New Christians: The Adventure of Loving God

 (Text of Fr. Andrew’s Homily for Easter Vigil, April 20, 2019)

After finishing the work of Creation, God rested on the Sabbath Day. He finished Creation on the sixth day, on Friday, and rested on Saturday. But the work of Creation was ruined by human beings: original sin deformed the original beauty of Creation. God decided to reshape Creation, God decided to redeem human beings. He finished the work of Redemption on a Good Friday. He rested in a tomb on Saturday, the Sabbath day. And He began a New Creation on Sunday, at the first Easter Vigil. He remade Creation, He remade human beings, He restored them to more than their original beauty. He remade in Himself what Adam had destroyed. He rose from the dead as the first Man of the New Creation, immortal, completely holy, perfectly beautiful. All was restored again, all was new, because He had made new all things.

Since then, at the Easter Vigil we celebrate the Mysteries by which we have been reborn. In the Easter Vigil, Jesus bestows on His bride, the Church, the gifts of the new Creation. Jesus bestows on the Church His new life in Baptism, His Holy Spirit in Confirmation, and His own resurrected Body and Blood in Holy Eucharist. Dear candidates, Baptism and Confirmation will give you all the spiritual gifts of the New Man, Jesus; and Holy Communion gives you Jesus Himself, and the pledge of all the bodily gifts of the Resurrection, because whoever eats the Body of Jesus and is faithful to Him, will be raised on the Last Day. As a good Spouse, Jesus gives everything to His Bride, the Church. And each one of you, dear candidates, should love Jesus in return, and give yourselves entirely to Him.

When two people get married, they commit to each other for life. When one is baptized, one gives oneself to God, and God claims him or her for Himself. God gives Himself to you, not for life only, but forever. It is a covenant with God. It is very serious.

But it is also a great joy. Commitment is the price of love. You commit yourself freely, because you know that what you get is much more than what you leave behind. Let's see the terms and conditions of this Covenant between the baptized and God, between you, dear candidates, and God.

1.  What does God ask of you? Your heart, your whole being. You must keep the Commandments of God, because the Lord said: "If anyone loves me, they will keep my word." (John 14:23) You must also accept the authority and law of the Church, because the Lord said to the first leaders of the Church, "He who hears you hears me." (Luke 10:16) These things God asks of you, but He asks these things for your sake, for your well-being.

2.  What are your rights? As baptized Christians, you will be called children of God, and therefore co-heirs of the house of your Father, co-heirs of heaven. You will be members of a large family, the Catholic Church. Pope Leo will be your Pope, Bishop Daniel will be your Bishop. You will be able to receive the other Sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist, as long as you are prepared and in a state of grace, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You will have the protection of the angels, the prayers of the saints, the help and prayers of all your brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church. The very Mother of God will be your Mother. And from now on, God will dwell within you. If you do not reject Him, He will dwell in you. Even if sometimes you do not pay attention to Him, He will remain with you, waiting for you to think of Him, because He is faithful and remembers us, even when we do not remember Him. Try to think about Him, be with Him, talk to Him during the day, and maybe during the night: do not leave Him alone. He is your Father, your friend, your God and your Spouse.

3.  In Confirmation, God will give you the maturity of spiritual life. Every baptized Christian is entitled to receive from Mother Church all we need for our salvation, as a child receives from his or her mother. But as a mature Christian, because of confirmation, you will not only receive goods, as a child, but you will also contribute to the Church's growth through your testimony of word and deed. You will receive the strength and courage of the Holy Spirit to defend your faith as a soldier, with the kindness of a dove. The Holy Spirit is fire, and yet, is like a dove.

4.  You will also receive the Eucharist. The Covenant between you and God will be sealed in Holy Communion. The priest will say "the Body of Christ". You will say "Amen", "It is so". And through this "yes" of your faith, Jesus will give Himself to you, Jesus will be yours, in the hope that you will also give yourself to Him. To say "Amen" to Communion means to welcome Jesus in your life as the Spouse of your soul, as the One who will possess not only your body, but the deepest desires of your heart. You have to say "Amen" to Jesus always, every day, in every situation of your life, in good times and in bad. And if you ever fail, remember that He will always welcome you again and forgive you, especially through Reconciliation, the Sacrament of Forgiveness. Because Jesus is faithful, even when we are not.

Jesus, on this Holy Night, overcame death and sin with His death and Resurrection. It may seem difficult to be a Christian, but with the help of such a great God, nothing is impossible. To be Christian is not “difficult”, as if it were a job, it is rather challenging, exciting and risky, like an adventure, the adventure of loving God. May you overcome all life difficulties and tribulations with the help of your Lord, Jesus, and with the power of the Holy Spirit. May God and His Most Holy Mother show you His love and consolation every day of your lives.