parts, as night-watches in preparation for the feast.[11]Commenced in the evening, a vigil terminated only the following morning. Its liturgical was elastic, involving readings, singing of psalms, homilies, chants, and various prayers, followed by the Eucharistic service. These developed into the monastic celebrations, still called "vigils" in theRule of Saint Benedictof thecanonical hourthat was later given the name ofmatins.[12]
From 11th to 20th century
editIn theMiddle Ages,entertainments such as dramatic representations of the saint or the event celebrated were added to vigils, but these were open to abuse. A synod held at Rouen in 1231 forbade the holding of "vigils" in church except on the patronal saint's feast alone and totally excluded the holding of dances in church or churchyard.[13]The liturgical celebration was moved to the morning hours and thus disassociated from the secular festivities, with the result that the word "vigil" took on the meaning of "the day before a feast", and the self-denial of the nighttime celebration was replaced by fasting on that preceding day.[14]
Even after theProtestant Reformation,the practice of fasting Vigils was maintained in theChurch of England,whoseBook of Common Prayercontinued to indicate "Evens or Vigils" before 16 annual feasts, noting: "If any of these Feast-Days fall upon a Monday, then the Vigil or Fast-Day shall be kept upon the Saturday, and not upon the Sunday next before it." The 16 feasts wereChristmas Day,Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary,Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary,Easter Day,Ascension Day,Pentecost,Saint John the Baptist,All Saints,and these eight of the feasts of the Apostles: Saint Andrew (30 November), Saint Thomas (21 December), Saint Matthias (24 February or in a leap year, 25 February), Saints Peter & Paul (29 June), Saint James the Greater (25 July), Saint Bartholomew (24 August), Saint Matthew (21 September), and Saints Simon & Jude (28 October).[15]
The List of Vigils in theBook of Common Prayerdiffers from that of theTridentine calendar:the primary difference is that theBook of Common Prayer,instead of having the Tridentine calendar Vigils of St. Laurence (10 August) and of the Blessed Virgin Mary's Assumption (15 August), instead has the Vigils of the Blessed Virgin Mary's Annunciation (25 March) and of Her Purification (2 February).[16] In 1879,Pope Leo XIIIadded to those in theRoman Ritethe vigil of the Immaculate Conception, raising the number of vigils to 17.[14]In 1955,Pope Pius XIIreduced the number to 7, suppressing the vigils of the Immaculate Conception, Epiphany, and All Saints and all vigils of apostles except that of Saints Peter and Paul.[17] In the 1950s Pope Pius XII instituted a reform of theEaster Vigil,first on an experimental basis, then making it obligatory in 1955. Among other changes, he changed the hour of the service from Holy Saturday morning to after sunset in the following night, thus restoring it to something like the original meaning of a Christian vigil service.
TheCode of Rubricspublished by his successorPope John XXIIIin 1960 explicitly recognized the altered character of the Easter Vigil, which made no longer applicable to it the definition of "vigil", as the "eve of a feast", that held for vigils since the Middle Ages. It declared:
- By "vigil" is understood a liturgical day which precedes some feast and has the nature of a preparation for the feast.
- The Easter vigil, however, since it is not a liturgical day, is celebrated in its own way, as a night watch.[18]
Present usage
editIn theMethodist Churches,Watchnight Vigil servicesare celebrated onNew Year's Eve.[19]
In theCatholic Church,Pope Paul VI's 1969motu proprioMysterii Paschalismade the liturgical day correspond in general to what is generally understood today, running from midnight to midnight, instead of beginning withvespersof the evening before. By exception, the celebration of Sundays andsolemnitiesbegins already on the evening of the preceding day.[20]
In theLiturgy of the Hours,thecanonical hourthat used to be calledmatinsand thatBenedictine monkscelebrated at about 2 a.m. is now called the Office of Readings. "While retaining its nocturnal character for those who wish to celebrate a vigil, [it] is now of such a nature that it can be said at any time during the day".[21]The Catholic Church has thus restored to the word "vigil" the meaning it had in early Christianity.
For those who wish to extend, in accordance with tradition, the celebration of the vigil of Sundays, solemnities and feasts, Appendix I in the book of the Liturgy of the Hours indicates for each three Old Testament canticles and a Gospel reading for optional insertion after the regular readings. The Gospel reading may be followed by a homily.[22]
Vigil Mass
editA few solemnities are "endowed with their own VigilMass,which is to be used on the evening of the preceding day, if an evening Mass is celebrated ".[23]The readings and prayers of such vigil Masses differ from the texts in the Masses to be celebrated on the day itself. The solemnities that have a vigil Mass are:
- Easter Sunday
- The Ascension of the Lord
- Pentecost
- The Nativity of St John the Baptist (24 June)
- St Peter & St Paul (29 June)
- The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August)
- The Nativity of the Lord (25 December)
- The Epiphany of the Lord (6 January or Sunday between 2 and 8 January)
Sundays as such have no vigil Mass: only if one of the listed solemnities falls on a Sunday (as Easter and Pentecost always do) is there a difference between the readings and prayers at the Saturday evening Mass and Mass on the Sunday itself.
While theUniversal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendarthus give a restricted meaning to the term "vigil Mass", the same term is sometimes used in a broader sense as indicated by theCollins English Dictionarydefinition: "a Mass held on Saturday evening, attendance at which fulfils one's obligation to attend Mass on Sunday".[24]
An "anticipated Mass" is another name used for such a Mass attended in fulfilment of the obligation spoken of in the1983 Code of Canon Law,"On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass. [...] A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass".[25]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^abKinghorn, Kenneth C. (1999).The Heritage of American Methodism.Abingdon Press. p. 73.ISBN978-0-687-05500-5.
Early in church history, Christians held vigils during the evenings before church festivals. These vigils, or watch night services, seem to have been inspired by Jesus's example of praying all night before important decisions.
- ^John Harland,T. T. Wilkinson,Lancashire Legends, Traditions, Pageants, Sports, Etc.(George Routledge and Sons 1873), pp. 123–125
- ^Congregation for Divine Worship,Order of Christian Funerals|ICEL 1989), p. 12
- ^Leonel L. Mitchell, 'Pastoral and Occasional Liturgies: A Ceremonial Guide(Cowley Publications 1998)
- ^Benedictine Monks of Buckfast Abbey, "Divine Office: Matins — Prayer at Night",Homiletic and Pastoral Review,pp.361-367, Joseph F. Wagner, Inc., New York, NY, January 1925
- ^Christopher L. Webber,A Book of Vigils(Church Publishing 2002), p. 1
- ^Pliny,Letters10.96-97
- ^Tertullian,Ad uxorem,II,4;Latin text
- ^Cyprian,De oratione dominica,36 (near end);Latin text
- ^Robert F. Taft,The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West: The Origins of the Divine Office and Its Meaning for Today(Liturgical Press 1986), pp. 25–26
- ^The Ecclesiastical Review,Vol. 34, 1906
- ^Fernand Cabrol, "Matins" inThe Catholic Encyclopedia(New York 1911)
- ^C.J. Hefele,Conciliengeschichte,vol. V, p. 896
- ^abFrederick Hollweck, "Eve of a Feast" inThe Catholic Encyclopedia(New York 1909)
- ^The Book of Common Prayer... With Notes... by the Right Rev. Richard Mant... Sixth Edition(Francis & John Rivington 1850), p. lxiv
- ^"Tables and Rules".
- ^Acta Apostolicae Sedis47(1955), pages 218-224: decreeCum nostra hac aetate(De rubricis ad simpliciorem formam redigendis) of 23 March 1955, title II, 8–10
- ^Code of Rubrics, 28
- ^"Watch Night/New Year's Eve Resources".Discipleship Ministries.2020.Retrieved30 December2020.
- ^Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar,3
- ^Apostolic ConstitutionLaudis canticum,"the principles which underlie this new form of the Liturgy of the Hours", 2
- ^Liturgy of the Hours,Appendix I
- ^Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar,11
- ^Collins English Dictionary: "Vigil Mass"
- ^Code of Canon Law, canons 1247–1248).