THIS IS THE NIGHT, WHEN JESUS BROKE THE PRISON BARS OF DEATH(Genesis 1:1-2:2/Gen.22:1-8/Exo.14:15-15:1/Isaiah 54:5-14/Isa. 55:1-11/Baruch 3:9-15/.32-4:4/Ezk.36:16-17,18-20/Romans 6:3-11/Luke 24:1-12)

THIS IS THE NIGHT, WHEN CHRIST BROKE THE PRISON-BARS OF DEATH

(Saturday, April 20, 2019 Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil)

Today is the last day of the Easter Triduum. From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday, we are being reminded that the death of Christ and His burial brought about a great silence all over the earth. Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and He has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear. He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, He has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, He who is both God and the son of Eve. We begin our celebration tonight with a service of light which symbolize Jesus rising from the dead and bringing light to all of us.

The light of Christ has shone in the world scattering darkness forever. We had been waiting for this moment for thousands of years. We heard in our readings tonight an account of the creation of man and woman (first reading) and the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt (third reading). This was in God’s plan for humankind, but the highpoint in God’s plan for us was the resurrection. This is the greatest celebration of the Church. This night is the most blessed of all as we heard in the Exultet, the Easter Proclamation. In fact, this night is quite symbolic and Easter Exultet summarizes the symbolic nature of tonight and everything about tonight great Vigil in the history of our salvation. Here it goes “This is the night, when once you led our forebears, Israel's children, from slavery in Egypt and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea. This is the night that with a pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin. This is the night that even now, throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones.

This is the night when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld. Our birth would have been no gain, had we not been redeemed. O truly blessed night, worthy alone to know the time and hour when Christ rose from the underworld! This is the night of which it is written: The night shall be as bright as day, dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness. The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.

In the New Testament reading tonight we heard Paul telling the Romans that when we were baptized, we left behind our old life. We, so to speak, entered the tomb with Jesus and rose again to new life. (Rom 6:3-4) When we were baptized we took on a new lifestyle, leaving sin behind to live a new life. Tonight we will renew our baptismal promises as a sign that we are born anew in Christ. The new life of grace flows from the cross. When we were baptized we entered the tomb with Jesus, died to sin, and rose with Jesus to live a new life of faith. During this Lent, we went into the desert as Jesus did and we tried to overcome sin and temptation. When we renew our baptismal promises, we reject Satan. Let us really mean what we say.

Let us really rise to a new life with Jesus leaving sin behind. Let us really try to leave the pattern of sin behind. It was great to see such large numbers of people confessing their sins this week. Let us not quickly fall back into our old ways of sinfulness. By confessing our sins this week, we have risen from the tomb of sinfulness with the new life of risen Jesus. Now that we have come out of the tomb of sinfulness, let us stay out of the tomb of sinfulness not to go back in again. May this night open wide the door of grace for us as we shout Great Alleluia that He has truly Risen.

Let Us Pray: Lord Jesus, help me to rise with you and may I never look back as I follow in your foot steps. Amen.