April 8, Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter
Gn 1:1-2:2; Gn 22:1-18; Ex 14:15-15:1; Is 54:5-14; Is 55:1-11; Bar 3:9-15, 32--4:4; Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28; Rom 6:3-11; Mt 28:1-10
The formula of the final solemn blessing during the Easter Vigil ends with these words: “Now that the days of the Lord’s Passion have drawn to a close, may you who celebrate the gladness of the Paschal Feast come with Christ’s help, and exult in spirit, to those feasts that are celebrated in eternal joy.” These words are meant to put us in the mystery of the Paschal Mystery. Indeed, the Lord’s resurrection marks the end of a long week of a journey that brought us to the Calvary. But the story does not end there. It continues to the empty tomb.
Today, we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus. We are in year A and called to reflect on the Matthean account of the Resurrection. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went early in the morning to the tomb. Not that they were expecting to see a resurrected Christ. They went there just to see the tomb. Perhaps they wanted to see if the body of their Lord was still there. That curiosity or attitude of theirs allows them to be the first witnesses and announcers of the good news of the resurrected Christ. They did not understand yet what happened, they were both fearful and yet overjoyed. Thus, they run to make known the good news: “He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.” And behold as they were on their way the Resurrected Christ showed himself to them, “Do not be afraid.”
Such words of Jesus were enough to comfort them and assure them that he has been raised from the dead. The joy of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and later on, of the other disciples, is also our joy. Jesus was raised from the dead to tell us that death does not have the last word. Through his resurrection, Jesus wants to tell and assure every one of us that everything will come to pass. Difficulties, challenges, and obstacles will come our way whether we like it or not. There is no resurrection without Good Friday.
As we celebrate the feast of the Resurrection of our Lord, let us allow the Joy of the resurrection to transform us. Jesus is inviting us to open our eyes and see the joy and beauty of being his disciples. The Lord wants to give us joy and hope for a brighter future. He gives us hope in a Savior who can dispel all of our fears and anxieties. Rejoice and be glad because your Lord is alive. We don’t worship a God who is absent or far from us. We believe in a God who understands and knows our situations.
Let us celebrate the Risen Christ and let us go out to share that joy with our brothers and sisters. He is alive! Christ is risen!
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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