Lenten Vigil

Lenten Vigil

Time has passed so quickly it's a week since I updated the blog. I'm very busy since my librarian went on sick leave a month ago. I'm doing everything here ... from cleaning to shelving and advising students regarding their research. And with my poor health, I'm alot slower.

Last Saturday I joined the Lenten Vigil at the Holy Sepulchre. It starts at 11.45pm. We sing the Office of Matins in latin in solemn form. It begins with an invitatory psalm and then a hymn and then 3 psalms with its antiphons and prayers. Then a Scriptural passage follows, and a reading from the Fathers of the Church. A prayer is then said and then we begin singing 3 biblical canticles. The last canticle is the Benedictus and there's a procession with lighted candles around the Empty Tomb. The procession returns to our Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament where another prayer is said, intercession of the faithful are prayed and a final solemn blessing. Everything in Latin.

Procession around the
Empty Tomb

Unlike previous years before Covid, the crowd was minimal ... some 30 people joined in. I prayed for you all there ... all your intentions, the living and the dead. There is nowhere else in the world where this ritual is celebrated. My health is getting bad and the Superior of St. Saviour's Monastery asked me to join in the Vigil as I may not be able to so in the future. I thought so too ... so I went.

Coming back to my office at 1.30am when it ended was very difficult. There are many steps to climb up and I was not able to do it. 2 seminarians helped me by supporting both my arms. It took quite a while to reach the library and since it was already 2.30am when I reached my office, I decided not to go home but slept 3 hours on the chair and started work at 6am. A younger me would have taken it all in stride but a now-me take it as good penance.