Every day of Lent, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
(No liturgy before the Great Easter Vigil – no readings from Scripture until the night)
Today we are preparing for the festival of joy – the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
After many days of Lent we are ready for new life, just as after winter we are longing for springtime.
Pray for those who will be entering into the Catholic Church with us through baptism and into full communion with the Church by receiving the other Easter sacraments of Eucharist and confirmation. Tonight is the night when they will experience the light shining in the darkness in a moving way as the Easter fires are lighted across our diocese, announcing to the world that Jesus is our light.
At tonight’s Easter Vigil, we will also recall the passages from the Old and New Testaments that point to God’s history of saving us from slavery to sin and leading us into the freedom of the children of God.
Yet, Easter Saturday is still the vigil – Easter Sunday is the day. This reminds us that although we are an Easter people, there is still an Easter yet to come – our own resurrection from the dead. And that in this life, even though we know our Savior, we are still waiting for our salvation. Our own salvation will come on the day we cross that finish life marking the crossing between this life and the next.
Only with Jesus, risen from the dead, have we come to have this hope. That is why we are able to spend our entire life as a vigil waiting for the new day. We know that the new day is coming.