Tonight, we have
retraced and repeated not just salvation history, not just the Paschal Mystery,
but our very history as Christians.
That is why this is the night that the entire Church looks forward to every year, this is the night where we begin in darkness, this is the night where we light a new fire from which a new candle, the work of bees, as it says in the Exultet, becomes a symbol of Christ our light and the Pillar of Fire that led the Israelites to freedom.
This is the night when we come to understand that freedom, when we can truly come to appreciate that happy fault of Adam as we sang moments ago, because every single element of creation, every single thing that was created, from the stars, to the moon, to the ocean, to the insects, to our very selves is, indeed, contained within this night.
For, this is the night that renews our understanding of who we are not just as Christians but as individuals, as those who were created and called by God for a purpose, as those who celebrate the very truth, reality, and crowning achievement of that creation, the Resurrection.
Because, tonight we see the entire Will of God unfold, in these pages, in this liturgy, from creation to Resurrection and we see our part in it, we see what Christ did, why He did it, and why it makes any difference at all.
In fact, in the words of St. Melito, in his own Easter homily: “For the sake of suffering humanity he came down from heaven to earth, clothed himself in that humanity in the Virgin’s womb, and was born a man. Having then a body capable of suffering, he took the pain of fallen man upon himself; he triumphed over the diseases of soul and body that were its cause, and by his Spirit, which was incapable of dying, he dealt man’s destroyer, death, a fatal blow.”
That is why this is the night that the entire Church looks forward to every year, this is the night where we begin in darkness, this is the night where we light a new fire from which a new candle, the work of bees, as it says in the Exultet, becomes a symbol of Christ our light and the Pillar of Fire that led the Israelites to freedom.
This is the night when we come to understand that freedom, when we can truly come to appreciate that happy fault of Adam as we sang moments ago, because every single element of creation, every single thing that was created, from the stars, to the moon, to the ocean, to the insects, to our very selves is, indeed, contained within this night.
For, this is the night that renews our understanding of who we are not just as Christians but as individuals, as those who were created and called by God for a purpose, as those who celebrate the very truth, reality, and crowning achievement of that creation, the Resurrection.
Because, tonight we see the entire Will of God unfold, in these pages, in this liturgy, from creation to Resurrection and we see our part in it, we see what Christ did, why He did it, and why it makes any difference at all.
In fact, in the words of St. Melito, in his own Easter homily: “For the sake of suffering humanity he came down from heaven to earth, clothed himself in that humanity in the Virgin’s womb, and was born a man. Having then a body capable of suffering, he took the pain of fallen man upon himself; he triumphed over the diseases of soul and body that were its cause, and by his Spirit, which was incapable of dying, he dealt man’s destroyer, death, a fatal blow.”
So that we moved from the first day to the seventh day, from darkness to light, from an empty void to an incredible abundance of life and from that life to eternity. That is why tonight is when the most Baptisms occur, because sin is washed away and the soul is made new in the Lord.
Indeed, it is no accident that we celebrate the Easter season during the springtime, when winter is, typically, at its end, and everything comes back in full bloom. When that which had died comes back to life, when that which withers, becomes strong and vibrant, because creation is bound by its Creator and that which dies will one day return again, only brighter, stronger, and, like Christ, full of light and life.
That is why the very thought of the Resurrection should fill all of us in the same way as it did those in the Gospel, fearful but overjoyed, that mix of two very different but very strong emotions that only occurs when we are overwhelmed in a way that we can’t understand or grasp, but know it is, indeed, something good.
Yet, what does it mean when we speak of the Resurrection? Why is it the pinnacle of our existence? Why does it matter that we get to partake in the same Resurrection of Christ? It is St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who helps us to understand this.
He says: “This body shall be raised, not remaining weak as it is now, but this same body shall be raised. By putting on incorruption, it shall be altered, as iron blending with fire becomes fire—or rather, in a manner the Lord who raises us knows. However it will be, this body shall be raised, but it shall not remain such as it is. Rather, it shall abide as an eternal body. It shall no longer require for its life such nourishment as now, nor shall it require a ladder for its ascent; for it shall be made a spiritual body, a marvelous thing, such as we have not the ability to describe”
It is no wonder then that our only appropriate response, our only song of praise is that ancient Hebrew word, “Alleluia,” because, indeed, there is no more appropriate word to sing, to shout, to fill this church, this creation, than with a word that simply means, loosely translated, “praise God.” Because He deserves all the praise, for He not only brought us redemption, He not only opened Heaven, He gave us immortality to come. Therefore, let our response, let our song, let our very soul burst with that one word during this Easter season and beyond: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
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