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A Reflection from the Fuel Daily Readings App from Holy Saturday 2021. Click here to read the reading.
So many amazing and awesome things happen at the Easter Vigil: Darkness and Light, Words and Water, Sharing and Singing. The most important night of the Church’s year begins with the great celebration of Light as we light the new Easter Candle, process into the dark church, lighting our own candle, listening to the Exultet, and my favourite part, letting the many readings soak into my soul.
Have you even wondered why we have extra readings at the Easter Vigil? While they definitely make Mass a bit longer, they tell us the unfolding history of God’s relationship with humanity beginning with Genesis, reaching a high point in Jesus, and, just as importantly, continuing to the here and now in the reality of our lives. We have a part to play in the story of Salvation History because the Bible is essentially unfinished. Jesus’ presence in the world means that we have a part in the Biblical story.
I was recently praying about the resurrection and what it means in my life. From a purely practical perspective, it’s a crazy thing to try and contemplate. Was the resurrection like Scotty beaming someone up in Star Trek – their body slowly dissolving into thin air? Probably not. Was His body there one second and gone the next? Maybe… but we’ll never really know. All we know is that the tomb was empty when the three women arrived as the sun was rising. His body was there one day and gone the next.
Maybe our part to play this Easter is to search for Jesus like the three women: searching in our lives and the lives of the people around us. I suggest this because if I could only share one from personal experience, it’s that the resurrection leads to an encounter with the risen Christ.
+ Risen Lord, reveal yourself to those who search for you this Easter. Come to us in amazing ways, that through encountering you, we may have the desire to lead others to you in all your glory. Amen!