{"id":2117,"date":"2017-04-16T12:29:06","date_gmt":"2017-04-16T16:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=2117"},"modified":"2017-04-16T12:33:10","modified_gmt":"2017-04-16T16:33:10","slug":"easter-vigil-2017-year-a-homily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/easter-vigil-2017-year-a-homily\/","title":{"rendered":"Easter Vigil 2017, Year A – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"

Easter Vigil<\/a>
\n<\/a>Genesis 1:1-2:2
\nGenesis 22:1-18
\nExodus 14:15-15:1
\nIsaiah 55:1-11
\nRomans 6:3-11
\nMatthew 28:1-10
\nApril 15, 2017<\/p>\n

Holy week is the most special time of the year for us.\u00a0 We began it on Sunday with the blessing of the Palms recalling Jesus\u2019 entry in Jerusalem.\u00a0 We read the Passion of Jesus to recall what he goes through for us.<\/p>\n

Thursday night we celebrated the Last Supper.\u00a0 The meal was the<\/em> Passover meal and I spoke about the Passover as well as the Institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood.\u00a0 We know that Jesus has united his sacrifice in his Crucifixion to the Eucharist.\u00a0 Yesterday (Good Friday) we again listened to the story of Jesus\u2019 Passion.\u00a0 We had the veneration of the Cross venerating it as the instrument of Jesus saving us<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

After his death, Jesus was laid in the tomb.\u00a0 Tonight\u2019s gospel tells us what happened next but before we get to that, let us turn our thoughts to tonight\u2019s prayers and readings that led up to the gospel.<\/p>\n

We started with the blessing of the Easter fire.\u00a0 We started in darkness just as the universe was before God created all things.<\/p>\n

From the Easter fire, we lit our new Paschal Candle that burns as a sign that Jesus is the Light of the World.\u00a0 We lit our individual candles as a symbol of how we received the light of Christ in our baptism.<\/p>\n

Then we listened to the Exsultet and several readings.\u00a0 Our readings tonight span the story of Salvation History from its beginning with Genesis to being given new life as Jesus rises.<\/p>\n

Our first reading from Genesis tells the story of creation not to give a scientific explanation but to tell us that God is the one who takes a \u201cformless wasteland<\/em>\u201d and brings order to it.\u00a0 Big Bang and the theory of Evolution do not explain everything.\u00a0 The universe is too complex.\u00a0 I see no way for there to be male and female and all the different elements of creation without God to direct it.\u00a0 Just thinking about the complexity of the science involved proves to me God had to be involved.<\/p>\n

Then we hear about Abraham who always did as the Lord directed.\u00a0 He had waited many, many years for the son God promised him.\u00a0 After Isaac was born, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son and Abraham is willing to do it!\u00a0 We even hear that Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice.\u00a0 When Isaac asked \u201cwhere is the sheep for the holocaust<\/em>\u201d Abraham responded \u201cGod himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

How right Abraham is!<\/p>\n

Of course, we know that God stopped Abraham before Isaac is sacrificed.\u00a0 God then sends a ram for the sacrifice \u201cin place of his son<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then we remember the Passover event when God led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea.\u00a0 They were led on their way by the angel of the Lord.\u00a0 This is God saving his people.<\/p>\n

There are many other stories that we could read and discuss but it would be too much for one night.\u00a0 So let\u2019s leap ahead to Jesus\u2019 Passion.<\/p>\n

Remember how Isaac carried the wood when he was to be the sacrifice?\u00a0 Jesus carries the wood of the Cross to his own sacrifice.<\/p>\n

Remember how the ram was sacrificed in place of Isaac?\u00a0 Abraham said God would provide the sacrifice and God does in Jesus.<\/p>\n

Jesus is crucified and laid in the tomb.\u00a0 That much we heard yesterday but it is not the end of the story.\u00a0 No, tonight we hear how the tomb is found empty.<\/p>\n

Imagine the disciples\u2019 confusion.\u00a0 They are already bewildered that Jesus has been crucified and now the tomb is empty.\u00a0 We know the empty tomb to be a sign of something wonderful but they did not yet understand.\u00a0 Only when they see Jesus risen can they rejoice.<\/p>\n

Tonight is our most solemn and most important liturgy of the year.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection is the culmination of the story of Salvation History.<\/p>\n

The Jews had seen themselves as a chosen people, the only ones to be saved.\u00a0 They were indeed a chosen people but they were supposed to share their faith with others.\u00a0 The idea of salvation being offered to the Gentiles is not entirely new with Jesus.<\/p>\n

Speaking as a prophet of the Lord Isaiah said, \u201cAll you who are thirsty, come to the water<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 The invitation is offered to \u2018all.\u2019\u00a0 Unfortunately not all accept the invitation.<\/p>\n

Why not?<\/p>\n

There are some who even today don\u2019t hear about God in a way to help them believe.\u00a0 Others may hear but disagree.\u00a0 Rather than open themselves to the truth, they reject God or make their own notion of God.\u00a0 Some might find it too hard.<\/p>\n

It is hard.\u00a0 Temptation is a powerful force.\u00a0 We must try our best but in the end we must realize that we cannot pay the price on our own.\u00a0 This is where Isaiah says, \u201cCome, without paying and without cost<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

We cannot earn our salvation.\u00a0 It is a gift that Jesus gives us when he gives up his life on the Cross.<\/p>\n

Does this mean we live however we want and figure everyone gets into Heaven?\u00a0 That\u2019s what some like to think but while we never earn our way into Heaven on our own, we need to die to the things of this world so that we can rise to new life.\u00a0 We must first give up this world to share in the Resurrection.<\/p>\n

None of us are perfect.\u00a0 We fall short in sin.\u00a0 Sometimes we even commit the same sins over and over, unable to let go.\u00a0 That\u2019s when we had it over to Jesus and he pays the price for our salvation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Easter Vigil Genesis 1:1-2:2 Genesis 22:1-18 Exodus 14:15-15:1 Isaiah 55:1-11 Romans 6:3-11 Matthew 28:1-10 April 15, 2017 Holy week is the most special time of the year for us.\u00a0 We began it on Sunday with the blessing of the Palms recalling Jesus\u2019 entry in Jerusalem.\u00a0 We read the Passion of Jesus to recall what he …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Easter Vigil 2017, Year A – Homily’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[29,26,82],"tags":[127,282,166,31,283],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMTPk-y9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2117"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2125,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117\/revisions\/2125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}