EASTER VIGIL
EASTER VIGIL
My dear brothers and sisters in the lord, we are gathered this night in order to keep vigil with the lord as we wait for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. St. Augustine calls this vigil the mother of all vigils because it is the most important vigil of the year. We are celebrating this vigil in the night in order to experience the darkness that covers the face of the earth before the resurrection of Jesus. Through his resurrection Jesus triumph over death and light up the world which is darkened by sin. This vigil is therefore a solemn memorial of our redemption. To night, we are celebrating the victory of life over death, hope over despair, goodness over evil and light over darkness.
The church in her wisdom, on a day like this thought it wise for us to reflect on the mystery of our salvation. This is why we had nine readings which are all talking on the mystery of our salvation. In the beginning we ere told God created heaven and earth and every thing on it. On the sixth a day God created man and woman and placed them in charge of all the things he created. God commanded man to use all the things he created but he is not to eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. However, tempted by the devil and in his quest to be like God, man disobeyed God. This led to the fall of man. With the fall, man lost the state of graciousness and immortality which he had before. Man was expelled by to from the garden in to the world. However, God did not totally abandoned man but promised to redeem him. In order to fulfill this promise, God called Abraham and made a covenant with him. God promised to make the descendants of Abraham great. The descendants of Abraham went to Egypt, and while in Egypt when their number increased they were subjected to slavery. The Israelites cried to the lord in their pains and God came to their aid by sending Moses to deliver them from Egypt and to take them to the promise land. Having reached the Promised Land the Israelites abandoned God by worshipping other gods. However, God continuously send them prophets in order to remind them of his promises as we heard in the fourth and fifth reading. In order to punish them for their unfaithfulness, God allowed the Israelites to be taken to exile to Babylon and Assyria. While in exile, continued sending the prophets in order to speak his word to them. He gave them hope and reminded them that he has not abandoned them as we heard in the sixth and seventh readings. In the seventh reading, God promised to cleanse his people from all their uncleanness. He promised to give them a new heart. God said I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a new heat of flesh instead. (Ezekiel 36:270. God promised to make Israel his people again.
God fulfilled his promises by restoring the Israelites back to their country and by sending the messiah. Jesus came into the world in order to reconcile us with God. He did this by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Adam brought the fall of man through his disobedience; Jesus by his obedience restored mans friendship with God. This is why we are gathered this night in order to celebrate because Christ has saved us. The gospel reading gives us the account of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus brought a new beginning. This celebration is all about this new beginning.
Through our baptism, we were all made sons and Daughters of God and we were given the privilege of attaining that salvation which Christ brought through his passion death and resurrection. Baptism washes us from our sins and makes new creatures. Through baptism we die with Christ, and as Christ rose from the dead we also rose with him. During our baptisms, we made promises to follow Christ by rejecting Satan and all his works. The question each of us must ask himself or herself today is: how faithful have I been to such promises? The quest for power, wealth and material thing of this world has made some of us to abandon Christ by going our own way. To night, we shall renew our baptismal promises so that we will continue to be true children of God and heir of the kingdom pf God. The renewal of the baptismal promise reminds us that at our baptism we are not made Christians once and for all, rather that we have made only a beginning to die to our selfishness and to rise to live for God and for others.
Our prayer for you and for ourselves this night is that the risen Christ will fill us with the blessings joy and happiness which he brought to us at Easter. May we also share this joy with our brothers and sister more especially with those who are depressed and abandoned.
My dear brothers and sisters in the lord, we are gathered this night in order to keep vigil with the lord as we wait for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. St. Augustine calls this vigil the mother of all vigils because it is the most important vigil of the year. We are celebrating this vigil in the night in order to experience the darkness that covers the face of the earth before the resurrection of Jesus. Through his resurrection Jesus triumph over death and light up the world which is darkened by sin. This vigil is therefore a solemn memorial of our redemption. To night, we are celebrating the victory of life over death, hope over despair, goodness over evil and light over darkness.
The church in her wisdom, on a day like this thought it wise for us to reflect on the mystery of our salvation. This is why we had nine readings which are all talking on the mystery of our salvation. In the beginning we ere told God created heaven and earth and every thing on it. On the sixth a day God created man and woman and placed them in charge of all the things he created. God commanded man to use all the things he created but he is not to eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. However, tempted by the devil and in his quest to be like God, man disobeyed God. This led to the fall of man. With the fall, man lost the state of graciousness and immortality which he had before. Man was expelled by to from the garden in to the world. However, God did not totally abandoned man but promised to redeem him. In order to fulfill this promise, God called Abraham and made a covenant with him. God promised to make the descendants of Abraham great. The descendants of Abraham went to Egypt, and while in Egypt when their number increased they were subjected to slavery. The Israelites cried to the lord in their pains and God came to their aid by sending Moses to deliver them from Egypt and to take them to the promise land. Having reached the Promised Land the Israelites abandoned God by worshipping other gods. However, God continuously send them prophets in order to remind them of his promises as we heard in the fourth and fifth reading. In order to punish them for their unfaithfulness, God allowed the Israelites to be taken to exile to Babylon and Assyria. While in exile, continued sending the prophets in order to speak his word to them. He gave them hope and reminded them that he has not abandoned them as we heard in the sixth and seventh readings. In the seventh reading, God promised to cleanse his people from all their uncleanness. He promised to give them a new heart. God said I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a new heat of flesh instead. (Ezekiel 36:270. God promised to make Israel his people again.
God fulfilled his promises by restoring the Israelites back to their country and by sending the messiah. Jesus came into the world in order to reconcile us with God. He did this by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Adam brought the fall of man through his disobedience; Jesus by his obedience restored mans friendship with God. This is why we are gathered this night in order to celebrate because Christ has saved us. The gospel reading gives us the account of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus brought a new beginning. This celebration is all about this new beginning.
Through our baptism, we were all made sons and Daughters of God and we were given the privilege of attaining that salvation which Christ brought through his passion death and resurrection. Baptism washes us from our sins and makes new creatures. Through baptism we die with Christ, and as Christ rose from the dead we also rose with him. During our baptisms, we made promises to follow Christ by rejecting Satan and all his works. The question each of us must ask himself or herself today is: how faithful have I been to such promises? The quest for power, wealth and material thing of this world has made some of us to abandon Christ by going our own way. To night, we shall renew our baptismal promises so that we will continue to be true children of God and heir of the kingdom pf God. The renewal of the baptismal promise reminds us that at our baptism we are not made Christians once and for all, rather that we have made only a beginning to die to our selfishness and to rise to live for God and for others.
Our prayer for you and for ourselves this night is that the risen Christ will fill us with the blessings joy and happiness which he brought to us at Easter. May we also share this joy with our brothers and sister more especially with those who are depressed and abandoned.
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