On August 15th, the Catholic Church celebrates The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a great solemnity in the life of the church! As with many solemnities, there are two Masses for the occasion: The proper Mass of the day, and a proper Vigil for the night before. This certainly brings up a few questions, so buckle up and enjoy the (brief) ride!
What is the difference between a 'Vigil' and a 'regular' Mass?
Almost every Mass you attend is a regular ‘Mass during the day.’ In the life of the church, this is what we celebrate with the most frequency on the various liturgical days of the year. A ‘proper vigil’ is a Mass said the night before a solemnity, with different prayers, readings, and antiphons than the ‘Mass of the day.’ The two Masses are distinct from one another, but both are centered around the same mystery being observed. We see examples of this throughout the liturgical year, where we anticipate, or keep vigil, the night before a special solemnity, in joyful anticipation of the day to come! For context, here is a comparative view of the difference between the Mass for the Assumption, and the Vigil Mass for the Assumption:
Vigil Mass (Night Before)
Entrance Antiphon: Roman Missal
“Glorious things are spoken of you, O Mary, who today were exalted above the choirs of Angels into eternal triumph with Christ.”
First Reading: 1 Chronicles 15: 3-4, 15-16,
16: 1-2
“They brought in the ark of God
and set it within the tent
which David had pitched for it.”
Psalm: Psalm 132: 8
“Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.”
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 54b-57
“God gave us victory through Jesus Christ.”
Gospel: Luke 11: 27-28
“Blessed is the womb that carried you!”
Offertory Antiphon: Graduale Romanum
“Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who bore the Creator of all things. You became the Mother of your Maker, and you remain for ever Virgin.”
Communion Antiphon: Luke 11: 27
“Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the eternal Father.”
Mass During the Day
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Revelation 12:1
“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”
First Reading: Revelation 11: 19a;
12: 1-6a, 10ab
“A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet.”
Psalm: Psalm 45: 10bc
“The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.”
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 20-27
“Christ, the firstfruits; then those who belong to him.”
Gospel: Luke 1: 39-56
“The Almighty has done great things for me; he has raised up the lowly.”
Offertory Antiphon: Graduale Romanum
“Mary has been taken up into heaven,
the Angels rejoice, praising the Lord together and blessing him, alleluia.”
Communion Antiphon: Luke 1: 48, 49
“All generations will call me blessed,
for he who is mighty has done great things for me.”
"So, is this like our Saturday night 5pm Mass each week?"
Not quite! A true ‘vigil Mass’ is a different Mass than the ‘Mass during the day.’ When we have our Saturday night 5pm Mass, we are simply using the same Sunday Mass with its readings, prayers, and antiphons. We might call this more properly an ‘anticipatory Mass,’ because we are anticipating the Sunday solemnity (which all Sundays are!) without a separate proper vigil.
Why does the distinction matter? Why do vigils exist?
It is a seemingly small detail, but there is some real wisdom from the Church in maintaining this practice. Vigil masses emphasize reflection and preparation for the solemnity to come. We read and reflect about the mystery being celebrated, but the texts of these vigil Masses often invite us to ponder and reflect on the mystery being celebrated. In this way, we can prepare our hearts to receive the graces of a solemnity like the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where our keeping vigil and pondering the mystery of Mary’s assumption into heaven makes the feast day itself more prominent in our minds and in our hearts as we offer special devotion to our Blessed Mother. It is indeed a noble thought to not only go to Mass the day of, but even to go to Mass the night before as well, for this becomes a great cue within ourselves the significance of the solemnity we celebrate. I can tell you from experience, that attending the great Vigil of Easter on Saturday night makes the full celebration of the Resurrection that much more poignant in my heart on Sunday morning (despite my certain exhaustion by the time we get to Sunday of Holy Week!)
"...we can prepare our hearts to receive the graces of a solemnity like the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where our keeping vigil and pondering the mystery of Mary’s assumption into heaven makes the feast day itself more prominent in our minds and in our hearts..."
How different will these Masses be?
Not much difference overall, unless you’re really looking for it! The only difference is in the proper texts of the Mass. Truthfully, you probably wouldn’t know unless you really paid close attention and went to both Masses. Our liturgical celebration maintains a lot of consistency to aid our ability to participate, so the order in which we do everything is consistent, even if the text is different.
You can go through this solemnity without any of this information or awareness of a difference between the evening Mass the night before and the Mass during the day. These things are not explicitly necessary for a practicing Catholic to know and be in good standing. Even still, we want to offer the opportunity to further encounter our Lord through the various celebrations in which we partake each year as Catholics. Could you be drawn deeper into a loving encounter with Christ by attending both the vigil and the Mass during the day as we celebrate his Mother’s Assumption into heaven? Well, I’m not prophet, nor am I a gambler, but I am willing to bet that Our Lady would like nothing more than to help draw you into a deeper relationship with her Son, and to that end, any time spent in the church at Mass is worth it!
