There is a great mystery that will unfold tomorrow and vigilance and preparations are needed for the coming of this day. We ordinarily call an overnight watch as vigil. The word vigil comes from the Latin word ‘vigilia’ which means ‘a watching’ or ‘keeping watch.’ In Filipino, pagmamatyag, paglalamay or pagtatanod. Thus our understanding of a vigil does not only mean to keep awake over the course of the night. It involves preparedness and watchfulness in ushering a most awaited day.
The vigil is a living tradition that originates from the early Christians, thousands of years ago. It was their custom to gather together in a church before the day of the feast which they commemorate. If we can stay awake for the things we deem important such as work, studies, even wakes for the dead, we should also keep vigil for the days significant for our faith: a vigil filled with preparedness and watchfulness.
Easter, Pentecost, Ascension at Christmas are some of the days when we hold vigils. In 380 AD, a Christian woman named Egeria went to Jerusalem. According to her, the Christians there hold a vigil that begins in the midnight in Bethlehem. The vigil is followed by a procession, with torches guiding their way to Jerusalem before the dawn. The procession ends in Jerusalem in time for the rising of the sun. Following this tradition, Pope Sixtus III promulgated the Midnight mass in a chapel in Bethlehem in 430 AD.
The present Christmas Vigil Mass that is celebrated a day before Christmas can be considered as a tradition that originated from the Christians in Jerusalem. Since then, as Christians, we continue to hold a vigil filled with preparedness and watchfulness for the coming of the day when our Lord is born. And like the early Christians, may the light of our Lord Jesus Christ remain our guide in the darkness until the new dawn breaks.
The vigil is a living tradition that originates from the early Christians, thousands of years ago. It was their custom to gather together in a church before the day of the feast which they commemorate. If we can stay awake for the things we deem important such as work, studies, even wakes for the dead, we should also keep vigil for the days significant for our faith: a vigil filled with preparedness and watchfulness.
Easter, Pentecost, Ascension at Christmas are some of the days when we hold vigils. In 380 AD, a Christian woman named Egeria went to Jerusalem. According to her, the Christians there hold a vigil that begins in the midnight in Bethlehem. The vigil is followed by a procession, with torches guiding their way to Jerusalem before the dawn. The procession ends in Jerusalem in time for the rising of the sun. Following this tradition, Pope Sixtus III promulgated the Midnight mass in a chapel in Bethlehem in 430 AD.
The present Christmas Vigil Mass that is celebrated a day before Christmas can be considered as a tradition that originated from the Christians in Jerusalem. Since then, as Christians, we continue to hold a vigil filled with preparedness and watchfulness for the coming of the day when our Lord is born. And like the early Christians, may the light of our Lord Jesus Christ remain our guide in the darkness until the new dawn breaks.
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