Holy Week Reflections, Saturday Vigil

[Galatea]

*Preamble Reflection to the Vigil*

On Holy Saturday, there is no liturgy at all. The liturgy on this
evening will be the vigil - the preparation for and entry into the
celebration of Our Lord's Resurrection. It is an Easter Sunday liturgy.

On Holy Saturday we enter into the mystery. Today we contemplate Jesus,
there in the tomb, dead. In that tomb, he is dead, exactly the way each
of us will be dead. We don't easily contemplate dying, but we rarely
contemplate being dead. With death, life ends. Breathing stops, and in
an instant, the life of this person has ended. And, in a matter of
hours, the body becomes quite cold and life-less - dramatic evidence, to
our senses, that this person no longer exists. All that is left is this
decaying shell that once held his or her life.

Death is our ultimate fear. Everything else we fear, every struggle we
have, is some taste of, some chilling approach to, the experience of
losing our life. This fear is responsible for so much of our lust and
greed, so much of our denial and arrogance, so much of our silly
clinging to power, so much of our hectic and anxiety-driven activity. It
is the one, inevitable reality we all will face. There is not enough
time, money, joy, fulfillment, success. Our physical beauty and
strength, our mental competency and agility, all that we have and use to
define ourselves, slip away from us with time. Our lives are limited.
Our existence, in every way we can comprehand it, comes to an end. We
will all die. In a matter of time, all that will be left of any of us is
a decomposing body.

Today is a day to soberly put aside the blinders we have about the
mystery of death and our fear of it. Death is very real and its approach
holds great power in our lives. The "good news" we are about to
celebrate has no real power in our lives unless we have faced the
reality of death. To contemplate Jesus' body, there in that tomb, is to
look our death in the face, and it is preparation for hearing the Gospel
with incredible joy. That we are saved from the ultimate power of sin
and of death itself comes to us as a great relief, as a tremendous
liberation. If Jesus lives, you and I will live! The mystery of death,
which we contemplate today, will be overcome - we will live forever!

Today's reflection will lead us to the vigil of Easter. This night,
communities from all over the world will gather in darkness, a darkness
that represents all that we have been reflecting upon today. And there,
in that darkness, a fire is lit. That flame is shared around the
community until its light fills the room. Then, a Song of Exultation is
sung, proclaiming that Christ is the light of this night. And, there, in
the light of Christ, we will read the scriptures that prepare us to
celebrate God's revelation. This is the story of our salvation - how God
prepared to rescue us from the power of sin and death. The God who
created us, who led a chosen people out of slavery, raised Jesus from
death. We can rejoice that death has no final victory over us. Then we
celebrate the Easter Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
Tonight we celebrate our faith -- that we have been baptized into the
death of Jesus, so that we might have everlasting life with him.

As we behold the body of Jesus in the tomb today, and as we contemplate
the mystery of our death, we prepare our hearts to receive the Good News
of life. We know that tomb will be empty and remain empty forever as a
sign that our lives will not really end, but only be transformed. One
day, we will all rest in the embrace of Jesus, who knows our death, and
who prepares a place for us in everlasting life. Our reflection on this
holy Saturday, and our anticipation of celebrating the gift of life
tonight and tomorrow, can bring immense peace and joy, powerful freedom
and vitality to our lives. For if we truly believe that death holds no
true power over us, we can walk each day with courage and freedom, in
the grace being offered us - to give our lives away in love.

*About the vigil readings which will follow*

Today is the celebration of the Vigil of Easter. It is the greatest
feast of the Church Year. Exodus reminds us how God saved the Israelites
from the Egyptians through their journey through the Red Sea. Romans
tells us that if we have died to sin with Christ so we will rise with
Him. Luke gives us the recorded story of the first witnesses to Christ's
Resurrection, the women. These women were the faithful ones who remained
with Jesus throughout all His crucifixion. They have come to complete
the anointing of Christ's body. How surprised they were when they got to
the tomb. Yet, they believed and ran immediately to tell the apostles
who refused to believe.

Take time to rejoice with Mary, Christ's mother, the women and the
apostles. Give thanks for all that Christ has done for you. Allow the
joy of Christ's victory over sin and death to penetrate you and sink
deep within you. Rejoice and celebrate with a few minutes of quiet
reflection.

[Galatea]

*Easter Vigil*

*Reading I*

Gn 1:1-2:2 or Gn 1:1, 26-31a

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."
Thus evening came, and morning followed -- the first day.

Then God said,
"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other."
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome "the sky."
Evening came, and morning followed--the second day.

Then God said,
"Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear."
And so it happened:
the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land "the earth,"
and the basin of the water he called "the sea."
God saw how good it was.

Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it."
And so it happened:
the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed--the third day.

Then God said:
"Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night.
Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth."
And so it happened:
God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day,
and the lesser one to govern the night;
and he made the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed -- the fourth day.

Then God said,
"Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky."
And so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
"Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth."
Evening came, and morning followed--the fifth day.

Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds."
And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.

Then God said:
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."
God created man in his image;
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying:
"Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth."
God also said:
"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food."
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed -- the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished
with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.


*Responsorial Psalm*

Ps 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35

R. (30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

You fixed the earth upon its foundation,
not to be moved forever;
with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
above the mountains the waters stood.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

You send forth springs into the watercourses
that wind among the mountains.
Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they send forth their song.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

You water the mountains from your palace;
the earth is replete with the fruit of your works.
You raise grass for the cattle,
and vegetation for man's use,
Producing bread from the earth.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all --
the earth is full of your creatures.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

*Reading II*

Gn 22:1-18 or Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
Then God said:
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."
Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
took with him his son Isaac and two of his servants as well,
and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust,
set out for the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.
Then he said to his servants:
"Both of you stay here with the donkey,
while the boy and I go on over yonder.
We will worship and then come back to you."
Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust
and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders,
while he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:
"Father!" Isaac said.
"Yes, son," he replied.
Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood,
but where is the sheep for the holocaust?"
"Son," Abraham answered,
"God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust."
Then the two continued going forward.

When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Next he tied up his son Isaac,
and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;
hence people now say, "On the mountain the LORD will see."

Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing--
all this because you obeyed my command."

*Responsorial Psalm II*

Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord.

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R.You are my inheritance, O Lord.

[Galatea]

*Reading III*

Ex 14:15--15:1

The LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me?
Tell the Israelites to go forward.
And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea,
split the sea in two,
that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land.
But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate
that they will go in after them.
Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army,
his chariots and charioteers.
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,
when I receive glory through Pharaoh
and his chariots and charioteers."

The angel of God, who had been leading Israel's camp,
now moved and went around behind them.
The column of cloud also, leaving the front,
took up its place behind them,
so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians
and that of Israel.
But the cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed
without the rival camps coming any closer together all night long.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
and the LORD swept the sea
with a strong east wind throughout the night
and so turned it into dry land.
When the water was thus divided,
the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land,
with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.

The Egyptians followed in pursuit;
all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and charioteers went after them
right into the midst of the sea.
In the night watch just before dawn
the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud
upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic;
and he so clogged their chariot wheels
that they could hardly drive.
With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel,
because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians.

Then the LORD told Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea,
that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians,
upon their chariots and their charioteers."
So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth.
The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea,
when the LORD hurled them into its midst.
As the water flowed back,
it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh's whole army
which had followed the Israelites into the sea.
Not a single one of them escaped.
But the Israelites had marched on dry land
through the midst of the sea,
with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.
Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day
from the power of the Egyptians.
When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore
and beheld the great power that the LORD
had shown against the Egyptians,
they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses.

Then Moses and the Israelites 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.

*Responsorial Psalm III*

Ex 15:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18

R. (1b) Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.

R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

The LORD is a warrior,
LORD is his name!
Pharaoh's chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.

R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

The flood waters covered them,
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.

R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

You brought in the people you redeemed
and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance --
the place where you made your seat, O LORD,
the sanctuary, LORD, which your hands established.
The LORD shall reign forever and ever.

R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

*Reading IV*

Is 54:5-14

The One who has become your husband is your Maker;
his name is the LORD of hosts;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
called God of all the earth.
The LORD calls you back,
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
a wife married in youth and then cast off,
says your God.
For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great tenderness I will take you back.
In an outburst of wrath, for a moment
I hid my face from you;
but with enduring love I take pity on you,
says the LORD, your redeemer.
This is for me like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah
should never again deluge the earth;
so I have sworn not to be angry with you,
or to rebuke you.
Though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be shaken,
my love shall never leave you
nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
O afflicted one, storm-battered and unconsoled,
I lay your pavements in carnelians,
and your foundations in sapphires;
I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of carbuncles,
and all your walls of precious stones.
All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
In justice shall you be established,
far from the fear of oppression,
where destruction cannot come near you.

*Responsorial Psalm IV*

Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

[Galatea]

*Reading V*

Is 55:1-11

Thus says the LORD:
All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread,
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Heed me, and you shall eat well,
you shall delight in rich fare.
Come to me heedfully,
listen, that you may have life.
I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,
the benefits assured to David.
As I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of nations,
so shall you summon a nation you knew not,
and nations that knew you not shall run to you,
because of the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.

Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked man his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.

For just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

*Responsorial Psalm V*

Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6

R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

*Reading VI*

Bar 3:9-15, 32--4:4

Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life:
listen, and know prudence!
How is it, Israel,
that you are in the land of your foes,
grown old in a foreign land,
defiled with the dead,
accounted with those destined for the netherworld?
You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom!
Had you walked in the way of God,
you would have dwelt in enduring peace.
Learn where prudence is,
where strength, where understanding;
that you may know also
where are length of days, and life,
where light of the eyes, and peace.
Who has found the place of wisdom,
who has entered into her treasuries?

The One who knows all things knows her;
he has probed her by his knowledge --
the One who established the earth for all time,
and filled it with four-footed beasts;
he who dismisses the light, and it departs,
calls it, and it obeys him trembling;
before whom the stars at their posts
shine and rejoice;
when he calls them, they answer, "Here we are!"
shining with joy for their Maker.
Such is our God;
no other is to be compared to him:
he has traced out the whole way of understanding,
and has given her to Jacob, his servant,
to Israel, his beloved son.

Since then she has appeared on earth,
and moved among people.
She is the book of the precepts of God,
the law that endures forever;
all who cling to her will live,
but those will die who forsake her.
Turn, O Jacob, and receive her:
walk by her light toward splendor.
Give not your glory to another,
your privileges to an alien race.
Blessed are we, O Israel;
for what pleases God is known to us!

*Responsorial Psalm VI*

Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11

R. (John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

*Reading VII*

Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28

The word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their land,
they defiled it by their conduct and deeds.
Therefore I poured out my fury upon them
because of the blood that they poured out on the ground,
and because they defiled it with idols.
I scattered them among the nations,
dispersing them over foreign lands;
according to their conduct and deeds I judged them.
But when they came among the nations wherever they came,
they served to profane my holy name,
because it was said of them: "These are the people of the LORD,
yet they had to leave their land."
So I have relented because of my holy name
which the house of Israel profaned
among the nations where they came.
Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD:
Not for your sakes do I act, house of Israel,
but for the sake of my holy name,
which you profaned among the nations to which you came.
I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations,
in whose midst you have profaned it.
Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD,
when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.
For I will take you away from among the nations,
gather you from all the foreign lands,
and bring you back to your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your fathers;
you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

*Responsorial Psalm VII*

Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

*Epistle*

Rom 6:3-11

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
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 newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him,
so that our sinful body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
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.

*Responsorial Psalm VIII*

Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."

R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.

R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.

R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

[Galatea]

*Gospel*

*"They laid him in a rock-hewn tomb"*

Lk 24:1-12

At daybreak on the first day of the week
the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus
took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were puzzling over this, behold,
two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to them,
"Why do you seek the living one among the dead?
He is not here, but he has been raised.
Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners
and be crucified, and rise on the third day."
And they remembered his words.
Then they returned from the tomb
and announced all these things to the eleven
and to all the others.
The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James;
the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles,
but their story seemed like nonsense
and they did not believe them.
But Peter got up and ran to the tomb,
bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone;
then he went home amazed at what had happened.

*Homily Reflection*

Jesus not only died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3); he also, by the grace of
God, tasted death for every one (Heb. 2:9). It was a real death that put
an end to his earthly human existence. Jesus died in mid afternoon and
the Sabbath began at 6:00 pm. Since the Jewish law permitted no work on
the Sabbath, the body had to be buried quickly. Someone brave enough
would have to get permission from the Roman authorities to take the body
and bury it. The bodies of executed criminals were usually left unburied
as carion for the vultures and dogs. Jesus was spared this indignity
through the gracious intervention of Joseph of Arimethea. Who was this
admirer and secret disciple of Jesus? Luke tells us that Joseph was a
member of the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish council that condemned
Jesus. We are told that he did not agree with their verdict. He was
either absent from their meeting or silent when they tried Jesus. What
kind of man was Joseph? Luke tells us that he was "good and righteous"
and "looking for the kingdom of God". Although he did not stand up for
Jesus at his trial, he nonetheless, sought to honor him in his death by
giving him a proper burial. This was to fulfill what the prophet Isaiah
had foretold: /"He was cut off out of the land of the living ..and they
made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth"/
(Isaiah 53:8-9).

In the Book of Revelations, the Lord Jesus speaks: /"Fear not, I am the
first and the last, and the living one: I died, and behold I am alive
for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades" /(Rev. 1:17-18).
No tomb in the world could contain the Lord Jesus for long. His death on
the cross purchased our redemption and his triumph over the grave on
Easter morning defeated death. What preserved the Lord Jesus from
corruption? He was kept from decay and he rose from the dead by divine
power. /"My flesh will dwell in hope. For you will not let your Holy One
see corruption"/ (Psalm 16:9-10) . The mystery of Christ's lying in the
tomb on the sabbath reveals the great sabbath rest of God after the
fulfillment of our salvation which brings peace to the whole world (Col.
1:18-20). Is your hope in this life only, or is it well founded in the
resurrection of Christ and his promise that those who believe in him
will live forever?

The following is from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday. "I command
you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the
underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O
human being, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my
image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we
are one undivided person.... Arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought
you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in
paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life,
which was an image, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I
posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; bow I make the
cherubim worship you as they would God. The cherubim throne has been
prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in
order, the food is provided, the everlasting mansions are in readiness,
the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has
been prepared before the ages."

"Lord Jesus, you died that I might live forever in your kingdom of peace
and righteousness. Strengthen my faith that I may I know the power of
your resurrection and live in the hope of seeing you face to face for
ever."

[Galatea]

*Easter Vigil Gospel*

*"After three days I will rise again"*

Luke 24:1-11

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the
tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the
stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not
find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men
stood by them in dazzling apparel; 5 and as they were frightened and
bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek
the living among the dead? 6 Remember how he told you, while he was
still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands
of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise." 8 And they
remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all this
to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Mag'dalene and
Jo-an'na and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who
told this to the apostles; 11 but these words seemed to them an idle
tale, and they did not believe them.

*Homily Reflection*

On Sunday morning the women went to the tomb to pay their last tribute
to a dead body. The disciples thought that everything had finished in
tragedy. Neither were ready to see an empty tomb and hear the angel's
message, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he
told you ..that the Son of man must be ..crucified, and on the third day
rise." (Luke 24:5-7). The angel urged them to believe that Jesus had
indeed risen just as he had promised. In joy then went to share the good
news with the other disciples. Is it any small wonder that it was the
women, rather than the apostles, who first witnessed the empty tomb and
the resurrected Lord? Isidore of Seville, a 7th century church father
comments on this: "As a woman (Eve) was first to taste death, so a woman
(Mary Magdalene) was first to taste life. As a woman was prescient in
the fall, so a woman was prescient in beholding the dawning of
redemption, thus reversing the curse upon Eve." The first to testify to
the risen Lord was a woman from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons.

What is the significance of the stone being rolled away? It would have
taken several people to move such a stone. And besides, the sealed tomb
had been guarded by soldiers! This is clearly the first sign of the
resurrection. Bede, a church father from the 8th century, comments:
"[The angel] rolled back the stone not to throw open a way for our Lord
to come forth, but to provide evidence to people that he had already
come forth. As the virgin's womb was closed, so the sepulcher was
closed, yet he entered the world through her closed womb, and so he left
the world through the closed sepulcher." (From Homilies on the Gospels
2,7,24) Another church father remarked: "To behold the resurrection, the
stone must first be rolled away from our hearts" (Peter Chrysologus, 5th
century). Do you know the joy of the resurrection?

It is significant that the disciples had to first deal with the empty
tomb before they could come to grips with the fact that scripture had
foretold that Jesus would die for our sins and then rise triumphant.
They disbelieved until they saw the empty tomb. Bede explains why the
Risen Lord revealed himself gradually to the disciples: "Our Lord and
redeemer revealed the glory of his resurrection to his disciples
gradually and over a period of time, undoubtedly because so great was
the virtue of the miracle that the weak hearts of mortals could not
grasp [the significance of] this all at once. Thus, he had regard for
the frailty of those seeking him. To those who came first to the tomb,
both the women who were aflame with love for him and the men, he showed
the stone rolled back. Since his body had been carried away, he showed
them the linen cloths in which it had been wrapped lying there alone.
Then, to the women who were searching eagerly, who were confused in
their minds about what they had found out about him, he showed a vision
of angels who disclosed evidences of the fact that he had risen again.
Thus, with the report of his resurrection already accomplished, going
ahead of him, the Lord of hosts and the king of glory himself at length
appeared and made clear with what great might he had overcome the death
he had temporarily tasted." (From Homilies on the Gospels 2,9,25)

One thing is certain, if Jesus had not risen from the dead and appeared
to his disciples, we would never have heard of him. Nothing else could
have changed sad and despairing men and women into people radiant with
joy and courage. The reality of the resurrection is the central fact of
the Christian faith. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord gives
us "eyes of faith" to know him and the power of his resurrection. The
greatest joy we can have is to encounter the living Lord and to know him
personally. Do you celebrate the feast of Easter with joy and
thanksgiving for the victory which Jesus has won for you over sin and
death?

"Lord Jesus Christ, you have triumphed over the grave and you have won
new life for us. Give me the eyes of faith to see you in your glory.
Help me to draw near to you and to grow in the knowledge of your great
love and power."