First Reading • Genesis 1:1—2:2
Psalm • Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35
Second Reading • Genesis 22:1-18
Psalm • Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11
Third Reading • Exodus 14:15—15:1
Psalm • Exodus 15:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18
Fourth Reading • Isaiah 54:5-14
Psalm • Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
Fifth Reading • Isaiah 55:1-11
Psalm • Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6
Sixth Reading • Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4
Psalm • Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Seventh Reading • Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28
Psalm • Psalm 42:3, 5; 43:3, 4
Epistle • Romans 6:3-11
Psalm • Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Gospel • Matthew 28:1-10
Tonight, we started in darkness… lit candles… heard long readings… If you’re still awake – that’s already a resurrection miracle!
It is hard to imagine any place darker than a tomb. Whether someone is buried underground or laid in a mausoleum, the grave is sealed off from every source of light.
We even call it our “final resting place,” as if it is the end of everything. No one can escape this reality.
All of us live, in one way or another, under the shadow of death. It stretches across our whole life.
It threatens to take away those we love. It seems to put a limit on all our efforts.
It reminds us that our time is short and that nothing on earth lasts forever.
And yet, tonight, on this Easter night, we stand in defiance of that shadow.
We hold candles in our hands as a sign that we refuse to believe that death is the end of our story.
We refuse to surrender to despair. With Christians throughout the world, we proclaim with confidence: death does not have the final word.
This hope is not wishful thinking. It is not an escape from reality. It is grounded in a fact: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
But It is not a celebration without a journey. If we truly desire to share in His risen life, we must also be willing to walk with Him on the path that leads there.
We rejoice in celebrating the Resurrection, but the question is: did we remain with Him in His pain?
As Catholics, our calling is not only to celebrate Easter Sunday, but to live the entire mystery of our salvation.
The Church gives us the sacred days of the Triduum not as optional devotions, but as the heart of our faith.
Our first duty is to be present, to walk with Christ through Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil.
Only then does our celebration become complete. Only then do we understand the depth of what it means to say: “He is risen.”
Only after attending all the services of Triduum, we should go for other devotions.
So, let us not be Christians only of the Resurrection, but disciples of the whole mystery.
Faithful in the Upper Room, steadfast at the Cross, and filled with joy at the empty tomb.
The stone was rolled away… Not so Jesus could get out;…but so we could look in and believe!
All the readings we hear tonight tell one great story: God brings hope out of despair and victory out of defeat.
When Adam and Eve sinned, paradise was lost, and sin and death entered the world. Yet even then, God promised a Savior who would restore what had been broken. When Abraham and Sarah were old and childless, God promised them a son. It seemed impossible.
But God fulfilled His promise. From Isaac came a whole nation. From what looked like the end of life, God brought new beginnings.
When the people of Israel were enslaved in Egypt, their situation seemed hopeless.
Yet God raised up Moses and led them to freedom.
At the Red Sea, when escape seemed impossible and death certain, God opened a path through the waters and saved His people.
Again, and again, throughout their history, Israel faced defeat, exile, and suffering.
Yet God never abandoned them. He always made a way forward, a way home.
But there remained one final enemy; sin and death itself.
Jesus came to confront that enemy. On Good Friday, it seemed as though death had won.
As He hung on the Cross, abandoned and suffering, it appeared that He was just another victim of death. But what looked like defeat was, in fact, victory. Death could not hold Him.
The tomb could not contain Him. God raised Him from the dead; body and soul; and Jesus lives forever.
And this changes everything.
Saint Paul tells us that through baptism, we are united with Christ in His death and His resurrection. We are buried with Him so that we may rise with Him.
The waters of baptism are like a tomb: our old, sinful self is buried, and a new life begins. A new person rises; one who lives not just for this world, but for God.
Because of this, for those who believe, death is no longer the end. It is a passage. It is the doorway to eternal life. This world is not our final home; it is the beginning of something far greater.
Yes, we still live in the shadow of death. We still experience loss, suffering, and fear. But we do not walk in darkness. We carry within us a light that cannot be extinguished; the light of the risen Christ.
And tonight, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ our Savior and hold these candles in our hands, we are reminded that this light is not meant to remain only in the church.
We are called to carry this light into our homes. There are many kinds of darkness that can enter our families; misunderstanding, hurtful words, pride, resentment, silence, or despair.
Sometimes we live under the same roof, yet remain distant from one another.
Easter calls us to change that. This must be the night when the light of Christ enters our homes in a new way.
Let this be the day when forgiveness replaces bitterness, when humility overcomes pride, when kindness heals wounds, and when love is chosen again.
Let this be the moment when families begin to smile again, to speak again, to hold hands again, and to walk together; not away from each other, but toward each other, and ultimately toward the eternal life Christ has won for us.
Even though we know that one day we will die, we also know something greater: the stone will not remain sealed. Just as the tomb of Christ was opened, so too will our tombs be opened. We will rise.
This is our faith. This is our hope.
Tonight, as we stand with our candles lit, we stand not in fear, but in confidence.
With the whole Church, we proclaim: Christ is risen. And because He is risen, we too shall live.
