Some of you may know Father Mike Schmitz. If you don’t…what is wrong with you!!? Seriously, Father Mike has some inspiring thoughts on many topics and does such an amazing job taking difficult subjects and helping to better understand them. Subjects such as The Real Presence, Why Be Catholic, Why we call priests Father. And some tough social issues. He tackles them all with respect, comedy and sincerity. You can find his videos on YouTube through Ascension Press.
He recently did a talk on whether a Catholic can marry a non-Catholic. In short, the answer is YES! Whew! Glad about that one. Would have had a hard time explaining it to Elise. But he did discuss how it is a compromise. How it can be difficult to fully embrace the faith when you need to compromise at times with your spouse in subjects such as, how you worship and the ways of growing in Catholicism. And I have experienced that to some degree in our relationship. Don’t get me wrong, my wife supports me in my faith at every turn. But there are times when we each have to compromise for the other person. That said, she is the most Catholic Jew that I know. And I like to think of myself as the most Jewish Catholic person I have seen. Since we travel so much we have dubbed ourselves as the Wandering Jew and the Roamin’ Catholic.
So there are ups and downs. The biggest up for certain is Holy Week. Most years there is some overlap between Holy Week and Passover. Some years. the first night of Passover occurs on Holy Thursday. Celebrating Passover through the same celebration that Jesus was leading during the Last Supper. How cool and significant is that?!
This year, the first night (erev) of Passover occurs during Good Friday. Definitely more of a challenge due to fasting requirements on Good Friday but Elise’s family has been great at accommodating me when the two holidays collide like they do. May have to substitute sardines for beef brisket but, overall, it works.
Then the sanctity of experiencing these two miraculous feasts together bleeds into the Easter Vigil. The Vigil is a very special service for many reasons. For us the celebration begins with the solemnity that Holy Week embodies, especially when it is combined with Passover. Then the service explodes into the light that represents Christ’s return from the dead…from the underworld. It also features the entrance into the faith by new Catholics through the RCIA program.
But what is absolutely my favorite part of the Vigil are the readings. There are 6 First Readings from the Old Testament, a letter from St. Paul as the Second Reading and then the Gospel. The readings take us through various parts of Salvation history culminating in the Gospel which focuses on some aspect of the Resurrection. The lights are typically low, with everyone holding candles lit from the Easter candle (which often is lit outside from a bonfire) to show Christ is still present even in the darkness. This persists during the first and second readings and then the lights come back on in splendor with the Alleluia being sung for the first time since Lent began. Magical and inspiring.
The readings this year carry us through the Creation story, the covenant God made with Abraham after testing him by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, Moses leading the Israelites through the Red Sea, God calling back the Jews from captivity in Babylon, restoring them to their land in Israel, and God showing them mercy for turning away from Him and to idols. Paul reminds us that if we follow Christ we will rise with Him to new life. And, finally, we experience the resurrection in the Gospel through the story of the women finding that Jesus had risen Easter morning.
This story of falling from God and returning to Him is told in the readings and in the Vigil itself. It is seen in the candidates for RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). Life in darkness and the light shining on them in Baptism, Confirmation and their First Communion as part of the Catholic Church. And this story is our story, isn’t it? Our lives ebb and flow with the waters of sin and God’s forgiveness. We live in the dark then step out into the light. Only to fall back into darkness. But God keeps calling us home. Easter is as much about Good Friday as it is about the Resurrection. About God’s mercy in the face of our failings. How the darkness NEVER lasts as long as we bathe ourselves in the light of Christ.
If you are reading this Saturday morning or afternoon, do yourselves a favor…Attend the Vigil at your parish. It will remind you of why you are Catholic and a follower of Our Lord.
Happy Easter everyone. Christ Is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
