The Easter Vigil: So That OUR Joy May Be Complete
by Paulist Fr. Rich Andre
April 2, 2018

Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on the Easter Vigil on March 31, 2018, at St. Austin Parish in Austin, TX. There are many options for readings at the Easter Vigil. This homily is based on Genesis 1:1 – 2:2; Exodus 14:15 – 15:1; Isaiah 55:1-11; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 6:3-11; and John 20:1-9.



“Alleluia! Christ is risen!” “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

That’s the fancy way for Christians to greet each other in this glorious season of Easter. There’s nothing wrong with “Happy Easter!” “Happy Easter!”, but it doesn’t have quite the same horsepower of joy. So, try it out at the Agape (ah-GAHP-ay) Party tonight. Try saying, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” And hopefully, someone else will respond, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Let’s practice. Everybody stand and face the aisle. Those of you on the left, will say “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” And you on the right will respond, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

Tonight, we celebrate the most monumental event in the history of humankind. As Simeon had predicted when the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple: Jesus Christ has caused the fall and the rise of billions of people throughout history.

We who gather tonight are integral parts of Christ’s Body. Already, at Easter Vigil celebrations in Asia, Africa, and Europe, thousands upon thousands of people have come into full communion with the Catholic Church. And before the night is over, over 30,000 people in the United States will be initiated, including six people in this very room!

Simeon also foretold that Jesus Christ would be a sign of contradiction. And our gospel passage tonight is definitely contradictory. On the holiest night of the year, the commemoration of the event that has single-handedly changed world history, it’s a story about absence. When the beloved disciple ran ahead of Peter and entered the empty tomb, “he saw and believed.” But what exactly did he see? What exactly did he believe? Whatever it was, it must have been partial sight and partial belief – the beloved disciple still locked himself in the upper room with the rest of the eleven. But however tenuous his belief was on that Easter Sunday, it was sufficient to build a monumental faith.

Majida, Zach, Clayton, Michael, Meg, and Ryan: you are very different people with very different stories. But your stories have something in common: you’re not exactly sure what you’ve seen in your life of faith thus far, but you have seen enough and you have believed enough that you’re each making the radical decision to become more closely conformed to Jesus Christ. Majida: you will promise to die to yourself so that you may rise to new life in Christ. All of you will be sealed and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. When we present the gifts tonight, you will be among the grains of wheat and the grapes of wine that have been broken and crushed in order to be transformed into the very body and blood of Christ. 

And although we’ve heard many amazing Scripture passages tonight from throughout salvation history – the creation, the parting of the Red Sea, God’s promise that he will fulfill his Word, Ezekiel’s hair-raising vision of the resurrected bones, the miracle of Easter Sunday, and Paul’s explanation of the meaning of baptism – indulge me to share a snippet from yet another Bible passage. It’s from the First Letter of John. We believe that the beloved disciple of our gospel passage is the apostle John, and in this letter, the beloved disciple’s community is speaking to you, inviting you to hear their stories. They write: “What we have seen and heard, we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.”

Here’s the surprising part: for most of you, in the past seven months, other people in your life have come to see and believe in a new way, by what they’ve seen and believed in you. In less than seven months, you have gone from being receivers of the message of First John, to being part of the community proclaiming the message. And you haven’t even received your sacraments yet! 

Tomorrow morning, this room will be jam-packed with people, many of whom are less sure than you about what they believe. Our job as evangelizers is simple: to let those people know that we are here to journey with them, to hear their stories, and to share ours with them. 

I like to tell people: I have the best job in the world. It is my full-time job to share with others what I have seen and heard about Jesus Christ. And in sharing that, my joy is complete. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Together: “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

Majida, Zach, Clayton, Michael, Meg, and Ryan: for the remainder of this Mass, our joy will grow even fuller as you complete your initiation into the Body of Christ.