Welcoming new life at Easter

Submitted on March 28, 2002

Send to friend Holy Saturday's Easter Vigil will welcome new Catholics into the Church amid the profound liturgical celebrations of the Church's central mysteries and the evocative signs of fire, light and water. The fire purifies and stirs faith, hope and love in the hearts of all believers. The light of the paschal candle - Christ our light - breaks the darkness and shares his light with each baptized member of the Church. The water washes sin away and refreshes us, quenching our deep thirst for living water. The Easter proclamation bids all creation to exult around God's throne. "Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels! Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!" The history of salvation will be recounted in reading after reading that announces hope even in the midst of a weighty admission of sin and darkness in fallen humanity. And finally, finally, the chant of rejoicing, the alleluia that we have longed to hear for these 40 days wafts up in anticipation of the Gospel announcement, "Do not be afraid!" The crucified Jesus is not here. "He has been raised from the dead." The stage for these events is humankind tainted by sin and sickness and death: the world called to holiness but sorely in need of a redeemer. Holy Thursday has solemnly re-presented the institution of the Eucharist and the commissioning of the first priests in the midst of the sacrificial banquet of the Lord's Last Supper. The Good Friday commemoration of Christ's death offered freely as the ransom for our sins has preceded this vigil of Easter. The news is so relieving and joy-filled, and the victory of Christ so definitive, that we can join with the Church in a most mysterious re-naming of our sin - "O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam that warranted for us so great a redeemer!" Into this home, the Church, we welcome our catechumens and candidates with eyes wide open to the sins of those that surround them. While the admissions of the sins of priests and bishops may sting us all, we might wonder if those who are entering the Catholic Church this Easter face a particularly difficult challenge to their faith. The fact that Christ calls such weak instruments - his bishops and priests - to do great things is another expression of the "scandal of the Incarnation" - God coming among us in human flesh and even allowing himself to be crucified as the defining action of his eternal priesthood. While we welcome these new Catholics into a marriage with Christ and his people we humbly ask, "Will you take us for better, for worse?" May our newest members be strengthened and renewed by their full participation in the Church through Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. May they help us to be a better, holier Church. May all creation which longs and yearns for redemption in the day of the Lord, rejoice and exult in the lasting and firm promise of new life at Easter.