The Easter Vigil (Why does it start late this year?)
For some of you reading this reflection, especially if you live in and around the tropics, a little context may be needed. Our parish is in the north of England. In winters we have very short daylight hours – sunrise ~8:20am and sunset around 3:50pm. Conversely, our summer daylight hours are long – sunrise ~4:38am and sunset ~9:40pm. So the start of our Easter Vigil can vary greatly depending on how late or early Easter falls. Some of you will have noticed that the Easter Vigil this year starts a little later. Why is this? Easter is a moveable feast. If you want the technical bit, it occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Yes, I also had to read that twice!! That by itself, however, does not tell us why our Easter Vigil starts a little later. The Church teaches very strongly that it should be held ONLY during the hours of darkness: “ The entire celebration of the Easter Vigil takes pla...