Once More With Spirit

We began the Great Fifty Days of Easter with the ritually rich and exciting Vigil of Easter. The Easter Vigil began in the night around the Easter Fire, which was blessed and the Paschal Candle was lit, carried into the darkened Church and welcomed by the Assembly with the acclamation: Christ our Light... Thanks be to God. The light which was Christ begins to scatter the night of death, darkness, and sin.

The Assembly awaited in a long vigil of God’s Word for the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. The scriptural word walked the believers from creation in Genesis through the Red Sea and the prophets to their hearing of Jesus risen from the dead. As Church, we began to learn once again of God’s fidelity to us in Christ. The Church began to come alive.

Then, as if for the first time, the Assembly saw this new life in the Church. Those chosen for the Sacraments of Initiation were called forth to the waters of baptism. There, several of those chosen for the Sacraments were called forth and went through the baptismal waters from death and came out alive in Christ Jesus. We saw new life in real people, real believers, smiles, tears, laughter, refreshed in the new life which they had received.

Newly welcomed
The vigil rites unfolded as people already baptized in other Christian communities came forward for reception into Full Communion with the Roman Catholic Church. They had already joined those to be baptized in the profession of faith. Together they came forward for Confirmation.

Together they stood in the community of believers who had been baptized in water and in Spirit. Now, through the Laying on of Hands, they would together receive the Holy Spirit. They would be marked out by the anointing with Chrism as gifted and sealed in God’s Spirit. The welcome of the community was given to them as the Peace was exchanged with them. They had come for the first time as members of the fellowship of believers. The “communion” of the faithful was seen as

they processed through the Assembly. They now prayed with the community around the Lord’s Table. The death and rising which they had shared through water and Spirit was proclaimed over the Eucharistic gifts. They remembered with the faithful that: Christ had died, Christ had risen, and Christ would return in glory.

With new meaning they heard the celebrant in the Great Doxology: “Through him [Christ], with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all glory and honor is your’s almighty Father forever and ever.” They acclaimed “Amen”, for so it was, all were gathered before the Father in Christ Jesus risen from the dead that night. They awaited communion. They waited, in the words of scripture, “to recognize” the Lord in the breaking of the Bread. In the risen Christ the Church came to life for the first time and again.

Baptisms and First Communions
Through out the Easter Season, the parish has celebrated similar rituals with infants and with children. Numerous children have come to life in water and Spirit. They have been baptized at our Sunday Assemblies and at gatherings on Sunday afternoons. Twice we have gathered as Church so that children could come to the Lord’s Table for the first time in the First Communion. The Church lives and has new hope in its many sons and daughters –Easter joy in overflowing measure.

Pentecost - Once Again
As the Great Fifty Days began with the Great Vigil, a Pentecost Vigil was celebrated within the Spanish language community here at CTR. Adults, children, young adults, babies and families came to the font of Baptism. The Spirit-filled waters brought life to many. Hands were laid on them and they were sealed and confirmed in the Spirit. Once again new believers came to the Lord’s Table for the first time. They lived in Christ.

We rejoiced in their blessings. The Church again was alive in the Spirit. After the Great Fifty Days of Easter, we have come to know the mystery of Christ who died for us and has risen from the dead and we live through the Sprit in him.

CDH