Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil)
ReflectionOnce upon a time, a man found the egg of an eagle. As it was still warm, the man took it and put it in the nest of one of his backyard chickens along with the other eggs. After a period of time, the eaglet was hatched along with the other chicks. He scratched the earth for worms, insects, and looked for corn. He clucked and cackled as best as he could and thrashed his wings. One day, he saw a magnificent bird far above him in the cloudless sky. It glided majestically among the powerful wind currents, soaring and swooping, scarcely beating its long golden wings. The old eagle looked at it in awe and asked "what is that?" "That is the eagle, the king of the birds," said one of his neighbors. “He belongs to the sky and to the high places. We belong to the earth, we are chickens." The old eagle knew this was true, and so it was he lived and died as a chicken.
Think of what happened to the disciples after the first Easter, after they finally accepted and believed in the resurrection that Jesus had told them about. They came out of the upper room where they had huddled in fear, and they went to the ends of the earth. They created a mighty Church. They went from being people afraid of dying, to being people who offered their very lives to help others live lives of faith, and hope, and joy. Happy Easter.
Lord Jesus, open my heart, my mind and my eyes to see this new vision of life that You have prepared for me and for all who believe. Fill me with the faith, hope, and joy of resurrected life through Christ our Lord.
Fr. Michael Cronogue, S.S.E., Director of Vocations for the Society of Saint Edmund
Scripture
First Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:2 or 1:1, 26-31a
Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35 or Psalm 33:4-7, 12-13, 20, 22
Second Reading: Genesis 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Psalm 16:5, 8-11
Third Reading: Exodus 14:15—15:1
(Psalm) Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18
Fourth Reading: Isaiah 54:5-14
Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
Fifth Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11
(Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-3, 4-6
Sixth Reading: Baruch 3:9-15, 32—4:4
Psalm 19:8-11
Seventh Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28
Psalm 42:3, 5; 43:3-4
Eighth Reading: Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Gospel: Luke 24:1-12
Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website
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