Easter Vigil

The most amazing night of the church calendar isn't Christmas; it's Easter Vigil. It happens the evening before Easter and is the night when new catholics enter the church. This was the night I had been looking forward to for so long.
Even though my family does not agree with my decision to become catholic, my mom and step-dad came to the ceremony which meant the world to me. My sponsor, Mary Ann, was not feeling very well that night and couldn't make it which was very sad, but Doris, a very wonderful lady was happy to substitute for her.
The mass is very long and involves these special events: lighting of the paschal candle, blessing of the water, baptisms of new catholics, confirmation, renewal of baptismal vows. I hope I'm not leaving anything out, but since we just had Easter its pretty fresh in my mind. The paschal candle that is lit that night represents Christ and will be used through out the year in the church. It is used on special occasions such as baptisms and funerals. The ceremony of lighting the candle happens outside where the priest blesses the fire and decorates the candle before lighting it. The decorations include a cross in the middle, the present year: to signify that Christ is present with us, the Greek letters: Alpha and Omega, and five grains of incense to represent the five wounds of Christ. The candle is led into a dark church to signify the light of Christ coming to light the darkness. Everyone holds a taper and one by one each person's candle is lit from the "Jesus candle" (made that one up). The symbolism is amazing.
Several (and I mean several) readings from Genesis into the New Testament are read outlining God's plan of salvation. The water at the baptismal font is then blessed and the new Christians are baptized. Following the baptisms, the candidates (new catholics that had already been baptized, like me) are confirmed into the church. This entire mass is beautiful and powerful, but I was focused on one part,.. my first communion.
A few weeks before we had a ceremony called the rite of sending where the bishop came and spoke to our class. During the ceremony, he read our names where we had signed them in the book of the elect. When he spoke to us, he spoke about the first time we go to receive Communion. About how we should have such a recognizable hunger for Christ which can only be quenched by the Eucharist. A hunger which everyone at the mass will notice in our eyes. This stuck with me because every mass feels that way: waiting patiently to get to the best part.
I've been working on this post for three days, trying to do this Holy night justice, but I don't think it is possible. A couple of years ago, I had the honor of watching my husband Kody become baptized and confirmed into the church and last year, we baptized our first child. Every Easter is like an anniversary for a converted catholic and an experience not to be missed. This year, I had the privilege of sharing the night with my friend Heather who was raised Mormon. I was a little surprised when she asked to go and she peppered me with questions! I loved it!!! Nothing like a curious first-timer to let you know if you know your stuff!
I hope this post makes you curious and inspires you to attend an Easter vigil sometime. No matter what your faith is, its a beautiful mass and an experience like no other!