Easter Vigil on the Holy Night of Easter
April 3, 2021 •
Of all the liturgies of the Church, the Holy Triduum is of course the most sacred, the most solemn, and the most glorious. It's in these days in which we recall in a most unique way the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. This is the heart of the mystery of our faith.
In my experience, the number one problem in the world is fear. Pretty much everyone has something of which they are afraid. Some of it's imaginary. Some of it is just hypothetical. Some of it's real. But in the end, if we are truly convinced of the mystery of the Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we should be able to overcome all fear.
I often meditate on this one point: with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the salvation of the world is won. But to obtain that salvation, and resurrection, He first had to be tortured, and killed, and buried in a tomb.
And yet, He was innocent. And not only that, He was holy. And not only that, He was God.
What happened to Jesus Christ was the worst evil that could have ever been done by man. No sin could compare to this act. All of the sins of all of humanity combined, compared to the crucifixion of the Son of God, would not even measure up. Among evils, it is the worst.
And yet it is the sign of our salvation. It's our very hope.
If God can take the worst of human evils and use it to bring about the greatest of divine goods, what can he do with our own failings? Our own sins? And even those things of which we are afraid?
If God can bring such a good from such an evil, then if I put myself in His hands, then He can bring good from anything in my life.
(1) Gn 1:1-2:2 (2) Gn 22:1-18 (3) Ex 14:15--15:1 (4) Is 54:5-14 (5) Is 5:1-11 (6) Bar 3:9-15, 32--4:4 (7) Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28 (8) Rom 6:3-11. (9) Mk 16:1-7
Homily begins at 1:24:35.