Easter Vigil 2010

I've thought back a lot to the Plurk I wrote yesterday about an incident that occurred before the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening at my parish. It really struck me and made me realize something much deeper was happening than I had at first imagined. So, I thought I would expand the Plurk into a blog article...


Holy Saturday: Keeping Vigil

This evening when I arrived at church, I was carrying a seafood platter for my priest. I found him praying in the sacristy where Jesus had been reserved after Adoration at the Altar of Repose had come to a close on Holy Thursday.

My priest had placed a folding chair there in our small sacristy so that he could come there during the day to pray. Our tabernacle in the sanctuary stood empty, its doors open. The Altar of Repose had been removed the day before...

My priest knew that I would be arriving soon with the seafood platter, which would be his Easter breakfast since he was fasting. For how long, I knew not...

He heard me as I approached the doorway behind him. As he got up, he told me I should take his place in the chair and pray for the next ten minutes while he took the food over to the rectory. He said he had been praying specifically for Pope Benedict and I was to continue his prayer until he returned. He even reminded me a second time before he left.

Being the dutiful parishioner that I am, I sat down and spent the next few minutes in prayer for our pope. The door to the little sacristy cabinet where Jesus was reserved was open and I could see the ciborium there. Jesus was waiting...

When my priest returned, he took my place in front of the Blessed Sacrament and continued his prayer. And I left to do my duties in the church, helping to prepare for the Vigil.

The chain of prayer had remained unbroken... And the exposed Sacrament had not been left alone.