Homily, Mass
of the Easter Vigil Year ABC: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo
·
(1)Gen1:1–2:2;
Ps 104:1-2,5-6,10-14,24,35or Ps 33:4-7,12-13,20-22;· (2) Gen 22:1-18; Ps 16:5,8,9-11
· (3) Exod 14:15–15:1; Ps Exod 15:1-6,17-18;
· (4) Isa 54:5-14;Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13;
· (5) Isa55:1-11; Ps 12:2-3,4-6;
· (6) Bar 3:9-15,32–4:4; Ps 19:8-11;
· (7) Ezek 36:16-17a, 18-28;Ps[a] 42:3,5;43:3-4;[b] Isa 12:2-3,4bcd,5-6[c]Ps 51:12-13,14-15,18-19;
· (8) Rom 6:3-11;
· Ps 118:1-2,16-17,22-23;
· Gospel[a] Matt 28:1-10;[b]Mark 16:1-7;[c] Luke 24:1-12.
Joy and Newness in the Risen Christ!
Every
Easter vigil is a vigil of vigils and a night of all nights, we all looked
forward to. It is a joyful night of sanctification and a solemn evening of
justification. Though it’s four-part spiritual, salvific celebrations may seem humanly long, what
a hidden divine blessing to patiently recall that, no matter what, in a
challenging world of “darkness”[evil, misfortunes ,tragedies, terrorism, etc]
we live in, Christ is the “Light”[the goodness, love, good fortunes, hope,
mercy ..] constantly shining our ways. He is the Light of the world (in the
world we live in today) symbolized in the light of the paschal candle, the
procession and in joyful hymn and prayer of exulted. What a blessings to
patiently go through 9 carefully selected passages the Holy Scripture,
retelling our Salvation History! What a blessing to relive tonight our baptismal
liturgy, theology, spirituality and promising of sin cleansings, and dying and
rising to newness with the Risen Christ, whose last supper, in the 4th part, we joyfully celebrate
tonight, and share in the table of the Holy Eucharist- the summit of our
worship.
Our
salvation and justification in Christ we celebrate tonight constitute a long walk, scripturally
speaking. We all know that! And don’t we say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”!
In the Genesis creation account (the 1st
reading) and the Psalms, the Risen Christ we celebrate tonight, is traceable to
his Father, a God of goodness, universalism, orderliness, love, sovereign of
all creation, nations, continents, political, social and economic,
technological empires, plants, the seas, lights, lands, mountains, animals and
human, male and female in his own image of love and kindness, mercy and
forgives, joy, patience an charity (Gen1:1–2:2). So also in the 2nd reading, Genesis
22, the great-great-great…grandfather of Jesus, Abraham, by faith is willing to
sacrifice his only son Isaac. And worthy of note is the unconditional and
loving covenant of blessings that God the Father entered with us through Abraham,
and others, after the fall of our first parents, the rivalries of Cain and Abel,
and the tower of babel which ended with the flood of Noah. As Christ the Risen
Lord we celebrate tonight would have done on the trying Cross of that Good
Friday, Abraham (a polygamy of three wives and eight children; Gen 16:16;
21:1-3; 25:1-2), despite challenges including long period of childlessness,
with Ishmael in –between, and when Isaac finally came, Abraham was willing to
give back to the Lord, that which the Lord had given him, in the first place.
All
we have and are belong to God. God is our inheritance, as tonight’s Psalmist
would have it (Psalm 16). God the Father
of our Risen Lord watches over our going and coming. This is true in the Exodus
story of the 3rd reading (Exod 14:15–15:1). As he saw the Israelites through the clutches
of Pharaoh and the dryness of the desert we are assures salvation through the
Risen Lord we celebrate tonight.
Where
we are tonight took a long journey that we are not tired of appreciating. While
in exile in Babylon as a result of sin, God did abandon his people, our parent,
the fore-parents of the Christ we celebrate tonight. He kept the covenant promised
of comfort and blessings he made with those who would called upon his name, who
would worship him. Second Isaiah, the, 4th (54:5-14) and 5th
readings (Isaiah 55:1-11. ) evidence, God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s unwavering
protection upon his chosen people- Jesus, great, great grandparent. Baruch in
the 6th reading, affirms these divine blessings and promises
fulfilled for us tonight in the Risen Christ the Messiah, equally witnessed by
St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans 6:3-11.
Paul was never “ashamed of the Gospel,”
Christ. He knew the gospel of the Risen Christ, celebrated tonight, world over,
was the power of salvation for all who believe, Jews and Gentiles. And through
this gospel, this Christology, is revealed the righteousness of God from faith
to faith (Rom 1:16-71).
As
part of celebration tonight, Paul was aware as narrated in tonight's Epistle, Romans 6:3-11,
that sacramental transformation can lead to moral and spiritual transformation.
In baptism we all are plunged into the saving death of Christ, raised to new
life in his Resurrection, in the mystery of the empty tomb with stone rolled
back, witnessed by those Marys, celebrated tonight, and set gloriously and
joyfully on a path towards ongoing sanctification.
Like
those women, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, on the
first day of the week, in today’s Gospel (Mark 16:1-7), we are witnessing
tonight, despites the long walk, as narrated in the scriptures, the joy and the
glory of the empty tomb. We are witnessing the hope, the peace, the sanctification, and the
newness of life which the Risen Lord
brings us and our families. May we continue joyfully to witness the hope and peace the Risen Lord brings to peace less-nations, communities inflicted with
artificial-political corruption, misfortunes, terrorism and threats of war and
disorder.
May
the Joy of the Risen Lord renew us and remain with us always! Happy Easter!
1.
What
is the meaning of Easter for you!
2.
In
light of today’s 9 readings, do you feel reassured that the Lord of history
revealed in the Risen Christ, the Messiah is with you always!
3.
What
effort have you made to catechize, to share this joy, the joy of the empty tomb
with others, especially those plagued with despair, betrayals, sorrow of
violent, unforgiven-spirit, corruption, religious extremism and threats of war?
