Easter Vigil

Anointing the body with myrrh

Yesterday I felt very unwell. I don't think I could lead the Passion at 3.30pm for my community so I asked an Indonesian student to take my place. My blood pressure must have been very high as I had a headache and dizziness ... and couldn't sleep till midnight, only to wake at 2.30am. This morning I discovered I had forgotten to take my medicine ... that was why I was sick. Thank goodness nothing serious happened.

Carrying the body to the Tomb

Anyway it rained all yesterday evening and through the night. It gave a sombre mood to Good Friday and Holy Saturday. At 9am the Easter Vigil began in the Holy Sepulchre. Less than a dozen friars and the Archbishop were there. The Empty Tomb was surrounded by emptiness. There was no need for a microphone ... the Archbishop's voice resounded through the empty vaults of the basilica. It was a simple rite ... all the 9 readings were proclaimed and chanted. The candle was blessed and also the water. The resurrection was proclaimed. All the essentials of the christian faith were present ... that's enough. No pomposity, no unnecessary cluttering ... as the Archbishop said in his homily ; we're experiencing what the first christians experienced here in the Empty Tomb ... emptiness, uncertainty, fear. We have gone back to the original roots ... for a rebirth.

The body laid in the Tomb

Last night the funeral procession inside the Holy Sepulchre took place also with only 10 friars. The body was removed from the Cross, anointed with myrrh and then carried to the Tomb where it was laid all night. It's very solemn and in itself is not a liturgy. It's simply a procession which established in Status Quo, must be carried out every year by the franciscans. Here are some pics of that event.