Holy Saturday Easter Vigil – Readings
1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
1After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. 4For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Note: There is no daily Mass on Holy Saturday itself. This commentary is for the evening Easter Vigil Mass readings.
Commentary on Genesis 1:1—2:2; Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 14:15—15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15,32—4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17,18-28; Romans 6:3-11 and either Matthew 28:1-10 (Year A), Mark 16:8 (Year B) or Luke 24: 1-12 (Year C)
Tonight’s Vigil Mass is a celebration of life. We begin with the story of creation:
- God made everything and gave life to all living things.
- God saw all that he had made and it was very good.
- His creation and conservation continues.
We are partners in that work—stewards to take care of all that makes up this planet, especially all living things. Made in the image of our Creator, we too are called to be life givers and life preservers.
The gift of creation was followed by the failure of human beings to obey God, with subsequent disasters being visited on the human race ever since.
We next hear the story of the Exodus—the great event in which God’s people are brought out of the half-life of slavery into full freedom and full life. We need no longer be slaves. We are God’s own people, and yet many of us remain enslaved to worldly habits and desires.
The liberation from Egypt is an event celebrated and commemorated to this day by the Jewish people at their Passover. And we can join our celebration with theirs at this time. In fact, it is no mere coincidence that the events we celebrate this week mirror the feast of the Passover or Pasch. Through Jesus, the Lamb of God, we have been given the opportunity to pass from the slavery of sin and all the destructive elements of our life to a life of freedom.
As the crucified Jesus breaks through the bonds of death in glorious resurrection, he opens the gates of life for us too. He says:
I am the resurrection and the life…and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:25)
and
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
(John 10:10)
and
I am the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6)
This evening is the special time for catechumens to be baptised and become full members of our community in Christ. It is a time of special joy for them, and for us. It is also a time for us to reflect on the meaning and the effectiveness of our own baptism in our lives right now.
Our baptism and confirmation, and our sharing in the Eucharist, are the signs of our participation in this outpouring of life and love which we celebrate this evening. Baptism, the going down into the water, is our dying to the ways of sin and evil. The coming out of the water is a rising to the life God wishes us to have and experience. Our baptism and confirmation are an ongoing reality reflected in the way we live out the Gospel from day to day.
Very soon we will renew our promises, pledging anew our allegiance to Christ and the Christian community, which is his visible presence in the world. Let this night be a time for all of us, individually and together, to revitalise our Catholic life and to involve ourselves more in the life of our parish community.
