“I can feel the joy of the Church tonight,” Bishop Edward Malesic said to those gathered in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on April 19 for the Easter Vigil.
The liturgy began in darkness in the courtyard outside the cathedral, where a fire had been built. The bishop blessed it and the new paschal candle before processing into the dark church. Once inside, the faithful lit their candles from the paschal candle.
After reaching the front of the church, Deacon Matt Lawler set the paschal candle in its holder and the church lights came on. The liturgy continued with readings from the Old Testament, followed by sung psalms and canticles chanted acapella. After the fifth reading, the choir led the congregation in singing the Gloria, which was not heard during Lent. It reminded the faithful that Christ had risen from the darkness of the grave. A joyful “Alleluia” was sung before Deacon Lawler proclaimed the Gospel.
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In his homily, Bishop Malesic told the congregation that in the early day of the Church, a Christian was being led away to be martyred for his faith. When asked if he had any last words, he shouted, “He is risen.” Then, from the surrounding hills, came the voices of other Christians whose response echoed throughout the countryside: “He is risen, indeed.”
The bishop said Jesus is rising with us once again as the light that darkness cannot overcome. He said the five people who were being baptized during the liturgy and six others who were coming into full communion with the Catholic Church, will be strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of confirmation. “And finally, they will join with us at the table of the Lord’s body and blood in the Eucharistic sacrifice,” he said.
“By asking for these sacraments, you inspire me and all of us to treasure our own Catholic faith. Thank you for your desire to come closer to the Lord, your decision to be in communion with us and answering the call to be witnesses of Jesus Christ who is risen from the dead,” the bishop added.
When Jesus was crucified and placed in the tomb, he was not expected to get out. “Death was a Roman specialty. They were good at it. But if death was the specialty of the Romans, life is God’s specialty. Death is no match for God. God is stronger than death,” he said.
Some may want proof that Jesus is alive, the bishop said. “We don’t pray to a dead man. Jesus is alive and he wants to hear from us. Tonight, we raise our voices in praise of him.”
He said we also have encountered the living Christ. “For we were dead and have come back to life. We were lost and have been found again. After encountering Jesus fully alive, we cannot remain the same,” the bishop added. “May we all find new life by encountering Jesus – and he comes to us again at this Mass … He has triumphed over death.”
Bishop Malesic said God’s love for us would not be overcome by the work of the devil because God had a plan. He sent a savior – his Son – to save us.
“This is our hope – that we will not perish – that death will not be the final act of our lives. Good news! In Jesus, God pushed a great reset button. Jesus gives us the chance to live that way again in the way God had first planned for Adam and Eve. This is the new life that we first received when we were baptized.”
Through baptism, we were cleansed of the separation from God caused by original sin. “Baptism will make you his adopted children and God will take great delight in you. In baptism, you will become members of God’s family of faith, our family of faith, the Catholic Church. Those of you who will be confirmed tonight will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit to strengthen you to be witnesses of Jesus risen from the dead. And the Eucharist will continue to give you Christ’s abundant life. You will be fully alive in Christ,” he told the candidates and catechumens who were anticipating receiving the sacraments of initiation that night.
“Christ’s life, his eternal life, lives in us, too, and his life will soon live in the five of you who are to be baptized. His life in you is a life that will never end … The life that we will eventually live is the life of the saints, in perfect communion with each other, and in perfect communion with God. I like to call it Eden 2.0, but it is also known as heaven or the kingdom of God … It is waiting for us who have faith … Let’s change the world with God’s love. What we have received, we must give,” the bishop said.
“He is risen. He is risen, indeed!”
Watch the liturgy on demand here.