The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night, April 3, 2021 Gen 1:26-31a, Exodus 14:15-15:1, Is 55:1-11, Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28, Rom 6:3-11, Mk 16:1-17 It was so dark They could hardly see The enemy was coming after them They were trapped They were between the sea and their enemy They were afraid they were going to die They had witnessed death The death of the first born The first born of the animals and the first born of their masters, their oppressors The people who had owned them and used them as slaves The Lord had delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians They had been freed from the bondage of slavery But the Egyptians had second thoughts And the mighty Egyptian army of chariots and soldiers was bearing down on the people of God They had them trapped by the Red Sea It was so dark They could hardly see But they could feel the wind They could hear the water And they could feel the dry land as they walked through the midst of the sea With a wall of water on their right and their left They watched as their enemy raced after them And the witnessed the might and power of the Lord As he fought for them against the Egyptians They heard the sea as it crashed down upon the charioteers And they saw their enemies dead bodies wash upon the shore “Then Moses and the Isrealites sang this song to the Lord I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant; Horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.” (Ex 15:1) The Exodus of the people of Israel was a watershed event in the history of the people of God The plagues, the Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea, the forty years in the desert are all important events in the history of the people of God. The crossing of the Red Sea prefigures salvation by Baptism (CCC 1094) Just as the children of Abraham were freed from the bondage of slavery Tonight, we will remember our baptism Which frees us from the bondage of sin and death Easter Vigil was a watershed event in my life Twenty years ago I sat there, in the second row Twenty years ago, I was received into the Catholic Church “Do not be amazed” he told them. “On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, ‘Do not be amazed...’” (Mk 16) How could the women not be amazed? The stone had been rolled away The tomb was empty! How can I not be amazed? How can I not be amazed, when I hear the cry of a baby in church? How can I not be amazed, when I watch a young couple patiently wrestle with their toddler every time they come to mass? And yet they still come How can I not be amazed, when I hear children singing with joy in the choir loft, in the church, and as servers on the altar? How can I not be amazed, when I watch a teenager act like he doesn’t care, and tries to sleep during mass, and then become a seminarian? How can I not be amazed, when children come to mass on their own? How can I not be amazed, when I see grandfathers and grandmothers live the faith for the younger generations to witness? How can I not be amazed, as I witness the joy of the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe or the fun of a fish fry? How can I not be amazed, when I see a priest, who was ordained 13 years ago halfway across the world in India, celebrate the Eucharist in Spearman, Texas? How can I not be amazed, when I sat right there twenty years ago, and today I stand here? “This is the night that with pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin. This is the night that even now, throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart… This is the night, when Christ broke the prison-bars of death…” (excerpts from the Exultant) “We call this night ‘the most desired of the year.” (misslet) This is the night Jesus defeated death This is the night Christ has risen Tonight is the night of nights Tonight is a watershed event in the history of salvation Tonight is a watershed event in history of the Church Tonight is a watershed event for the world. Tonight… “Lord send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth” (Ps 104) Do not be amazed, when the Lord “gives you a new heart and places a new spirit within you…” (Ez 36) You are special and you are loved God created you in his image (Gen 1) As St. Paul writes: “We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.” (Rom) Do not be amazed Christ is risen!
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