EASTER DAY, April 5
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
— John 20:19
In our Community, we hold the Easter Vigil on Sunday morning instead of the evening before. All of us Sisters and our houseguests wake up long before dawn, shuffle sleepily into the Convent library and wait in darkness and complete silence as the chapel Sister lights the holy fire in the cast-iron stove in the fireplace. We listen to the words of the Service of Light, watch the lighting of the Paschal Candle and light our small candles from its flame. Then we process silently into the dark chapel, still barely awake.
As we take our seats, a Sister sings the Exsultet. We awaken slowly as we listen to the long, meditative readings of the Liturgy of the Word. We solemnly renew our baptismal vows, listen to the collect at the conclusion of the Renewal of Vows and then, somehow, every year, the sun rises right on cue as the celebrant says “Alleluia, Christ is risen,” and we shout, “The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!”
As the lights are flipped on, the organ music swells and the many candles are lit, I always love to look around the chapel at the radiance on every face. Exhausted countenances transform into smiles as bright as the sun, and we all experience a collective surge of jubilation. Even though we do this every year, the joy of Christ’s resurrection always feels brand new in this moment. Yesterday, we were in darkness and despair. Today, the sun has risen, and we are full of life and hope.
The world around us might seem to be full of chaos and fear, just as it did in the disciples’ time, but I always remember that we Christians are a people of hope. We know from Christ’s example that even in death, there is still hope because life is eternal. Even when all seems lost, it is never the end. The Lord has risen indeed. Alleluia. Alleluia.
