Easter Vigil – Holy Saturday [C], April 7, 2007

Readings
Genesis 1:1–2:2
Genesis 22:1-18
Exodus 14:15–15:1
Isaiah 54:5-14
Isaiah 55:1-11
Baruch 3:9-15, 32–4:4
Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28
Romans 6:3-11
Luke 24:1-12

Quotes
It would be a contradiction to settle for a life of mediocrity, marked by a minimalist ethic and a shallow religiosity. To ask catechumens: “Do you wish to receive Baptism?” means at the same time to ask them: “Do you wish to become holy?” It means to set before them the radical nature of the Sermon on the Mount.”
John Paul II, Novo Millennio Inuente

Rising from the waters of the Baptismal font, every Christian hears again the voice that was once heard on the banks of the Jordan River: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation on the Vocation of the Laity, Christifideles Laici

From the risen Christ, all those who are still oppressed by chains of suffering and death look for hope.
Benedict XVI, Urbi et Orbi Message, Easter 2006

This world of ours can change: peace is possible even where for too long there has been fighting and death. . . . Men and women of every continent, draw from his tomb, empty now for ever, the strength needed to defeat the powers of evil and death, and to place all research and all technical and social progress at the service of a better future for all.
John Paul II, Easter 2001

The power of the Spirit, who raised Christ from the dead, is continuously at work in the world. Through the generous sons and daughters of the Church likewise, the People of God is present in the midst of the poor and of those who suffer oppression and persecution; it lives in its own flesh and its own heart the Passion of Christ and bears witness to his resurrection.
1971 Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World

We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person. . . In a global culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. The Catholic tradition teaches that human beings grow and achieve fulfillment in community.
U.S. Bishops, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions

Thoughts for Your Consideration

Easter Resurrection is about power, liberation and freedom, but not the power of dominating control or of manipulating others. It is not about the power of corporations or control by military force or the manipulation of the mass media or the triumph of money. Rather it is the power of non-violent, active, generous love and solidarity. It is the power that comes from a faith rooted in the great story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The readings at the Easter vigil highlight the great story of God working in our world for our liberation and life. This great story of liberation lives on today.

In the baptismal promises, the catechumens (and the entire community in their renewal of baptism promises) renounce sin and all those ideologies and ways of thinking that are contrary to the way of Jesus. They (we) renounce values that are taken for granted by or imbedded in parts of our culture – racism, materialism, consumerism, sexism, militarism, etc. This renunciation is a source of freedom and new life for all of us and for the whole world. From the death and resurrection of Jesus flows a challenging vision that changes and challenges the social fabric of the whole world.

Questions for Reflection in Your Faith Sharing Group

What are some of the ways of thinking and acting in our 21st century culture that are contrary to the values and spirit of Jesus? (When you renounce sin, what are you renouncing?)

Prayers of Intercession

Response: Risen Jesus, bless us with newness of life.

For an end to the violence, terrorism, and war that divides and pains our world, we pray. . .

For an end to all the racism and discrimination that oppresses people in our world, we pray. . .

For an end to the materialism and consumerism which distorts our values and harms our environment, we pray. . .

For the sick who are denied quality health care, we pray. . .

For an end to hunger and all poverty, we pray. . .

For equal opportunities for employment at a living wage for all, we pray. . .

For a new spirit of justice and peace for all God’s people, we pray. . .

Prayers

Let there be an end to the chain of hatred and terrorism,
which threatens the orderly development of the human family.
May God grant that we be free
from the peril of a tragic clash
between cultures and religions.
May faith and love of God
make the followers of every religion
courageous builders of understanding and forgiveness,
patient weavers of a fruitful inter-religious dialogue,
capable of inaugurating a new era of justice and peace.

John Paul II, “Urbi et Orbi” Message, Easter 2003

“Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus.”

This is the day when, like the disciples,
every believer is invited to proclaim
the amazing newness of the Gospel.

But how can this message of joy and hope be made to resound
when many parts of the world are submerged in sorrow and tears?

In the face of persisting evidence of war,
and the countless grievous defeats of life,
Christ, the conqueror of sin and death,
urges us not to surrender.

Peace is possible, peace is a duty,
peace is a prime responsibility of everyone!

May the dawn of the third millennium see the coming
of a new era in which respect for every man and woman
and fraternal solidarity among peoples
will, with God’s help, overcome
the culture of hatred, of violence, of death.

Yes, today is a day of great exultation.
Mary rejoices, after being associated on Calvary,
with the redeeming Cross of her Son:
“Regina caeli, laetare.”

Together with you, Mother of the Risen One,
the whole Church gives thanks to God
for the marvel of new life
which Easter offers each year,
to Rome and to the entire world, Urbi et Orbi!

Christ is the new life:
He, the Risen One!

John Paul II, “Urbi et Orbi” Message, Easter 1999