St. Elizabeth Catholic Church Blog: Easter Vigil 2009 ~ This is the Night!

The powerful images evoked by the rituals of the Easter Vigil help us to realize that through Jesus' Death and Resurrection, God has freed us from sin and elevated us as his sons and daughters. Each year we celebrate again, because this is the night that God passes through our midst.

This is the night of the blessing of the fire. From this fire, the newly prepared Paschal Candle will be lit, symbolizing the Light of Christ rising in glory to dispel the darkness of sin.

This is the night where the darkness of the church comes to light as we pass the flame from one to another as we process into our sanctuary. As the Easter Proclamation is sung, we hear again that this is our passover feast when Christ, the true Lamb is slain for our sins. But by God's power, our sins are overcome as Christ, our Morning Star, is raised from the dead to live forever in glory.

This is the night that we are reminded of how powerfully God saves. In the Exodus reading we hear how God instructed Moses to stretch his hand over the sea and the Lord parted the waters so that His people could march in the midst of the sea to safety.

This is the night that we are reminded in Paul's Letter to the Romans, that if we are baptized into Christ, it means we are also baptized into His death. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too might live in newness of life.

This is the night of the empty tomb. We know why the tomb was empty, just as the women did who discovered it that Resurrection morning. Through faith, they believed that their crucified Lord had indeed risen and they rushed off to spread the Good News.

Their faith, hope and joy are an example for us that our own longing to meet this Christ can be fulfilled. His Resurrection brings a new dimension into our lives. It brings meaning; without which we live our lives in darkness. It also brings hope and a renewal of faith that God will show Himself to us if we really want Him. That is what happens this night...