20170415 RENEWING OUR BAPTISMAL PROMISES
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First reading
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Genesis 1:1-2:2 ©
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In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was
darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water.
God said,
‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God
divided light from darkness. God called light ‘day’, and darkness he called
‘night.’ Evening came and morning came: the first day.
God said,
‘Let there be a vault in the waters to divide the waters in two.’ And so it
was. God made the vault, and it divided the waters above the vault from the
waters under the vault. God called the vault ‘heaven.’ Evening came and morning
came: the second day.
God said,
‘Let the waters under heaven come together into a single mass, and let dry land
appear.’ And so it was. God called the dry land ‘earth’ and the mass of waters
‘seas’, and God saw that it was good.
God said,
‘Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees bearing
fruit with their seed inside, on the earth.’ And so it was. The earth produced
vegetation: plants bearing seed in their several kinds, and trees bearing fruit
with their seed inside in their several kinds. God saw that it was good.
Evening came and morning came: the third day.
God said,
‘Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let
them indicate festivals, days and years. Let them be lights in the vault of
heaven to shine on the earth.’ And so it was. God made the two great lights:
the greater light to govern the day, the smaller light to govern the night, and
the stars. God set them in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth, to govern
the day and the night and to divide light from darkness. God saw that it was good.
Evening came and morning came: the fourth day.
God said,
‘Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth
within the vault of heaven.’ And so it was. God created great sea-serpents and
every kind of living creature with which the waters teem, and every kind of
winged creature. God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be
fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas; and let the birds multiply
upon the earth.’ Evening came and morning came: the fifth day.
God said,
‘Let the earth produce every kind of living creature: cattle, reptiles, and
every kind of wild beast.’ And so it was. God made every kind of wild beast,
every kind of cattle, and every kind of land reptile. God saw that it was good.
God said,
‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them
be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the
wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.’
God created man in
the image of himself,
in the image of God
he created him,
male and female he
created them.
God blessed them,
saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be
masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on
the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that are
upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be
your food. To all wild beasts, all birds of heaven and all living reptiles on
the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food.’ And so it was. God saw
all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came:
the sixth day.
Thus
heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God
completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all
the work he had been doing.
EITHER:
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Psalm
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Psalm
103(104):1-2,5-6,10,12-14,24,35 ©
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Send forth your
spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.
Bless the Lord, my
soul!
Lord God,
how great you are,
clothed in majesty
and glory,
wrapped
in light as in a robe!
Send forth your
spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.
You founded the earth
on its base,
to stand
firm from age to age.
You wrapped it with
the ocean like a cloak:
the
waters stood higher than the mountains.
Send forth your
spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.
You make springs gush
forth in the valleys;
they flow
in between the hills.
On their banks dwell
the birds of heaven;
from the
branches they sing their song.
Send forth your
spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.
From your dwelling
you water the hills;
earth
drinks its fill of your gift.
You make the grass
grow for the cattle
and the
plants to serve man’s needs.
Send forth your
spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.
How many are your
works, O Lord!
In wisdom
you have made them all.
The earth
is full of your riches.
Bless the Lord, my
soul!
Send forth your
spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.
OR:
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Alternative
Psalm
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Psalm
32(33):4-7,12-13,20,22 ©
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The Lord fills the
earth with his love.
The word of the Lord
is faithful
and all
his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves
justice and right
and fills
the earth with his love.
The Lord fills the
earth with his love.
By his word the
heavens were made,
by the
breath of his mouth all the stars.
He collects the waves
of the ocean;
he stores
up the depths of the sea.
The Lord fills the
earth with his love.
They are happy, whose
God is the Lord,
the
people he has chosen as his own.
From the heavens the
Lord looks forth,
he sees
all the children of men.
The Lord fills the
earth with his love.
Our soul is waiting
for the Lord.
The Lord
is our help and our shield.
May your love be upon
us, O Lord,
as we
place all our hope in you.
The Lord fills the
earth with his love.
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Second reading
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Genesis 22:1-18 ©
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God put Abraham to
the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he called. ‘Here I am’ he replied. ‘Take your
son,’ God said ‘your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of
Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will
point out to you.’
Rising
early next morning Abraham saddled his ass and took with him two of his
servants and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the burnt offering and started
on his journey to the place God had pointed out to him. On the third day
Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. Then Abraham said to his
servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there; we will
worship and come back to you.’
Abraham
took the wood for the burnt offering, loaded it on Isaac, and carried in his
own hands the fire and the knife. Then the two of them set out together. Isaac
spoke to his father Abraham, ‘Father’ he said. ‘Yes, my son’ he replied.
‘Look,’ he said ‘here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the
burnt offering?’ Abraham answered, ‘My son, God himself will provide the lamb
for the burnt offering.’ Then the two of them went on together.
When they
arrived at the place God had pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there,
and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar on
top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill
his son.
But the
angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he said. ‘I am
here’ he replied. ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy’ the angel said. ‘Do
not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your son,
your only son.’ Then looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a
bush. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt-offering in place of his
son.
Abraham
called this place ‘The Lord Provides’, and hence the saying today: On the
mountain the Lord provides.
The
angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven. ‘I swear by my own
self – it is the Lord who speaks – because you have done this, because
you have not refused me your son, your only son, I will shower blessings on
you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains
of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates of
their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your
descendants, as a reward for your obedience.’
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Psalm
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Psalm
15(16):5,8-11 ©
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Preserve me, God,
I take refuge in you.
O Lord, it is you who
are my portion and cup;
it is you
yourself who are my prize.
I keep the Lord ever
in my sight:
since he
is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
Preserve me, God,
I take refuge in you.
And so my heart
rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my
body shall rest in safety.
For you will not
leave my soul among the dead,
nor let
your beloved know decay.
Preserve me, God,
I take refuge in you.
You will show me the
path of life,
the
fullness of joy in your presence,
at your
right hand happiness for ever.
Preserve
me, God, I take refuge in you.
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Third reading
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Exodus
14:15-15:1 ©
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The Lord said to
Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me so? Tell the sons of Israel to march on. For
yourself, raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and part it
for the sons of Israel to walk through the sea on dry ground. I for my part
will make the heart of the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow them. So
shall I win myself glory at the expense of Pharaoh, of all his army, his
chariots, his horsemen. And when I have won glory for myself, at the expense of
Pharaoh and his chariots and his army, the Egyptians will learn that I am the
Lord.’
Then the
angel of God, who marched at the front of the army of Israel, changed station
and moved to their rear. The pillar of cloud changed station from the front to
the rear of them, and remained there. It came between the camp of the Egyptians
and the camp of Israel. The cloud was dark, and the night passed without the
armies drawing any closer the whole night long.
Moses
stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove back the sea with a strong
easterly wind all night, and he made dry land of the sea. The waters parted and
the sons of Israel went on dry ground right into the sea, walls of water to
right and to left of them. The Egyptians gave chase: after them they went,
right into the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
In the
morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the
pillar of fire and of cloud, and threw the army into confusion. He so clogged
their chariot wheels that they could scarcely make headway. ‘Let us flee from
the Israelites,’ the Egyptians cried. ‘The Lord is fighting for them against
the Egyptians!’
‘Stretch
out your hand over the sea,’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘that the waters may flow
back on the Egyptians and their chariots and their horsemen.’
Moses
stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its
bed. The fleeing Egyptians marched right into it, and the Lord overthrew the
Egyptians in the very middle of the sea. The returning waters overwhelmed the
chariots and the horsemen of Pharaoh’s whole army, which had followed the
Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left. But the sons of
Israel had marched through the sea on dry ground, walls of water to right and
to left of them.
That day,
the Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying
dead on the shore. Israel witnessed the great act that the Lord had performed
against the Egyptians, and the people venerated the Lord; they put their faith
in the Lord and in Moses, his servant.
It was
then that Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song in honour of the Lord:
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Canticle
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Exodus 15 ©
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Hymn of victory
after crossing the Red Sea
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I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
Horse and
rider he has thrown into the sea!
The Lord is my
strength, my song, my salvation.
This is
my God and I extol him,
my
father’s God and I give him praise.
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
The Lord is a
warrior! ‘The Lord’ is his name.
The
chariots of Pharaoh he hurled into the sea,
the flower of his
army is drowned in the sea.
The deeps
hide them; they sank like a stone.
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
Your right hand,
Lord, glorious in its power,
your
right hand, Lord, has shattered the enemy.
In the
greatness of your glory you crushed the foe.
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
You will lead your
people and plant them on your mountain,
the
place, O Lord, where you have made your home,
the sanctuary, Lord,
which your hands have made.
The Lord
will reign for ever and ever.
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
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Third reading
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Exodus
14:15-15:1 ©
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The Lord said to
Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me so? Tell the sons of Israel to march on. For
yourself, raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and part it
for the sons of Israel to walk through the sea on dry ground. I for my part
will make the heart of the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow them. So
shall I win myself glory at the expense of Pharaoh, of all his army, his
chariots, his horsemen. And when I have won glory for myself, at the expense of
Pharaoh and his chariots and his army, the Egyptians will learn that I am the
Lord.’
Then the
angel of God, who marched at the front of the army of Israel, changed station
and moved to their rear. The pillar of cloud changed station from the front to
the rear of them, and remained there. It came between the camp of the Egyptians
and the camp of Israel. The cloud was dark, and the night passed without the
armies drawing any closer the whole night long.
Moses
stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove back the sea with a strong
easterly wind all night, and he made dry land of the sea. The waters parted and
the sons of Israel went on dry ground right into the sea, walls of water to
right and to left of them. The Egyptians gave chase: after them they went,
right into the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
In the
morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the
pillar of fire and of cloud, and threw the army into confusion. He so clogged
their chariot wheels that they could scarcely make headway. ‘Let us flee from
the Israelites,’ the Egyptians cried. ‘The Lord is fighting for them against
the Egyptians!’
‘Stretch
out your hand over the sea,’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘that the waters may flow
back on the Egyptians and their chariots and their horsemen.’
Moses
stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its
bed. The fleeing Egyptians marched right into it, and the Lord overthrew the
Egyptians in the very middle of the sea. The returning waters overwhelmed the
chariots and the horsemen of Pharaoh’s whole army, which had followed the
Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left. But the sons of
Israel had marched through the sea on dry ground, walls of water to right and
to left of them.
That day,
the Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying
dead on the shore. Israel witnessed the great act that the Lord had performed
against the Egyptians, and the people venerated the Lord; they put their faith
in the Lord and in Moses, his servant.
It was
then that Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song in honour of the Lord:
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Canticle
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Exodus 15 ©
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Hymn of victory
after crossing the Red Sea
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I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
Horse and
rider he has thrown into the sea!
The Lord is my
strength, my song, my salvation.
This is
my God and I extol him,
my
father’s God and I give him praise.
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
The Lord is a warrior!
‘The Lord’ is his name.
The
chariots of Pharaoh he hurled into the sea,
the flower of his
army is drowned in the sea.
The deeps
hide them; they sank like a stone.
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
Your right hand,
Lord, glorious in its power,
your
right hand, Lord, has shattered the enemy.
In the
greatness of your glory you crushed the foe.
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
You will lead your
people and plant them on your mountain,
the
place, O Lord, where you have made your home,
the sanctuary, Lord,
which your hands have made.
The Lord
will reign for ever and ever.
I will sing to the
Lord, glorious his triumph!
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Canticle
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Isaiah 12 ©
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The rejoicing of
a redeemed people
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With joy you will
draw water from the wells of salvation.
Truly, God is my
salvation,
I trust,
I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my
strength, my song,
he became
my saviour.
With joy you will
draw water
from the
wells of salvation.
With joy you will
draw water from the wells of salvation.
Give thanks to the
Lord, give praise to his name!
Make his
mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare
the greatness of his name.
With joy you will
draw water from the wells of salvation.
Sing a psalm to the
Lord
for he
has done glorious deeds;
make them
known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing
and shout for joy,
for great
in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
With
joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
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Sixth reading
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Baruch
3:9-15,32-4:4 ©
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Listen, Israel, to
commands that bring life;
hear, and learn what
knowledge means.
Why, Israel, why are
you in the country of your enemies,
growing older and
older in an alien land,
sharing defilement
with the dead,
reckoned with those
who go to Sheol?
Because you have
forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
Had you walked in the
way of God,
you would have lived
in peace for ever.
Learn where knowledge
is, where strength,
where understanding,
and so learn
where length of days
is, where life,
where the light of
the eyes and where peace.
But who has found out
where she lives,
who has entered her
treasure house?
But the One who knows
all knows her,
he has grasped her
with his own intellect,
he has set the earth
firm for ever
and filled it with
four-footed beasts.
He sends the
light – and it goes,
he recalls it –
and trembling it obeys;
the stars shine
joyfully at their set times:
when he calls them,
they answer, ‘Here we are’;
they gladly shine for
their creator.
It is he who is our
God,
no other can compare
with him.
He has grasped the
whole way of knowledge,
and confided it to
his servant Jacob,
to Israel his
well-beloved;
so causing her to
appear on earth
and move among men.
This is the book of
the commandments of God,
the Law that stands
for ever;
those who keep her
live,
those who desert her
die.
Turn back, Jacob,
seize her,
in her radiance make
your way to light:
do not yield your
glory to another,
your privilege to a
people not your own.
Israel, blessed are
we:
what pleases God has
been revealed to us.
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Psalm
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Psalm
18(19):8-11 ©
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You have the message
of eternal life, O Lord.
The law of the Lord
is perfect,
it
revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord
is to be trusted,
it gives
wisdom to the simple.
You have the
message of eternal life, O Lord.
The precepts of the
Lord are right,
they
gladden the heart.
The command of the
Lord is clear,
it gives
light to the eyes.
You have the
message of eternal life, O Lord.
The fear of the Lord
is holy,
abiding
for ever.
The decrees of the
Lord are truth
and all
of them just.
You have the message
of eternal life, O Lord.
They are more to be
desired than gold,
than the
purest of gold
and sweeter are they
than honey,
than
honey from the comb.
You have the
message of eternal life, O Lord.
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Seventh reading
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Ezekiel
36:16-17,18-28 ©
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The word of the Lord
was addressed to me as follows: ‘Son of man, the members of the House of Israel
used to live in their own land, but they defiled it by their conduct and
actions. I then discharged my fury at them because of the blood they shed in
their land and the idols with which they defiled it. I scattered them among the
nations and dispersed them in foreign countries. I sentenced them as their
conduct and actions deserved. And now they have profaned my holy name among the
nations where they have gone, so that people say of them, “These are the people
of the Lord; they have been exiled from his land.”
‘But I
have been concerned about my holy name, which the House of Israel has profaned
among the nations where they have gone.
‘And so,
say to the House of Israel, “The Lord says this: I am not doing this for your
sake, House of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have
profaned among the nations where you have gone. I mean to display the holiness
of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have
profaned among them. And the nations will learn that I am the Lord – it is
the Lord who speaks – when I display my holiness for your sake before
their eyes. Then I am going to take you from among the nations and gather you
together from all the foreign countries, and bring you home to your own land.
‘“I
shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you
of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and
put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and
give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you, and make you
keep my laws and sincerely respect my observances. You will live in the land
which I gave your ancestors. You shall be my people and I will be your God.”’
EITHER:
The
psalm to be used after the Seventh Reading varies from place to place and it
depends on whether a baptism is being celebrated at the Easter Vigil.
In the
USA:
If there is no baptism, either Isaiah 12 or Psalm 50(51) is
used.
If there is a baptism, Psalm 41(42) is used.
In the
English-speaking world:
If there is no baptism, Psalm 41(42) is
used.
If there is a baptism, either Isaiah 12 or Psalm 50(51) MUST be
used instead.
In the rest of the world:
If there is no baptism, Psalm
41(42) is used.
If there is a baptism, either Isaiah 12 or Psalm 50(51)
MAY be used instead.
The psalms are listed below. Isaiah 12 is shown above,
after the Fifth Reading.
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Psalm
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Psalm
41(42):2-3,5,42:3-4 ©
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Like the deer that
yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.
My soul is thirsting
for God,
the God
of my life;
when can I enter and
see
the face
of God?
Like the deer that
yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.
These things will I
remember
as I pour
out my soul:
how I would lead the
rejoicing crowd
into the
house of God,
amid cries of
gladness and thanksgiving,
the
throng wild with joy.
Like the deer that
yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.
O send forth your
light and your truth;
let these
be my guide.
Let them bring me to
your holy mountain,
to the
place where you dwell.
Like the deer that
yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.
And I will come to the
altar of God,
the God
of my joy.
My redeemer, I will
thank you on the harp,
O God, my
God.
Like the deer that
yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.
OR:
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Alternative
Psalm
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Psalm
50(51):12-15,18-19 ©
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A pure heart
create for me, O God.
A pure heart create
for me, O God,
put a
steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away
from your presence,
nor
deprive me of your holy spirit.
A pure heart
create for me, O God.
Give me again the joy
of your help;
with a
spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach
transgressors your ways
and
sinners may return to you.
A pure heart
create for me, O God.
For in sacrifice you
take no delight,
burnt
offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a
contrite spirit.
A
humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
A pure heart
create for me, O God.
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Epistle
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Romans 6:3-11 ©
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When we were baptised
in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were
baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as
Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new
life.
If in
union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his
resurrection. We must realise that our former selves have been crucified with
him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery of sin. When a
Christian dies, of course, he has finished with sin.
But
we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him:
Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again.
Death has no power over him any more. When he died, he died, once for all, to
sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider
yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.
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Psalm
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Psalm
117(118):1-2,16-17,22-23 ©
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Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the
Lord for he is good,
for his
love has no end.
Let the sons of
Israel say:
‘His love
has no end.’
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord’s right hand
has triumphed;
his right
hand raised me up.
I shall not die, I
shall live
and
recount his deeds.
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
The stone which the
builders rejected
has
become the corner stone.
This is the work of
the Lord,
a marvel
in our eyes.
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 28:1-10 ©
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He has risen
from the dead and now he is going before you into Galilee
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After the sabbath,
and towards dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other
Mary went to visit the sepulchre. And all at once there was a violent
earthquake, for the angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled
away the stone and sat on it. His face was like lightning, his robe white as
snow. The guards were so shaken, so frightened of him, that they were like dead
men. But the angel spoke; and he said to the women, ‘There is no need for you
to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not
here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he
lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has risen from the dead and
now he is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him.” Now I
have told you.’ Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from
the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.
And
there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came
up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to
them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee;
they will see me there.’
RENEWING
OUR BAPTISMAL PROMISES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
Ge 1:1–2:2;
Ps 103(104) or Ps 32(33), Ge 22:1-18; Ps 15(16), Ex 14:15–15; Ex 15 canticle, Is 54:5-14; Ps 29(30), Is 55:1-11; Is 12 canticle, Is 55:1-11; Is 12 canticle, Bar 3:9-15.32–4:4; Ps 18(19), Ez 36:16-28; Ps 41(42) or Ps 50(51), Rom 6:3-11; Ps 117(118), Mt 28:1-10 ]
“Jesus said to them,
‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee;
they will see me there.’” It is strange that the Risen Lord would ask the
disciples to meet Him in Galilee when He was crucified in Jerusalem. Why
did not the Lord meet them in Jerusalem after the resurrection? Galilee
was the place where He began His ministry. Most of His disciples came
from Galilee. Jerusalem, although the place of His passion and glory,
would not hold so much memory as Galilee when they were first called by the
Lord. This appointment came a week later, after meeting His apostles at
the Upper Room.
At Easter, we too must return to that day
when we first became disciples of our Lord Jesus through baptism.
Easter is an invitation for us to recall that day when we were first baptized.
This explains why we renew our baptismal vows with lighted candles followed by
the rite of sprinkling of Holy Water. For those of us who were baptized at
birth, we had the opportunity to ratify our baptismal promises once again at
our confirmation. Those of us who went through the RCIA had the
opportunity to make our decision to be baptized in the Lord. When we were
baptized, we became a new creation, sons and daughters of God. No longer
do we walk in darkness but in the light. How wonderful was that day
when we became sons and daughters of God, or when we were empowered to be His
witnesses at confirmation!
But where are we now in our faith in
Christ? This is the question we need to ask ourselves. Are we still
thrilled about our relationship with Christ like the early apostles? Mary
Magdalene was deeply in love with our Lord. The women of Jerusalem
were faithful to Christ and they stood by the cross of Jesus until His
death. They were the first to be at the tomb on the first day of the
week. Mary Magdalene was in tears to discover the body of Jesus taken
away. St Peter and St John ran to the tomb upon hearing that the
body was missing. What about us? Are we still proud to be
Catholic? Are we still happy to stand up for Jesus? Are we excited
to meet Jesus each Sunday and receive Him in the Eucharist? Do we look forward
to meet the Lord in prayer, waiting like Mary Magdalene for the Lord to come
into our lives? Some of us were once very close to our Lord, active in
Church ministry, passionate in witnessing to Christ and serving Him.
But where are we now? Perhaps, our service in the Church has become
a routine and duty. There is no longer any passion or enthusiasm in
our ministry.
Secondly, are we eager to share our faith
stories about our encounters with the Risen Lord? We read that the women, upon
encountering the Risen Lord, ran to inform the disciples. They could not
contain their joy. “Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away
from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.” Indeed, the sign that we
have encountered the Risen Lord is when we cannot stop sharing with others what
the Lord means to us, what He has done for us in our life and the difference He
makes in our life today, which is lived meaningfully, joyfully and
purposefully. The lack of missionary zeal to share Christ with others is
a clear indication that we are worshipping a dead Christ or worse still, a dead
hero. If Jesus were the Christ, the Risen Lord, our saviour, then we,
like the apostles, would be announcing Him to the whole world that Christ is
our Lord is risen. He lives!
If we have lost our passion for Christ
and are apathetic in announcing Christ to others, then we need to recall our
baptism and the significance of what it means to be baptized in Christ.
To be baptized is to be delivered from our bondage to sin, from darkness and
death. This theme of deliverance is central to the Easter Vigil and
celebration. This is what the whole Easter Liturgy seeks to do. It tries
to recapture the sentiments of being freed from the slavery of sin and
deliverance from darkness and death. Hence, we have the rich service of
the light, the scripture readings are all focused on the consequences of sin,
which is slavery and death. At the same time, we have the light of the
Risen Christ overcoming darkness, conquering sin, slavery and death by His
resurrection from the dead.
Firstly, in the book of Exodus, we have
the deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. They passed through
the waters. It is a symbol of dying to the old man and rising with the
new Adam. It foreshadows the baptism of the early Christians.
By crossing the red sea, they left behind the idols of Egypt and made
preparation to enter the Promised Land. For us, we only take nine months
to make a decision for Christ and be baptized. The Hebrews had to wait for
forty years in the desert to be formed in faith and virtues before they could
be allowed to enter into the Promised Land. It was a period of
purification and testing. God could have taken them by a direct route to the
Promised Land, but instead took them through the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years,
wandering in the desert to learn obedience and faith.
We too must recall how our sins keep us
under bondage as well. We cannot forgive. We are proud and
egoistic. We are addicted to our bad habits and sinful way of life, lust,
greed, envy and gluttony. All these sins make us truly slaves to the
world, the flesh and to ourselves. We are not able to live as free
people. Instead we live in guilt and in regret of our past, yet cannot
let go of our sins. We are living in our tomb of sins. All these
will be taken away if, like the Israelites, we leave behind our past, die
to self and live a new life in Christ. “When he died, he died, once for
all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must
consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.”
Christ’s resurrection and the Holy Spirit will give us that power to deliver us
from the bondage of sin.
Secondly, in the Book of Ezekiel, the
Israelites in exile were going through a living death, without hope, without
meaning and purpose, living in a strange land. But the Lord promised them
a new resurrection. Their dry bones would be enfleshed and they would be
resurrected and given a new Spirit. Since the Exile was a punishment for
their sins, the return must be accompanied by purification where they would be
given a new heart and a new spirit. Indeed, they needed a new spirit to
live. In our lives too we feel like we are in exile when there is
darkness, no direction and meaning. Many of us are living aimlessly,
drifting along, not knowing the purpose of life and our destiny. When we
live without hope and purpose, then we are still living in the tomb. We
have not yet seen the light. What we need to do is to welcome Christ, the
radiant light of God that rises in the East and gives us new life and
hope. In Christ, we realize that we must die to ourselves, our
self-centeredness and live for others. For by serving others, we come to
find the meaning and purpose of life. As St Paul wrote, “For the love of
Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all;
therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live
might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for
them.” (2 Cor 5:14f)
When we bring together the themes of
slavery to sin and emptiness in life, the letter of St Paul gives us the key to
be set free from sin, evil and death. St Paul speaks of baptism as dying to sin
and rising to a new life in Christ. Necessarily, to be baptized means a
constant imitation of His death so that we can share in His resurrection.
In order to be delivered from the slavery of sin, we must be crucified with
Christ. With the resurrection, there is hope for all. With sin and
death conquered, by love and fullness of life, we can now partake of this
resurrected life in Christ. All we need to do now is to live this life of
Christ by dying to self and giving ourselves in love and service to God and
humanity. This decision must be renewed daily and constantly if we are to share
in this new life.
If you have gone through this experience
of being liberated from sin and from death, then you too can rejoice.
This encounter is ours if we have humbly acknowledged our sins, confessed them,
and put on Christ. Those who have died to sin and started walking the
life of Christ will understand the power of the resurrection. Indeed,
today is the restoration of creation. This is why we celebrate Easter as the
beginning of new life, and on a Sunday, the first day of the week. The
first reading speaks of the beauty of creation. But sin destroyed the
harmony of creation. Sin took away paradise from us and we have lost our
likeness of God. With baptism, we have been restored in Christ. We
are now children of God, sons and daughters of God. We are now
enlightened by Christ. With Him, we have overcome sin and death.
This is our joy. This is our hope. Christ is our life. Alleluia!
Written by The Most
Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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