Overcome with Paschal Joy
THE EASTER VIGIL IN THE HOLY NIGHT
The first is renewal. We begin this celebration with the service of light, in which the light symbolizes Christ, and we celebrate the mystery of how he seeks to renew and illuminate us. We seek Christ, who is our light, to guide us and sanctify us as we journey with Him ahead of the year. We renew our relationship and identity with God. We renew our identity as children of God. Jesus died and rose for you and me. As children of God, we focus on Jesus that by the Easter fire we "may be so inflamed with heavenly desires that with minds made pure, we may attain festivities of unending splendor." May we be illuminated by what God wants us to do as children of God, which is to share the Easter joy we celebrate today, just like how we pass on Christ’s light to each other. This is our vocation: to live as children of God, sharing the light of Christ, and evangelizing those who are lost and astray. This holy night has a "sanctifying power" that makes us holy by "dispelling wickedness, washing away faults, restoring innocence to the fallen, giving joy and the hope of resurrection to those mourning the loss of loved ones, driving out hatred, fostering peace, and humbling the mighty." As we renew our relationship with God as his children, may the candles of Christ within us persevere undimmed, "overcoming all darkness, and be found by Christ still burning brightly when he returns as Bridegroom" (Landry). And so with David, we pray, "Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth."
The second is baptismal. As we renew our relationship with God, we also renew our baptismal promises. After this, we will renew our baptismal promises—the promises we profess when we are baptized. "The Easter feasts are an experience of rebirth not only for those who are reborn in baptism but also for those who have been numbered among the adopted children" (Manabat). This baptismal character is also highlighted throughout the readings. On the third reading, it speaks of the time when God liberated his chosen people from the slavery in Egypt through the Red Sea, which symbolizes the waters of baptism. Through baptism, we are liberated from the slavery of original sin. Once we are born, we are deprived of grace, but through the waters of baptism, we are reborn as the adopted sons and daughters of God. In the epistle, it stresses the significance of baptism. St. Paul recounts, "We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in the newness of life." This is how God loves us: He desires for us to be in the state of eternal happiness in heaven, experiencing the newness of life in Him.
The third is communal. As one family of God, we are one with Christ on this holy night. Through His resurrection, we are being gathered by Christ to share and feast with Him in the Eucharist. Tonight is when we should be overcome with joy for the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist and to praise Him with greater glory than ever as the Eucharist, being the Easter sacrament, leads us to the completion of baptism. As we receive the Risen Lord in the Eucharist, let it be an experience of joy and intimacy. Let it be an experience of communion and union with one another. This must inspire us to extend the joy of Easter to the people we encounter. Let it be an experience of Mary Magdalene, when the angels announced that Jesus rose from the dead, and so "they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples." Through the Eucharist, we are one with the Risen Lord. Let us allow Jesus to love you and me personally and intimately as He rose from the dead gloriously for our sake, speaking to you and me, "Do not be afraid."
Thus, let us renew our relationship with God, let us live our baptismal promises, and let us commune with one another, keeping in our hearts the joy of Easter. This is the culmination of all our sacrifices and penitence, and now we can offer to our Risen Lord all our resolutions and sacrifices as we journey with joy, with the light of the Risen Christ dwelling in our hearts. This night is just a foretaste of heaven, where all the Saints in heaven sing Alleluias without end. Let us be glad and be overcome with Paschal joy.
