Today is the day we wait. We wait to see our Lord again; we have just lived the Passion with Him. We saw what He came to do for us and for the love of His Father. In obedience to the Father, He said, “It is finished.” His mission to unite us, His children, and all creation to the Father through the love of the Holy Spirit is complete. In perfect obedience and love, He surrendered His life for our sins and conquered death forever.
He invites us to be with Him today, wherever we are, as we prepare to enter the Paschal feast and the Vigil of the Resurrection tonight.
He is in the tomb. The world is quiet. This is a day of reflection, not a day to rush ahead to tomorrow, but to remain with Him in His creation. Take a walk and reflect. As we walk, we remember that this is how it once was: man walked with God in friendship in the garden, in peace, in freedom, in perfect relationship.
As spring begins to bloom, the wildflowers that push through the snow, or those already in full bloom in warmer places, remind us of the creation God the Father made for us to enjoy, free from sin. He desired His children to live with Him in perfect obedience and freedom, in a loving, covenantal relationship. Through the death of His Son, we are able to enter into that relationship once again.
The Incarnation
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” The Incarnation, God made flesh, is central to the Father’s plan for creation. He willed that His creation would not remain distant from Him, but would be united to Him in a real and intimate way through His Son.
Sin has been overcome, and through the Incarnation, creation itself is drawn into union with its Creator. This is why our Lord retains His glorified body and sits at the right hand of the Father: perfect unity of body and soul. He became man, died for our sins, and rose again not only to save us from sin, but to unite us fully to the Father. This is the fulfillment of God’s loving plan for His creation in the Son.
The Father’s Blessing and the Covenant
The readings at the Vigil begin with creation: “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.
Then: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… male and female… and God blessed them.” He blessed them. This blessing is not casual. It is covenantal. It is the Father giving Himself to His children, establishing a relationship of life, love, and communion.
From the beginning, God’s desire was to live in covenant with His people, to walk with them, to bless them, and to be their Father. Sin disrupted that relationship, but did not destroy His plan.
This is the exact blessing renewed and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The Resurrection is not only victory over death; it is the establishment of the new and eternal covenant. Because the Son is perfectly united with the Father, He is able, in His death and Resurrection, to unite us back to the Father and restore us to that original blessing.
A Walk with the Father
Pray. Walk. Reflect. Thank our Lord for what He has done. Be with His Mother as she grieves today. Love those near you. Love yourself as God loves you, with a heart already aware of the joy on the other side of the Cross.
Where there is darkness in your life, say, “In Jesus’ name, let there be light.” Allow Him to bring His light into it, and rest for a while from the weight of the world. Do not miss this day.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished… and on the seventh day, God finished His work… and He rested.”
Today is that day of rest. “It is finished,” the final words of Christ on the Cross. The work of the new creation is complete. Sit in that truth. The sorrow is passing.
We are walking into the Resurrection tonight. The light is returning to the world after death. Creation is being restored and renewed, and the covenant is fulfilled.
The Gospel reminds us in our weakness: “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren… there they will see me.”
Go and tell the Good News. It is good. Do not be afraid. Rejoice in this Octave of Easter as a time of rest and restoration of your soul, made whole again in His love.
And when you greet another, wish them a Blessed Easter, and in doing so, pass on the Father’s blessing to all you meet.
[Readings: Genesis 1:1—2:2; Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 14:15—15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28;Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 28:1-10
