Does your parish do all seven Old Testament readings at the Easter Vigil?

  • Thread starter Thread starter CatholicZ09
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

CatholicZ09

Guest
Does your parish still do the traditional seven Old Testament readings for the Easter Vigil? My parish used to do all seven, but they cut it down to four a few years ago. I can see why they would want to cut down the readings - to conserve time - but the Word of God is such a fundamental part of the Vigil in detailing our salvation history that I find it silly to water it down.
 
No, we don’t. I’ve never been to an Easter Vigil where all the readings have been proclaimed. Pity.
 
Oh, I so agree!!!

Our two parishes do not use all seven.

Heard: The service runs too long. We’ll get home too late. I don’t like to drive much after sundown… ad infinitum.

My thinking is that the Mass is over when the Mass is over. Picking and choosing which readings, other than Exodus, is just plain silly. All seven give us much to remember and to contemplate. And our Savior didn’t “cut” his time of the cross because it ran too long.
 
In our parish it all depends on the pastor. When I came here 16 years (and 6 pastors) ago we were doing the minimum. But then we got a new pastor and when, at the preparation meeting, I asked, “Father, how many readings are we doing this year?” he replied, “Is there any reason not to be doing them all?” I almost stood up and cheered.

Since then it’s varied by pastor. This year we’re doing them all. I’ll be doing the second Genesis reading.
 
Absolutely.
It’s the history of our faith. It would be a great disservice to the persons coming into the Church and the people of God to not hear these great passages.
I can’t think of one that wouldn’t be missed. I have been in parishes before that have only done the odd ones, but I found that “odd”. :rolleyes:
Peace.
Looking for ward to the Vigil this year…we have many people being Baptized and oodles more completing their Sacraments. Should be a long, but beautiful Mass.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
Does your parish still do the traditional seven Old Testament readings for the Easter Vigil? My parish used to do all seven, but they cut it down to four a few years ago. I can see why they would want to cut down the readings - to conserve time - but the Word of God is such a fundamental part of the Vigil in detailing our salvation history that I find it silly to water it down.
Click to expand...
All of them.
 
I wish our parish did all seven of the readings. I agree that it is super important to know about our salvation history. And everyone knows Easter Vigil is a long Mass. Why shouldn’t it be - it’s a celebration of God conquering sin and death so that we may have eternal life. That should be important!
mcmitton said:
My thinking is that the Mass is over when the Mass is over. Picking and choosing which readings, other than Exodus, is just plain silly. All seven give us much to remember and to contemplate. And our Savior didn’t “cut” his time of the cross because it ran too long.
Click to expand...
Amen! 👍
 
CatholicZ09 said:
Does your parish still do the traditional seven Old Testament readings for the Easter Vigil? My parish used to do all seven, but they cut it down to four a few years ago. I can see why they would want to cut down the readings - to conserve time - but the Word of God is such a fundamental part of the Vigil in detailing our salvation history that I find it silly to water it down.
Click to expand...
My former parish does all 7.

I still have to find out if the parish I am in now does.
 
We haven’t gone to Easter Vigil Mass for several years (we’ve gone Easter Sunday as DSD is 9 now and it would have gotten too late and probably too long for her in previous years). However, I think this year we will do our best to go to Easter Vigil. I think she’s old enough now to be able to sit through the whole thing, and I hope they will do all 7 of the readings. This year, her religion course is about the story of salvation history from the creation to King Solomon and then from Jesus Christ onward, to show how Jesus was a new king but His coming was prefigured in the Old Testament. I think attending the Easter Vigil and hearing, effectively, the whole story of salvation history, will be a great experience for her.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
Does your parish still do the traditional seven Old Testament readings for the Easter Vigil? My parish used to do all seven, but they cut it down to four a few years ago. I can see why they would want to cut down the readings - to conserve time - but the Word of God is such a fundamental part of the Vigil in detailing our salvation history that I find it silly to water it down.
Click to expand...
The “traditional seven,” as you refer to them, came about only with the 1970 missal. The tradition was to have 12 readings at the Easter Vigil liturgy, then in 1955, the Holy Week revisions reduced them to four. In 1970, the maximum was bumped up to seven.
 
My work parish does all of them. My home parish does 3 I think. I go to the Vigil at work since I am also the RCIA coordinator.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top