Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil)

 Reflection

When you or I create something, we do not aspire to mediocrity, never mind something bad or useless. We create because we have something fundamentally good to share with others. God, being no exception to this rule but, indeed, the very rule itself, invites us to this realization. He proclaims that we were created as goodness, live in goodness, and then, die in goodness.

Our readings this Easter Vigil are about our human story and God's covenant with us. They focus on our universal call to holiness and love, and so often, our failure at this. The Old Testament passages present major themes of trust and sacrifice, where each story provides for us an example where something is given up out of trust in and love for God.

This reaches its pinnacle when we are asked to take the final step of trust and sacrifice: to lay down our own lives. We are asked to die with Christ. This is horrifying. I am not particularly thrilled by the prospect of dying at 23. But what is the real point? Christ asks me to sacrifice my own goals, desires, and what I love — in essence, my entire life — in awareness of His fidelity and love for me, trusting that He knows better than I.

Daily, we Christians head into the darkness of our own Good Friday, sometimes not even sure if we will have a Resurrection Sunday. But we are the people of hope, proclaiming Christ risen. For surely, we, the body of Christ, will “be united with Christ in resurrection” and “live in the newness of life.”

Prayer

Christ Jesus, raise us up with You to our true goodness as we place our trust in You.

Jonathan Wheeler, ‘10, Edmundite Novice

Scripture

Readings: (1) 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, 2-, 22,

(2) Genesis 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18, Psalm 16:5, 8-11,

(3) Exodus 14:15-15:1, Psalm: Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18,

(4) Isaiah 54:5-14, Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13,

(5) Isaiah 55:1-11, Psalm: Isaiah 12:2-3, 4-6,

(6) Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4, Psalm 19:8-11,

(7) Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28, Psalm 42:3,5; 43:3-4

Epistle: Romans 6:3-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

Gospel: Mark 16:1-7

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website