“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.” The Acts of the Apostles does not tell why the apostles were gathered together at that moment, but tradition, influenced by John 20:19, paints a picture of the disciples huddled in fear in the upper room. Imagine what might have been in their hearts and minds, having seen the Risen Lord ascend to heaven, pondering how they would go forth to announce good news. Did they know they were still being prepared for the mission of evangelization? Were they awaiting something more?
The Extended Vigil of Pentecost, as found in the Roman Missal, Third Edition, provides a ritual wherein the gathered assembly enters into the experience of waiting and preparing for the gift of the Holy Spirit. As with the entire Paschal cycle, the Church’s liturgy does not stage a “re-enactment” of the descent of the Spirit or invite the gathered assembly to try to pretend that they do not already possess and depend on the gift of the Holy Spirit. Still, the Extended Vigil provides the opportunity for a liturgical assembly to ponder its need for the Spirit and for the faithful to open their hearts to a fresh outpouring of the Spirit and to give thanks for the presence of Christ in their hearts.
The Solemnity of Pentecost is observed at the conclusion of the great Fifty Days of Easter. It is a particular pastoral challenge that Pentecost usually falls during a time of year that is busy with graduation celebrations, the end of the school year, and the beginning of summer vacation season. The Extended Vigil, celebrated on Saturday evening as an echo or “bookend” to the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night, could help focus the attention of the community to the nature of the solemnity.
The Extended Vigil is not intended merely to be an elongated Liturgy of the Word, but rather a time of reflection and meditation, to contemplate our need for the gift of God’s presence. This is not meant to take place as the normal Saturday evening anticipatory Mass of Sunday, but should be distinct as a unique celebration just as the Easter Vigil is on Holy Saturday night. Such a gathering could incorporate the newly baptized or newly confirmed in the community. The Roman Missal does not specify a particular hour for the celebration of the Vigil, but only that it may take place any time after Evening Prayer I of Pentecost. The Vigil may also include the celebration of Evening Prayer I, and instructions are provided for the order of the celebration with or without Evening Prayer.
The heart of the Extended Vigil is a collection of four Scripture readings from the Old Testament, each with an accompanying responsorial psalm and prayer, which call to mind the ways in which the Lord has revealed his presence to his people, and humanity has longed and yearned for the Lord. The Glory to God and the Collect of the Mass follow after the fourth reading, and then the reading from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans sums up the sentiment of the Vigil: “We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now… as we await for adoption, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:22–27).
The Church at Pentecost prays, “Come, Holy Spirit” as a means of expressing openness to what God is already freely bestowing upon her. The Extended Vigil provides the opportunity to awaken in new ways our longing and yearning for the Lord’s presence, and to express our surrender to his saving gifts.
Originally published in Today’s Liturgy © 2017 OCP. All rights reserved.
