Greg Dues: Vigil

Home » Meditations » Meditations » Greg Dues: Vigil

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6

“The annual celebration of the Lord’s resurrection goes back to the first generation of Christianity. For the first three centuries this was the only feast observed throughout the church. The original celebration of what would become Easter was done by way of a vigil (Latin vigilia, “a watch,” or “waiting”). It was natural that Christians chose the night hours to celebrate their religious experience of Christ victorious over death and sin and their victory along with his. It was during those dark hours, turning into the first day of the week (Sunday) that this mystery had occurred.”

Greg Dues in Lent and Easter (New London: Twenty Third Publications) 21.

I shot the new header photo at the “Stations of the Cross” service at the Basilica in downtown Denver. It was a peaceful place of prayer.

When our discipline of prayer is a vigil, or watching and a waiting, we demonstrate that we have come to realize (with the first Christians) that we don’t just pray before the work, prayer is the work.

This is a vital posture to continue in life after Lent, that is, a posture of prayer. We watch and we wait.

The Lenten journey has taught us to set aside our desires (fasting) and to watch and wait for God to reveal His will to us (prayer), which positions us to receive first. Then, we can live generously (almsgiving) in life after Lent.

May your Easter Saturday be a special time of waiting and watching. Take time to wait and watch and celebrate the resurrection every day in life after Lent, as God’s faithfulness to us is new every morning.

And I hope prayer in ordinary time becomes a nonstop vigil. Watching and waiting in quietness and trust for anything and everything you need.