Easter Vigil

Excerpts from the homily of Archbishop Romulo Valles, D.D. during the Easter Vigil in San Pedro Cathedral Parish, San Pedro Street, Davao City.

Brothers and sisters, Alleluia! Alleluia!

Why do you look for Him in the dead? He is no longer here for He is risen. Our Savior has risen. This is the very foundation of this joyful celebration — a celebration of faith, and the celebration that our faith brings us closer to Jesus because Jesus defeated pain, failure, darkness and death for us to have life.

Alleluia! Alleluia! He is risen!

Today is the third day.

Whoever listens to my homily… today is Saturday night but in the time of Jesus, it is already Sunday. Every sunset is the beginning of a new day.

We started on the evening of the Holy Thursday with our Last Supper, Washing of the Apostle’s Feet, but that is considered as Friday already.

If we look into it, we don’t count starting Thursday because sunset that day is already Friday.

So Friday, Saturday, Sunday — three days. After three days, He will be risen from the dead.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Our Savior is victorious!

This celebration is the biggest throughout the year. The biggest, most joyous celebration and the Mother of all Vigils. In fact, this celebration is not only described as a mass but also a vigil — a prolonged celebration of our excitement for something that we are anticipating.

This is also full of symbolisms that even many, many years ago, the faithful are very intimate in celebrating this through the symbols that signifies the biggest mystery of resurrection.

Hence, tonight is full of symbolisms.

The darkness, the new fire, and the light of the Paschal candle — one beautiful symbol of the resurrected Christ.

We also have special hymn named Exalted that is sung only once a year!

We really have a beautiful celebration!

Also, the readings must have been nine, seven readings, Gloria and the Gospel. But it was also specified that we can reduce this. We only chose four but prolonged ones. With the unfathomable mystery that we celebrate, we prolong the readings for a grand review, a panorama.

We started with the beginning of time — from nothing to life in Genesis.

The second, a beautiful reading from Exodus which is a must among the seven. Every time we read this, we are reminded of the darkness, defeat, slavery, and lack of liberty in Egypt, of the poor, powerless, third class citizens Israelites.

If you listened, they marched on the water that was parted and they were followed by the army of the Pharaoh in horses, a great empire at that time.

And we know what happened. We have a great God even in the past that we can always rely on. God gave His glory and saved the people of Israel and brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey.

Third reading, from the Prophet Isaiah, says, this wife was separated and sent away. It was very dark, but Isaiah said, with God, in His unconditional love, the wife was brought back.

Fourth reading, the Prophet Baruch, tells us to listen to the Word of Life. This is really true. We must not listen to the words of others, but rather to the Word of the Lord. If not, you will remain forever in Good Friday and not have Easter.