A Vigil For The Eve of Holy Saturday

Composed and compiled by Kyle Magri

(begin in silence)

WHEN Jesus, after uttering a loud cry, expired, His heavenly soul, under the form of a bright meteor, pierced the earth at the foot of the Cross accompanied by the angel Gabriel and many other angels. His Divine nature continued united to His soul as well as to His body, which still remained hanging upon the Cross. Our Lord appeared radiant with light and surrounded by angels, who conducted Him triumphantly into the center of the great abyss, that is to say, to Hell itself; and the expression of His countenance was most severe. Evil spirits fled at His approach, and cast themselves into the dark abyss. Deep groans and cries of despair might be plainly distinguished even while the doors were tightly closed; but then there was a great voice like thunder, saying: Lift up your gates, O ye rulers; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in!

(Bells ring out, noise is made)

Then in an instant the doors of the abyss were torn asunder and Hades was led captive and Death was put to death. All the dead who were held captive were set free! Glory be to Jesus! The Conqueror of Death!

The dead shall rise up, and those in their tombs shall be raised, and those in the earth shall rejoice.  And where, O death, is your sting? Where, O Hades, is your victory?

Hymn: Come Ye Receive Light

Come receive ye light from the Light that is never over taken by night!

Come glorify The Christ risen from the dead. 

Let no one mourn that he hath fallen again and again, for forgiveness hath risen from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the death of our savior hath set us free. He hath destroyed it by enduring it. He spoiled Hades when he descended thereto. He vexed it even as it tasted of his flesh. Isaiah foretold this when he cried - Thou O Hades hast been vexed by encountering him below.

It is vexed; for it is even done away with. It is vexed!

It is vexed; for it is made a mockery. It is vexed!

It is vexed; for it is destroyed. It is vexed!

It is vexed; for it is annihilated. It is vexed!

It is vexed; for it is now made captive. It is vexed!

It took a body and lo, it discovered God. It took earth and behold, it encountered heaven. It took what it saw and was overcome by what it did not see. 

O death, where is thy sting? O Hades where is thy victory? 

Let us Pray

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 139 (Said by all in unison)

Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me: Thou hast know my sitting down, and my rising up.

Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off: my path and my line thou hast searched out.

And thou hast foreseen all my ways: for there is no speech in my tongue.

 Behold, O Lord, thou hast known all things, the last and those of old: thou hast formed me, and hast laid thy hand upon me.

 Thy knowledge is become wonderful to me: it is high, and I cannot reach to it.

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy face?

 If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I descend into hell, thou art present.

 If I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:

Even there also shall thy hand lead me: and thy right hand shall hold me.

 And I said: Perhaps darkness shall cover me: and night shall be my light in my pleasures.

But darkness shall not be dark to thee, and night shall be light as day: the darkness thereof, and the light thereof are alike to thee.

 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother's womb.

I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: wonderful are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well. My bone is not hidden from thee, which thou hast made in secret: and my substance in the lower parts of the earth.

Thy eyes did see my imperfect being, and in thy book all shall be written: days shall be formed, and no one in them.

But to me thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable: their principality is exceedingly strengthened.

I will number them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand: I rose up and am still with thee.

If thou wilt kill the wicked, O God: ye men of blood, depart from me: Because you say in thought: They shall receive thy cities in vain.

 Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hated thee: and pine away because of thy enemies?

 I have hated them with a perfect hatred: and they are become enemies to me. Prove me, O God, and know my heart: examine me, and know my paths.

And see if there be in me the way of iniquity: and lead me in the eternal way.

Glory Be… 

Let my prayer arise in thy sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice!

Today Hades cried out groaning: “My authority is dissolved; I received a mortal, as one of the mortals; but this One, I am powerless to contain; with Him I lose all those, over which, I had ruled. For ages I had held the Dead, but behold, He raises up all. Glory O Lord, to Your Cross and Your Resurrection.

Let my prayer arise in thy sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice!

Today Hades cried out groaning: “My power had been trampled on; the Shepherd has been crucified, and Adam He raised up. I have been deprived of those, over whom I ruled; and all those, I had the power to swallow, I have disgorged. He, Who was crucified has cleared the tombs. The dominion of Death is no more.” Glory O Lord, to Your Cross and Your Resurrection.

Let my prayer arise in thy sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice!

Hail to Mary! Queen of Heaven and Empress of Hades! Our Mother who has omnipotent power over all our enemies! She has crushed the head of the serpent beneath her triumphant feet! She has wounded Hades mortally by the power of the Son which she has borne! 

Hail to Thee glorious Virgin! You reign as Queen over all creation! 

Glory be…

The Reading is from The Wisdom of Sirach. Let us be attentive! 

“Wisdom will praise herself, And in the midst of her people she will boast. In the assembly of the Most High, she will open her mouth And boast in the presence of His host. “I came forth from the mouth of the Most High And covered the earth like a mist. I pitched my tent in the high places and my throne on the pillar of cloud. I alone encircle the ring of heaven,

And I walk in the depth of the abyss. In the waves of the sea, in all the earth, And in every people and nation I have gained a possession.” 

The Word of The Lord, Thanks be to God!

The Reading is from The Letter of St. Paul to The Ephesians. Let us be attentive! 

 “I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called,  With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity.  Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all. But to every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ. Wherefore he saith: Ascending on high, he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men. Now that he ascended, what is it, but because he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  He that descended is the same also that ascended above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.”

The Word of The Lord, Thanks be to God!

The Reading is from The Teachings of Origen. Let us be attentive! 

“So then, when the end has been restored to the beginning, and the termination of things compared with their commencement, that condition of things will be re-established in which rational nature was placed, when it had no need to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; so that when all feeling of wickedness has been removed, and the individual has been purified and cleansed, He who alone is the one good God becomes to him "all," and that not in the case of a few individuals, or of a considerable number, but He Himself is "all in all." And when death shall no longer anywhere exist, nor the sting of death, nor any evil at all, then verily God will be "all in all"

The Word of The Lord, Thanks be to God!

Hymn: Christ Triumphant 

Christ triumphant, ever reigning, Saviour, Master, King!
Lord of heaven, our lives sustaining, hear us as we sing:
Yours the glory and the crown,
the high renown, the eternal name.

Word incarnate, truth revealing, Son of Man on earth!
power and majesty concealing by your humble birth:
Yours the glory...

 Suffering servant, scorned, ill - treated, victim crucified!
death is through the cross defeated, sinners justified:
Yours the glory...

Priestly king, enthroned forever high in heaven above!
sin and death and hell shall never stifle hymns of love:
Yours the glory...

 So, our hearts and voices raising through the ages long,
ceaselessly upon you gazing, this shall be our song:
Yours the glory...

The Creed (Said by all)

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

    maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;

    who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

    born of the Virgin Mary,

    suffered under Pontius Pilate,

    was crucified, dead, and buried.

    He descended into hell.

    The third day he rose again from the dead.

    He ascended into heaven,

    and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.

    From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost,

    the holy catholic Church,

    the communion of saints,

    the forgiveness of sins,

    the resurrection of the body,

    and the life everlasting. Amen.

Canticle of Praises For Holy Saturday 

When thou didst descend to death, O Life Immortal, Thou didst slay hell with the splendor of Thy Godhead! And when from the depths Thou didst raise the dead, all the powers of heaven cried out: O Giver of Life! Christ our God! Glory to Thee!

Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me.

 Thou didst descend into hell, O my Savior, shattering its gates as almighty; resurrecting the dead as Creator, and destroying the sting of death. Thou hast delivered Adam from the curse, O Lover of Man, and we all cry to Thee: “O Lord, save us!”

God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

The dominion of death can no longer hold men captive, for Christ descended, shattering and destroying its powers! Hell is bound, while the prophets rejoice and cry: The Savior has come to those in faith! Enter, you faithful, into the Resurrection!

The Prayers

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

In honor of the Joy which filled the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Annunciation. 

Hail Mary…

In honor of the Joy which filled the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Nativity. 

Hail Mary…

In honor of the Joy which filled the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Adoration of The Magi. Hail Mary…

In honor of the Joy which filled the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Resurrection. 

Hail Mary…

In honor of the Joy which filled the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Ascension. 

Hail Mary…

In honor of the Joy which filled the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Pentecost. 

Hail Mary…

In honor of the Joy which filled the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Her Coronation as Queen of The Cosmos.  Hail Mary…

Let us pray 

O Mary, my most dear Mother, in what an abyss of evils should I not now be, if thou hadst not so many times delivered me with thy compassionate hand! How many years ago should I not have been in hell, hadst thou not saved me by thy powerful prayers! My grievous sins already drove me there; Divine justice had already condemned me; the devils already longed to execute the sentence; and thou didst fly to my aid, and save me without being even called or asked. And what return can I make to thee, 0 my beloved protectress, for so many favors, and for such love! Thou also didst overcome the hardness of my heart, and didst draw me to thy love, and to confidence in thee. And into how many other evils should I not have fallen, if with thy compassionate hand thou hadst not so often helped me in the dangers into which I was on the point of falling! Continue, O my hope, to preserve me from hell, and from the sins into which I may still fall. Never allow me to have this misfortune — to curse thee in hell. My beloved Lady, I love thee. Can thy goodness ever endure to see a servant of thine that loves thee lost? Ah, then, obtain that I may never more be ungrateful to thee and to my God, who, for the love of thee, has granted me so many graces. 0 Mary, tell me, shall I be lost! Yes, if I abandon thee. But is this possible? Can I ever forget the love thou hast borne me? Thou, after God, art the love of my soul. I can no longer trust myself to live without loving thee. O most beautiful, most holy, most amiable, sweetest creature in the world, I rejoice in thy happiness, I love thee, and I hope always to love thee both in time and in eternity. Amen.

In peace let us pray unto the Lord, 

Jesus, Conqueror of Death, conquer our evil passions. 

Jesus, Giver of Life, grant us the life of salvation. 

Jesus, loving Your creation, do not forget us Your last creature.

Jesus, Hope of the fallen, rescue us from the pit of our vices.

Jesus, You descended into hell by the light of Your Divinity, descend into the lowest region of our souls

Jesus, having brought out of the prisons of hell the souls that awaited You, bring us, sinners, also out of the gloom of despondency.

Risen Jesus, resurrect our souls.

Let us pray

Almighty, everlasting God, let our prayer in thy sight be as incense, the lifting up of our hands as the evening sacrifice. Give us grace to behold thee, present in thy Word and 

Sacraments, and to recognize thee in the lives of those around us. Stir up in us the flame of that love which burned in the heart of thy Son as he bore his passion, and let it burn in us 

to eternal life and to the ages of ages. Amen.

O God, the source of eternal light: Shed forth thine unending day upon us who watch for thee, that our lips may praise thee, our lives may bless thee, and our worship on the morrow may give thee glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Almighty, ever-living God, whose Only-begotten Son descended to the realm of the dead, and rose from there to glory, grant that your faithful people, who were buried with him in baptism, may, by his resurrection, obtain eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

  My Savior and Redeemer as God rose from the tomb and delivered the earthborn from their chains. He has shattered the gates of hell, and as Master, he has risen on the third day! 

Hymn: Jesus Shall Reign 

 Jesus shall reign where'er the sun does its successive journeys run,

his kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.

To him shall endless prayer be made, and praises throng to crown his head.

His name like sweet perfume shall rise with every morning sacrifice.

 People and realms of every tongue dwell on his love with sweetest song,

and infant voices shall proclaim their early blessings on his name.

Blessings abound where'er he reigns: the prisoners leap to lose their chains,

the weary find eternal rest, and all who suffer want are blest.

Let every creature rise and bring the highest honors to our King,

angels descend with songs again, and earth repeat the loud amen. 

Let us bless the Lord, Thanks be to God!

All-powerful and ever-living God, thine only Son went down among the dead

and rose again in glory. In thy goodness raise up thy faithful people,

buried with him in baptism, to be one with him

in the eternal life of heaven, where he lives and reigns with thee

and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.