Alleluia, He Is Risen

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 3/31/05)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde at the Easter Vigil on March 26 at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington.

Tonight, in our midst, the Scriptures which were proclaimed are being relived within us and among us. In other words, these Scriptures are not just historical records of what happened then, but are actual happenings here and now among us. Today’s Gospel is a clear example of what I am saying.

" … as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb." We too have come to find Jesus, have we not? We too have come to the tomb. Our Lenten journey has led us through 40 days of prayer, penance and fasting to the Easter Triduum, that unified celebration of the Lord’s Dying and Rising, spread out across three days. So, on Holy Thursday, we relived the Last Supper; yesterday, on Good Friday, we commemorated the Lord’s Death and now tonight, we are reliving His Rising from death to new and unending life.

A startling occurrence took place in the women’s lives as they sought Christ. So too for us! Into our darkened midst comes a great Light: Christ Himself, symbolized by the Easter candle! "Christ our Light," the deacon announced with great joy even as the angel of the Lord announced to the women that the One Whom they were seeking has been raised up. Now by His Light, we are enlightened with Christ’s Truth and warmed with Christ’s Love!

But there is more! In our hearing, the Living Word of God has been proclaimed, reminding us that all God created is very good, above all, life itself. The Living Word of God has been proclaimed, making present for us our own exodus from the Egypt of sin to the Promised Land of grace. This Living of Word draws us to the Lord, Who is the font of living water and fashions for us new hearts and spirits, so that from now on, you and I can live as His People.

Ah, but there is even more! Into our very beings comes Christ Himself, encountering us through the sacraments. He will meet and give the gift of His very life, divine grace, to Michael Kenny Fowler, Kimiya Anne Etezadi, Melody Cristal Quiroga and Wilson Jordan Quiroga in the Sacrament of Baptism. With God the Father, Christ will give the Gift of the Holy Spirit to the six people receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation: to the four newly-baptized, whom I just named, to Christopher Patrick McNamee, who is being received into full communion in the Church and to Leo Bello, who is completing his Christian Initiation. Then, to all these and to all of us, Christ will give us His very Self, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, in Holy Communion. As the Risen Lord comes to each of us in Word and Sacrament, and especially in the Eucharist, surely we welcome Him with great joy and invite Him to stay with us always!

Moreover, the Gospel account continues to be lived out in our midst. We have met Him, the Risen Lord and now He sends us to be His witnesses. Just as the angel sent the women back to the disciples with the message " … go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’" so too Jesus is missioning us to do the same — to be His witnesses in proclaiming His Risen Presence and His Gospel of hope and life. In fact, this is what our Holy Father has recently told us. " … Once we have truly met the Risen One by partaking of His body and blood, we cannot keep to ourselves the joy we have experienced. The encounter with Christ, constantly intensified and deepened in the Eucharist, issues in the Church and in every Christian an urgent summons to testimony and evangelization" (Mane Nobiscum Domine, No. 24).

So then, having renewed our baptismal promises and having been embraced by the Risen Lord Jesus in our Easter Communion, we are sent back home, to our family, to our colleagues in the work place, to our fellow parishioners and to the members of our community in order to witness to them by the fresh hope and new life visible in us that Jesus Christ has been raised and He goes before us all as the Light of the World!

Yes, the Risen Lord tells us as we go forth: "Do not be afraid" to proclaim the truth that life is sacred and therefore must be protected and defended, the truth that every human person, has infinite worth and dignity from conception to natural death, the truth that God loves every human person and desires their eternal salvation.

Having met the Risen Lord tonight, we cannot keep Him to ourselves, but are impelled to bring Him to everyone. "Jesus Christ is risen, Alleluia!" Thus, what we proclaim we must live: newness of life rooted in His victory of life and grace over death and sin. No wonder we cannot help but echo St. Augustine: "We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!"

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