HOLY SATURDAY, 2019

Vigil Mass

God who is involved in the act of creating is again involved in the act of redeeming the corrupted creation. Death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is such a big act of redemption. And God who walked with the Israelites through the Red Sea dividing it into two is the same God who walks with us: He fills our thoughts, words and actions and so he remains a concrete God to us.

Like the Israelites who responded with joy, gratitude and praise to God, we too should acknowledge with gratitude and praise the intervening presence of God in our daily lives especially when challenges and doubts seem to overwhelm us. God created us and the whole universe with love; he redeems his creation because of his unfailing love. When doubts and challenges overwhelm us, when his will seems too difficult for us, let us remember his love is unfailing and Isaiah describes his faithful love like that of a husband and wife. All that God needs from us is our faithfulness like the one of husband and wife to each other.

Our holiness of life as Ezekiel tells us is our gratitude and honour to God. With his gift of help; the Holy Spirit, God is committed to keep us in union with him through holy life. Indeed, this is promise made true in our baptism and renewed in the sacrament of reconciliation. Eucharist enables us to participate into the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Consequently, this knowledge and privilege fills us with an outcry of joy (The “Allelluia”) and cannot be contained within us but becomes our proclamation and witness to the mighty work and deeds of the Lord.

Our outcry of joy (Allelluia) is the confirmation of his mighty works and deeds of redeeming us. The angels confirm this, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and the other Mary; the mother of Jesus’ relative; James, and other women are witnesses too. Today we the Christians are witnesses of that divine life we share in God through his redemptive work; death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

How can we then become the best witnesses to the resurrection; the mighty deed of the Lord? The bible is full of answers to this question: do to others as you would love them do to you, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and give drink to the thirsty. Jesus did this to give us life, do the same, and try always, again and again. Share the story of Jesus Christ like Mary Magdalene and the other men and women in the gospel. Teach joyfully your children and grandchildren our faith in the risen Christ. Tell them it is 2000 years ago story but is ever new in the sacraments, word and especially in our manner of witnessing it in our lives today.

St. Augustine invites us into love, and then we can do anything else we want. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us the grace of resurrection is for us and the whole of God’s creation. Let us live this grace, let us appreciate Christ’s redemptive work that flows to us today in the mystery of his body and blood. Pope Francis compels us into solidarity with the poor and the marginalized.

I invite you to build communities of love and relationships anchored on the risen Christ and expressed in our celebrations of the sacrament of the risen Christ; the Eucharist.

Joy and Peace.

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