The Long Wait

Yesterday was Good Friday. Our alter has been stripped bare. The church seems sparse, crosses and statues are covered. There is no morning Mass before the Easter Vigil. The Church remains as empty as the world must have felt on the eve of that first Easter morning.

Can you imagine for even a moment what that must have felt like for His followers? To have spent time at His feet and in His presence, only to now be alone and lost. He was the light of the world. A light that they believed would always burn, and now it seemed to be gone. My heart breaks for our Blessed Mother. It didn’t matter that she knew Him to be the Son of God. Her heart ached with loss. My heart also breaks for her Son, who so loved us He was willing to die that we might live.

We have an advantage over His followers. We have read ahead. We KNOW how the story ends, that He is Lord and we are not lost. Yet their sadness is still within us. Across the chasm of time, we share our guilt and need to atone. It is a price too steep, one we cannot pay alone and so He ransomed us.

The Catholic Vigil Mass is an amazingly beautiful offering up to the Lord. There are seven readings, followed by seven Responsorial Psalms as well as the Epistle with its own Responsorial Psalm and finally the Gospel. After the seventh and final Old Testament reading, the Priest leads “Gloria in Excelsis” and the bells that were silenced ring out. The wait is nearly over. Praise be to God!

Of the five previous Easter Vigils we have shared together, one was a brunch, one a make-ahead plan for Easter itself and the remaining three have been Vigil Teas. I sense a theme. And to be honest, I rather like it. A time for reflections. For it is in the quiet moments that we can best turn our ear to God and hear Him whisper “You are mine.”

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A Vigil Tea of Assorted Fruits and Sandwiches
Rolled Cheese Whiz Sandwiches
Cucumber Rounds
Spring Time Tea Squares
Assorted Fruit Platter
Desired Teas

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Rolled Cheese Whiz Sandwiches
8 slices White Sandwich Bread
1/3 cup Cheese Whiz
4 whole Pickled Jalapenos

Remove crust from the bread. Lay out 4 pieces of bread end to end, overlapping. Press the overlap to pince the pieces together. There is now a long, narrow length of bread.

Spread a thin layer of Cheese Whiz over the length of the bread. Trim stem from the jalapeno pepper, pat dry with a paper towel. Lay two jalapenos end to end on the short end of the bread, extending to the outer edge. Roll up and tightly wrap in plastic warp. Repeat with remaining bread, cheese and peppers.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Slice just before serving.

Cucumber Rounds
5 slices White Sandwich Bread
5 tablespoons Cream Cheese
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
1 English Cucumber
Fresh Dill as needed
1 Roasted Bell Pepper
Chives as needed

Trim crusts from the bread. From each slice of bread, using a round cookie cutter, cut 4 circles just slightly larger than the cucumber.

Thin softened cream cheese with a little cream to create the consistency of sour cream. Spread or pipe the cream cheese on each bread round. Slice cucumber thin, place on top of the cream cheese. Garnish with fresh dill, bits of bell pepper and snips of chives as desired.

Spring Time Tea Squares
1/2 cup fresh thin Asparagus Spears
1 teaspoon Olive Oil, divided
Pinch Salt
1/4 cup Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
1 (4 oz) package Serrano Ham
4 oz Goat Cheese, room temperature
3 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoon Heavy Cream
6 sliced dense Bread

Heat oven to 400-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Snap tough ends from the asparagus spears. Place asparagus in a bowl. Add about 3/4-teaspoon or so of olive oil to the bowl. Season asparagus with a little salt. Place spears out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven to bake until just tender, about 8 minutes. Let asparagus cool, then slice into quarter-inch pieces. Set aside.

While the asparagus roasts, stem bell pepper, remove and discard seeds. Dice pepper, set aside.

In a sauté pan; heat remaining quarter teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Add diced bell pepper to the pan, sauté, stirring constantly, until peppers are just tender while lightly caramelized, about 2-1/2 minutes or so. Let cool.

Chop ham into half-inch pieces. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat goat cheese, cream cheese and cream together until smooth and creamy. Add asparagus, bell pepper and ham, stirring gently to incorporate fully into the cheese mixture. Spread a quarter cup scoop of mixture over a slice of bread, spreading out to cover bread completely. Top first slice with another slice of bread, spread another scoop of filling on top. Place a third slice of bread on top, creating a triple-stack sandwich. Repeat with remaining filling and bread slices.

With a serrated knife, remove crusts from the bread. Cut each sandwich into three finger sandwiches, then cut each finger in half again creating small squares. Arrange on a serving platter or tiered Tea Server. Serve immediately.

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Create a clean heart in me, O God

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Easter Vigil as we wait in joyful hope
1st Reading: Genesis 1:2-2 (The Story of Creation)
Responsorial Psalm:
Lord send out Your Spirit, and anew the face of the earth

2nd Reading: Genesis 22:1-18 (God puts Abraham to the Test)
Responsorial Psalm:
You are my inheritance, O Lord

3rd Reading: Exodus 14:15-15:1 (Moses’ Triumph over the Egyptians
Responsorial Psalm:
Let us sing to the Lord; He has covered Himself in glory

4th Reading: Isaiah 54:5-14 (The New Zion)
Responsorial Psalm:
I will praise You, Lord, for You have rescued me.

5th Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11 (An invitation to Grace)
Responsorial Psalm:
You will draw water joyfully from the spring of salvation.

6th Reading: Baruch 3:9-15, 32C4-4 (In Praise of Wisdom)
Responsorial Psalm:
Lord, You have the words of everlasting life

7th Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28 (The Renewal of Israel)
Responsorial Psalm:
Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for You, my God

Epistle: Romans 6:3-11 (If we die in Christ, we shall also live with Him)
Responsorial Psalm:
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His mercy endures forever

Gospel: Mark 16:1-7 (The Resurrection of Jesus)