A Homily for the Easter Vigil, 2007
“Now the holy rays of the light of Christ shine forth, the pure stars of the pure Spirit rise, the heavenly treasures of glory and divinity lie open. In this splendor the long dark night has been swallowed up in the dreary shadows of death have vanished. Life is offered to everyone; the whole world is filled with glory. A heavenly light more brilliant than all others sheds its radiance everywhere, and he who was begotten before the morning star and all the stars of heaven, Christ, mighty and immortal, shines upon all creatures more brightly than the sun” (Attributed to Hippolytus of Rome, Easter Homily: SC 27, 116-118. 164-190).
Those beautiful words were preached by St. Hippolytus of Rome, about 1800 years ago, during the Easter Vigil. The image of Christ Jesus as the Light of the world is very ancient, and is beautifully symbolized during the Easter Vigil with the church being all darkened, and then the Paschal Candle, representative of the Risen Christ, enters and casts away the darkness. As we sing, “Christ the Light! — Thanks be to God,” the church brightens as the light of the Paschal Candle is spread to all those in the church who hold candles. All creation rejoices in Jesus’ victory over sin and death. The drama of God’s mighty deeds and of salvation history is proclaimed in the Old and New Testament readings. We celebrate that that Light, the Light of Christ, is the deepest yearning of our hearts. He is our destiny, and our hearts will be restless until we rest in Him. In the midsts of the darkness of the world, and false lights, we keep our eyes fixed on Christ.
Pope Benedict XVI gives us, all of us, our charge this night when he writes, “The world is indeed dark, but even a single candle suffices to bring light into the deepest darkness. Did not God give us a candle at baptism and the means of lighting it? We must be courageous enough to light the candle of our patience, our trust, our love. Instead of bewailing the night, we must dare to light the little lamp that God has loaned us: ‘The light of Christ! — Thanks be to God!’” (Joseph Ratzinger, Dogma and Preaching, Matthew J. O’Connell, Trans., Chicago, IL: Franciscan Herald Press, 1985).
