The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are those for the Easter Vigil liturgy that is celebrated after dark on the evening of Holy Saturday.
Reading for Life
The readings present the history of salvation from Creation to the Resurrection. Andy Alexander S.J. notes that on Good Friday, there was no Eucharist - simply a communion service, with the Body of Christ from the Holy Thursday Eucharist. On Holy Saturday, there is no liturgy at all. The liturgy this evening is the vigil - the preparation for and entry into the celebration of Our Lord's Resurrection. It is an Easter Sunday liturgy. 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.1
Don Schwager quotes “Christ destroyed death to bring us life,” from a sermon by Leo the Great, 400-461 A.D.
"God's compassion for us is all the more wonderful because Christ died, not for the righteous or the holy but for the wicked and the sinful, and, though the divine nature could not be touched by the sting of death, he took to himself, through his birth as one of us, something he could offer on our behalf. The power of his death once confronted our death. In the words of Hosea the prophet: Death, I shall be your death; grave, I shall swallow you up. By dying he submitted to the laws of the underworld; by rising again he destroyed them. He did away with the everlasting character of death so as to make death a thing of time, not of eternity. As all die in Adam, so all will be brought to life in Christ."2
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 24:1-12 comments that at the Vigil Mass tonight, we will hear the history of our salvation in Christ, a story that culminates in those words of hope: he has been raised. Like the women, we know that Jesus’ earthly body is not here. But with eyes of faith, we too can believe that Jesus is risen from the dead. With eyes of faith, we can see God’s promises fulfilled in Christ. We have more than our memories, more than a gravestone, more than an empty tomb. We have Jesus himself: living and present in our hearts, living and present in every Eucharist, and risen in glory with the Father.
Just as God raised Jesus from the darkness of the tomb, he will one day raise us to eternal life. On that day, our faith will become sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). But today, let the Mass readings remind you. Let two thousand years of Christian history remind you. Let the living presence of Jesus within you remind you. He is risen. The cemeteries of this life are not the end of the story: He is not here, but he has been raised. “Lord Jesus, I believe that you are risen, alive, and with me today.”3
Friar Jude Winkler shares background details for the texts of the Easter Vigil. The Goodness of God culminates in the Resurrection of Jesus. Friar Jude notes the role of women in revealing the Easter events to the apostles.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, recommends the Welcoming Prayer as a practice to help us surrender to God, Reality, and Love with each moment. Spiritual teacher Mary Mrozowski (1926–1993) composed and first taught what is now called the Welcoming Prayer, which many have found to be life-changing. The Welcoming Prayer helps us find serenity through surrender in the midst of messy, ordinary moments. When feeling triggered or caught by something unpleasant, begin by simply being present to your feeling, experiencing it not just mentally, but also emotionally and physically. Don’t try to rationalize or explain the feeling, but witness and give attention to this sensation. Welcome the feeling, speaking aloud, if you can: “Welcome, [anger, fear, hunger, longing, etc.].” Repeat this as many times as you need to truly sense yourself embracing and receiving the feeling. Some people pray the Welcoming Prayer regularly—even daily is probably not too much! Popularized by Father Richard’s dear friend and mentor, the late Thomas Keating (1923–2018), it is this simple and this hard.
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
I welcome everything that comes to me today
because I know it’s for my healing.
I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons,
situations, and conditions.
I let go of my desire for power and control.
I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval, and pleasure.
I let go of my desire for survival and security.
I let go of my desire to change any situation,
condition, person, or myself.
I open to the love and presence of God and God’s action within. Amen. [2]4
The waiting time of Holy Saturday is an opportunity to contemplate the fullness of life that is in Christ.
References
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