Page 124 - spiritual_accompaniment_montreal_archdiocese

HOMILIES

8. Homily - Saturday, April 11, 2020

Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter - Year A (Mt 28:1-10)

Let us learn to hope.

Have you ever experienced what the night is? The night of your room, the night of the city, the
night of the forest? What do we do when we are in the night? What do we do when we want to
walk in the night? We look for light because without a light, it is dangerous to go too far. It may
even be better not to move. However, with a light, no matter how small, we can move forward,
in the light of a flashlight, the light of the moon, the light of the starry sky, the light of a flame
or a torch.

The light does not make the night disappear, but it allows us to walk through the night and
arrive safely. It lets us go where we want to go. Making an analogy with the current time, we
can say that in an astonishing and mysterious way, all of humanity finds itself in the darkness
of the night. It is the night of the pandemic, it is the night of COVID-19, and we search for a
light of any kind. We are looking for a light so that we can move forward.

We could talk more of the light of the human spirit which, thanks to science, seeks and finds
solutions. We could also speak of the light of the human soul that seeks the path of solidarity.

But before it all is the light of God. The light of God enlightens us, a little bit like a flame. What
does a flame do? A flame enlightens us. But a flame also warms us! It can be cold in the middle
of the night. In this case, we are not only looking for light but also for warmth.

The light of God is a light that has the power to warm and to enlighten.

Tonight, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We celebrate the life that nothing
could stop, we celebrate a death that nothing could stop. Certainly, death is powerful.
Certainly, suffering is powerful, but the life of God is even more powerful. God’s love is even
more powerful.
Nothing could stop Jesus Christ from rising again. Nothing. Since nothing could prevent
Jesus Christ from rising again, nothing can prevent Jesus Christ from coming to us, knocking
on the door of our heart and offering us his warmth and his light.

(cont’d)

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 124