The Easter Vigil 2023
Six years ago, I celebrated the Easter Triduum at St. Joseph’s, Ansdell, near to Lytham and St. Anne’s. The rubrics state that, at the Vigil, the homily, however brief, is not to be omitted, and so I gathered some thoughts in my head.
A few minutes before the beginning of the ceremonies, however, I went to the pulpit for a last look at the Gospel, at which point one sentence leapt out at me which caused me to revise my planned homily completely. It was the sentence “And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus.”
In that moment, that sentence struck me powerfully. These women have already had their world turned upside down more than once. They have witnessed the death and burial of their friend and Lord. Subsequently, their deadly grief has been transformed into overwhelming joy by the angel’s appearance and message. They do not know whether they are on their heads or their heels. “And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus.”
All their doubts, all their confusion, are resolved. They have proof positive: He is there to be seen and touched.
HERE, coming to meet US, is Jesus. He will be here to be seen and touched in the sacrament of His Body and Blood. Yet, not only here: in all the times of trouble and confusion in our lives, He is coming to meet us. In turmoil, grief, and pain, but also in joy and celebration, He comes to us, because He can. He is risen; He has conquered everything, even death, and He is present in everything, even death. And so He says to us, as He said to the women, “Do not be afraid”. And we can take Him at His word.
