Exult, let them exult…
Be glad, let earth be glad…
Let this holy building shake with joy, filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.
(From the Easter Proclamation, the Exultant)
This Saturday night following sundown, darkened churches will be filled with the Light of Christ. The words above will be sung joyfully by the cantor as we begin our Easter Vigil Service. The newly blessed Easter Candle will be carried into our church and every person in the church will light their own candle by this flame. This light is symbolic of the resurrected Jesus, dispelling the darkness of sin and death. It is a reminder that Jesus died upon the cross for us and rose from the dead, so that all who believe in him may have eternal life. It is a central belief for those in the Catholic Church.
The Easter Vigil, the holiest of nights in our Church, in many ways teaches us the most important tenets of our faith. After the singing of the beautiful exultet prayer, the Mass continues with our readings. These readings, from both the Old and New Testaments, tell the story in which our faith has its foundation.
First, the story of creation, where God’s work brings all out of nothingness. This recounting of creation reaches its climax with the creation of humankind, a people our God creates out of love, to love. We hear about our forefathers in faith as our loving God parts the Red Sea and the chosen people flee slavery at the hands of the Egyptians. We hear of God’s covenant with his people, changing hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, a people who will follow his commands and strive to do good. We are told that his Spirit will be placed within us; He will be our God and we will be His people.
All of this reaches its fulfillment in our Gospel reading in which the women go to the tomb where Jesus was laid and find it to be empty. The Lord has risen, He has truly risen. He has paid the price for our sinfulness and has opened the Gates of Heaven for all who believe.
Our Vigil celebration continues with the sacraments. The sacraments, of which there are seven in our Church, are a way that Catholic people encounter the invisible Christ that bestows grace. Three of these sacraments, the sacraments of initiation, are celebrated at the Vigil.
The first of these is baptism, which is “the door to life and to the kingdom of God.” (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). It is through our baptism that we believe that if we have died with Christ, we will rise with him again. We, as the baptized faithful, can share in Christ’s victory over sin and death. Baptism, which cleanses us of our sins, leads to Confirmation where the outpouring of the Holy Spirit fortifies the gifts given to us at Baptism.
And finally, the central moment in all of our Masses, is the celebration of the Eucharist, which we believe is the real presence of the glorified Body and Blood of Christ. This is truly food for the journey, providing us with the grace to be disciples of the Lord here on earth. When we eat his body and drink his blood, we truly have Jesus dwelling within us.
The Easter Vigil concludes with a blessing and a sending forth, calling us, as the Catholic faithful, to bring the love of Christ into the world in which we live.
The Catholic believes that with Baptism we become sons and daughters of the Father and disciples of Jesus Christ. We are called to respond to that invitation to discipleship by strengthening our relationship with the Lord throughout our lives. We do this through prayer, the sacraments, reflecting upon sacred scripture and with the support of the Catholic community.
All of this is manifested most beautifully in the Celebration of the Mass, especially in the Easter Vigil. As our Holy Week comes to an end, we pray that all may celebrate in our loving Creator and in His resurrected Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us exult, let us rejoice, and let our earth shake with the mighty voices of all God’s People.
Father Brian Flynn is pastor at St. Mary of the Sacred Heart Parish in Lynn.
