March 30, 2013
Saturday – Year of Faith
Easter Vigil
by
Rev. Fr. Rufino "Jun" C. Sescon, Jr. - Chaplain, Sto. Nino de Paz
Chapel (Greenbelt Chapel), Makati
8:00PM
Easter Vigil Mass at Sto. Nino de Paz Chapel, Greenbelt Makati
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the
earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while
a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw how good the
light was. God then separated the light from the darkness. God called the light
“day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Thus evening came, and morning
followed—the first day.
Then God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate
one body of water from the other.” And so it happened: God made the dome, and
it separated the water above the dome from the water below it. God called the
dome “the sky.” Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.
Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so
that the dry land may appear.” And so it happened: the water under the sky was
gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared. God called the dry land
“the earth, “ and the basin of the water he called “the sea.” God saw how good
it was. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of
plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit
with its seed in it.” And so it happened: the earth brought forth every kind of
plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit
with its seed in it. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning
followed—the third day.
Then God said: “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day
from night. Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years, and serve as
luminaries in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth.” And so it
happened: God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the
night; and he made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky, to shed
light upon the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the
light from the darkness. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning
followed—the fourth day.
Then God said, “Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and
on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.” And so it happened: God
created the great sea monsters and all kinds of swimming creatures with which
the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw how good it was, and
God blessed them, saying, “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the
seas; and let the birds multiply on the
earth.” Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures: cattle,
creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.” And so it happened: God made
all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle, and all kinds of creeping
things of the earth. God saw how good it was. Then God said: “Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the
sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and
all the creatures that crawl on the ground.” God created man in his image; in the
image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them,
saying: “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion
over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that
move on the earth.”
God also said: “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth and
every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the
animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures
that crawl on the ground, I give all the green plants for food.” And so it
happened. God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening
came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. Since on the
seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the
seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
R. (30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of
the earth.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You fixed the earth upon its foundation,
not to be moved forever;
with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
above the mountains the waters stood.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You send forth springs into the watercourses
that wind among the mountains.
Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they send forth their song.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You water the mountains from your palace;
the earth is replete with the fruit of your works.
You raise grass for the cattle,
and vegetation for man’s use,
Producing bread from the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—the earth is full of your creatures.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
God put
Abraham to the test. He called to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am, “ he replied.
Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to
the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height
that I will point out to you.”Early the next morning Abraham saddled his
donkey, took with him his son Isaac and two of his servants as well, and with
the wood that he had cut for the holocaust, set out for the place of which God
had told him.
On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar. Then he said to his
servants: “Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on
over yonder. We will worship and then come back to you.” Thereupon Abraham took
the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders, while he
himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two walked on together, Isaac
spoke to his father Abraham: “Father!” Isaac said. “Yes, son, “ he replied. Isaac
continued, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the
holocaust?” “Son,” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the sheep for
the holocaust.” Then the two continued going forward.
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar
there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on
top of the wood on the altar. Then he reached out and took the knife to
slaughter his son. But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,“Abraham,
Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the
messenger.“Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to
God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.” As Abraham
looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and
took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son. Abraham
named the site Yahweh-yireh; hence people now say, AOn the mountain the LORD
will see.”
Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: “I swear by
myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding
from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants
as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants
shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants
all the nations of the earth shall find blessing all this because you obeyed my
command.”
R. (1) You
are my inheritance, O Lord.
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
The
LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to go
forward. And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea, split
the sea in two, that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land. But I will
make the Egyptians so obstinate that they will go in after them. Then I will
receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and charioteers.The
Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I receive glory through Pharaoh and
his chariots and charioteers.”
The angel of God, who had been leading Israel’s camp, now moved and went around
behind them.The column of cloud also, leaving the front, took up its place
behind them, so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians and that of
Israel. But the cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed without the
rival camps coming any closer together all night long.Then Moses stretched out
his hand over the sea, and the LORD swept the sea with a strong east wind
throughout the night and so turned it into dry land. When the water was thus
divided, the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the
water like a wall to their right and to their left.
The Egyptians followed in pursuit; all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and
charioteers went after them right into the midst of the sea. In the night watch
just before dawn the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud upon the
Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic; and he so clogged their
chariot wheels that they could hardly drive. With that the Egyptians sounded
the retreat before Israel, because the LORD was fighting for them against the
Egyptians.
Then the LORD told Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the
water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their
charioteers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea
flowed back to its normal depth.The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the
sea, when the LORD hurled them into its midst. As the water flowed back, it covered
the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh’s whole army which had followed the
Israelites into the sea. Not a single one of them escaped. But the Israelites had
marched on dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water like a wall to
their right and to their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day from the
power of the Egyptians. When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the
seashore and beheld the great power that the LORD had shown against the
Egyptians, they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses.
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: I will sing to the
LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the
sea.
R. (1b)
Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The LORD is a warrior,
LORD is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The flood waters covered them,
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
You brought in the people you redeemed
and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place where you made your seat, O LORD,
the sanctuary, LORD, which your hands established.
The LORD shall reign forever and ever.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
The One
who has become your husband is your Maker; his name is the LORD of hosts; your
redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, called God of all the earth.The LORD calls
you back, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, a wife married in youth
and then cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with
great tenderness I will take you back. In an outburst of wrath, for a moment I
hid my face from you; but with enduring love I take pity on you, says the LORD,
your redeemer. This is for me like the days of Noah, when I swore that the
waters of Noah should never again deluge the earth; so I have sworn not to be
angry with you, or to rebuke you. Though the mountains leave their place and the
hills be shaken, my love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be
shaken, says the LORD, who has mercy on you. O afflicted one, storm-battered
and unconsoled, I lay your pavements in carnelians, and your foundations in
sapphires; I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of carbuncles, and
all your walls of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the
LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children. In justice shall you be
established, far from the fear of oppression, where destruction cannot come
near you.
R. (2a)
I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Thus
says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no
money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for
what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in
rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with
you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. As I made him a
witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations, so shall you summon
a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because
of the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.
Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the
scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the
LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are
not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the
heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my
thoughts above your thoughts.
For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return
there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving
seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that
goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end
for which I sent it.
R. (3) You
will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Hear, O
Israel, the commandments of life: listen, and know prudence! How is it, Israel,
that you are in the land of your foes, grown old in a foreign land, defiled
with the dead, accounted with those destined for the netherworld? You have forsaken
the fountain of wisdom! Had you walked in the way of God, you would have dwelt
in enduring peace. Learn where prudence is, where strength, where
understanding; that you may know also where are length of days, and life, where
light of the eyes, and peace. Who has found the place of wisdom, who has
entered into her treasuries?
The One who knows all things knows her; he has probed her by his knowledge—The
One who established the earth for all time, and filled it with four-footed
beasts; he who dismisses the light, and it departs, calls it, and it obeys him
trembling; before whom the stars at their posts shine and rejoice; when he
calls them, they answer, “Here we are!” shining with joy for their Maker. Such
is our God;
no other is to be compared to him: He has traced out the whole way of
understanding, and has given her to Jacob, his servant, to Israel, his beloved
son.
Since then she has appeared on earth, and moved among people. She is the book
of the precepts of God, the law that endures forever; all who cling to her will
live, but those will die who forsake her. Turn, O Jacob, and receive her: walk
by her light toward splendor. Give not your glory to another, your privileges
to an alien race. Blessed are we, O Israel; for what pleases God is known to
us!
R.
(John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The
word of the LORD came to me, saying: Son of man, when the house of Israel lived
in their land, they defiled it by their conduct and deeds. Therefore I poured
out my fury upon them because of the blood that they poured out on the ground, and
because they defiled it with idols. I scattered them among the nations, dispersing
them over foreign lands; according to their conduct and deeds I judged them. But
when they came among the nations wherever they came, they served to profane my
holy name, because it was said of them: “These are the people of the LORD, yet
they had to leave their land.” So I have relented because of my holy name which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they came. Therefore
say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: Not for your sakes do I
act, house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you profaned
among the nations to which you came. I will prove the holiness of my great name,
profaned among the nations, in whose midst you have profaned it. Thus the nations
shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when in their sight I prove
my holiness through you. For I will take you away from among the nations, gather
you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land. I will
sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from
all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new
spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you
natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my
statutes, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your
fathers; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
When
baptism is celebrated.
R. (42:2) Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you,
my God.
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my
God.
I went with the throng
and led them in procession to the house of God,
Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,
with the multitude keeping festival.
R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my
God.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my
God.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my
God.
When
baptism is not celebrated.
R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
When
baptism is not celebrated.
R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a holocaust, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Brothers
and sisters: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried
with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.
For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall
also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was
crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we
might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from
sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live
with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no
longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as
to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves
as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
R. Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
At daybreak on the first day of the week the women who had
come from Galilee with Jesus took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when
they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments
appeared to them.They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They
said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here,
but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in
Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified,
and rise on the third day.” And they remembered his words. Then they returned
from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the
others. The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James;
the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles, but their story
seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to
the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home amazed
at what had happened.
HOMILY
Happy Easter po sa inyong lahat.
Batiin po natin ang bawat isa ng Happy Easter. At upang ipakita natin ang ating
kaligayahan sa Panginoon sa Kanyang muling pagkabuhay, bigyan Natin ulit siya
ng masigabong palakpakan. (loud
applause)
Indeed, our applause signifies our
hope, our joy, our faith in the risen Lord. Indeed, this is the most solemn of
all nights, the most joyful of all celebrations, more than Christmas. Because
on this holy night, salvation has dawned upon us. We were in darkness, but
because Jesus rose from the dead, we have seen the light.
There was once a couple who had a
mushroom farm. And one time, they had such a bountiful harvest, they decided to
throw a mushroom party for the whole neighborhood. After all, even if they have
sold so much, they still have so much. So they said, "Let's have a
mushroom party."
And so they invited everyone in the
neighborhood. And to their surprise and joy, there was a huge turnout. The
turnout was terrific. And they had a wonderful time eating mushrooms - mushroom
soup, mushroom salad, mushroom burger, (laughs) mushroom crepe, mushroom
soufflé - anything about mushrooms. And they all ate until they could not eat
another bite.
Then they scraped the leftover
mushrooms and said, "Let's put it in the cat's dish." The couple host
had a pet cat. So they allowed the cat to be part of the mushroom party, and
placed the leftover mushroom in the cat's dish.
Around midnight, as the guests were
getting ready to leave, someone went into the kitchen and noticed the pet cat.
To their surprise, they saw that the pet cat was sprawled on the floor in
convulsions, and next to the cat was an overturned dish of mushrooms. When they
saw the cat convulsing, they panicked and they said, "Look at the cat. It
must be because of the mushrooms." And they were so nervous because they
knew that all of them took the mushrooms.
Out of panic, one of the guests
screamed and said, "The cat is dying because of the mushrooms!" And
so everyone ran into the kitchen and saw what was causing all the commotion.
And after seeing the cat in convulsion, they called the doctor and asked the
doctor, "What should we do?" And the doctor said, "Well, just to
be safe, go to my clinic, (mahusay siguro 'yong doktor, business-minded)
and I will pump everything out from your stomach, because of the mushroom, just
to be safe." So everyone went to the clinic, and everything was pumped out
of their stomach. And you could just imagine all the guests so drained, so
tired.
Afterwards, the guests went back to
the place, to the house, to get their belongings. Because in their hurry, they
left everything in the house. As they were about to go out, they even made a
sarcastic 'thank you' to the host, after everything that transpired. Siguro
sabi nila, "Thank you ha. Salamat sa inyo. Latang lata na kaming
lahat ngayon." (laughs)
And as they were about to leave,
someone said, "What happened to the cat?" So the group tiptoed into
the kitchen and quietly opened the door. There they found the cat. And you know
what they found out? They saw the cat asleep on the floor, with eight kittens
with it. (gasps and laughs)
You know my brothers and sisters, at
times, it is difficult to distinguish between dying and giving birth. The
guests in the story thought that the cat was dying, when all along, the cat was
just about to give birth. And that is very true with life, brothers and
sisters. Sometimes, we hardly distinguish what is death-giving and what is
life-giving.
You would take that it is easy to
tell the difference. However, experience shows us that the distance between
death and birth is not very far. The distinction between death and birth is
also like the distinction, they say, between an intelligent and a crazy person.
Sometimes, it is hard to distinguish a very brilliant person - a genius - from
a crazy person. And that is also very true between death and life.
And that is the unavoidable truth of
Easter. Death must precede life. Yesterday, we commemorated the Passion and
Death of the Lord. His enemies thought they have killed Jesus. They have put an
end to Him. They have defeated Jesus. They thought all along that death was on
their side. But tonight, we applaud. We are joyful, because it was not death
all along. Yes, perhaps, Jesus breathed His last. But then we discover that it
was a prelude to the Resurrection. A new life is born. And that is also a
reminder for all of us, followers of Christ. The truth is - something in us
must die in order to give birth to something new.
This is the message of Easter. Yes,
Jesus is risen. Jesus is alive. But let us remember that He is alive because He
embraced the Cross. He is risen, because He obeyed the Father. He is the
well-spring of life because He gave Himself up to death. Something in us must
die in order for us to truly live.
Experiencing something new, even
when it is positive, can be as painful as dying. Every time we hear the scream
of a newborn child, we remember that something must die in order that someone
must live. Death to self is a prelude to life.
Talk to a teenager how painful it is
to move away and to be separated from old friends. Talk to a new graduate who
now will venture to a new world in his profession. There is a lot of fear, a
lot of anxiety, a lot of dread, a lot of death. But then only through that, can
we experience something new. New life. Radical changes must occur in order
for something new to be born.
Brothers and sisters, this is the
essence of all the stories we heard tonight. There was chaos, and then
creation. There was the sacrifice of Abraham, and then abundance. There was
slavery, and then freedom. There was dryness, before the streams of living
water. There was a Cross, before the empty tomb. There was Good Friday, before Easter
Sunday. There was death, before the Resurrection.
Yes, God is creating something new.
And sometimes, we think that it is destruction. Sometimes, we think it is just
about hardship, about pain, about trials, about suffering. But today, Jesus,
the Risen Lord, reminds us - no, there is something new. If you just open your
heart, if you just obey the Lord, you will realize that we are being led to
newness, grace and life. We are being
led to Easter. But we can only appropriate the newness, the change that God is
offering, if, like Jesus, we engage in a revolution of love.
Sabi ko po kanina, minsan mahirap
malaman kung namamatay ba o nanganganak na. Minsan, mahirap malaman kung
kamatayan ba, o buhay ba, ang hinaharap natin. How can we determine, how can we distinguish, how can we
know?
The secret of Jesus is love. When
there is love in your heart, you will know that it is not just about death, but
it is about life. When there is love in your heart, you will know that it is
not just about destruction, but about creation. When there is love in your
heart, you know that it is not about fear, but it is about courage. And
that is why tonight, brothers and sisters, we pray for the grace of love.
We heard in the Gospel that Mary
Magdalene could not comprehend in the beginning. The disciples, Peter - they
could not understand. They could not yet distinguish between death and life.
But later on, they discovered Easter. Why? Because they allowed love to remain
in their hearts.
Brothers and sisters, in our lives
right now, sometimes we think it's the end. Akala natin siguro kamatayan na.
Pagdurusa lang, krus lang, kadiliman lang. Hindi natin makita 'yong liwanag,
'yong buhay, 'yong biyaya pang parating. Siguro nga, ang kailangan natin ay
dagdagan 'yong pag-ibig sa puso natin, para sa wakas, makita nila, makita natin
ang Muling Pagkabuhay.
Hindi nakita ni Hudas. Hindi nakita
ni Pilato. Hindi nakita ng mga punong pari. Hindi nakita ng mga kalaban ng
Panginoon ang Muling Pagkabuhay. Bakit? Hindi dahil nagbago si Hesus sa kanila. We will realize, and we will hear that later on, Jesus
appeared to so many people. But how come not everyone believed in the Risen
Lord? Because not everyone allowed love to remain in their hearts.
Brothers and sisters, as we continue
with this mass, we pray. Lord, grant us Your love, so that our eyes may see the
Resurrection. Not just the Resurrection that took place two thousand years ago,
but the Resurrection in our lives, the Resurrection in our homes, the
Resurrection in our relationships, the Resurrection in our offices. Lord, teach
us to let go, to die to self.
Mga kapatid, ano ba 'yong dapat bitawan na
natin? 'Yong dapat na kalagan na natin - patayin na natin sa puso natin? Galit,
inggit, hidwaan, kasalanan.
These things which blind us from love. Lord, teach us to let go of them, so
that Your love may finally dwell in our hearts, so that in the end, we may
behold You, the Risen Lord, Alleluia, Alleluia.
