Both the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday liturgies are heavily front-loaded. Think about it: everything happens in the first half, especially at the Vigil: the blessing of the new fire, the procession into the church, the singing of the Exsultet, the readings (even if you only do the minimum three) and their responses; the Epistle, the dual-purpose Responsorial Psalm, the Gospel, the homily, the Baptism liturgy with all its various parts—blessing the water, Baptism, Confirmation, the Sprinkling Rite, the Prayers of the Faithful—whew!

By the time we get to it, the Eucharistic Prayer can feel anticlimactic. That’s pretty weird.

A wise pastor showed our community how to deal with this problem. He suggested that all the early parts of the Vigil liturgy take place away from the altar, putting the focus on the fire outside and the baptismal font. The readings could be proclaimed from their usual place, but the altar was left purposely bare.

Now, normally, the Presentation and Preparation of Gifts is a transitional moment in the liturgy; it’s fairly low-key. But for the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday that year, there was a large and joyful procession for the Presentation and Preparation of the Gifts. Flowers in pots were carried into the altar area; the altar linens were brought forward and the altar table was dressed and adorned. The bread and wine were processed through the church. Extra ministers of hospitality expedited the collection so that it could be an integral part of the procession, not an afterthought.

All the while, of course, the music ministry and the assembly were singing and playing lively Easter music. Additional instruments provided a special sense of celebration to the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Communion Rite.

Giving the second half of the liturgy a more-than-usually celebratory feel kept the first half in balance. It worked, of course.

Happy Easter!

M.D. Ridge