Easter Vigil

Pope Benedict XVI holds a candle as he leads the Easter Vigil service in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 7, 2007. (Giampiero Sposito/Reuters)


Faithful hold their candles during the Easter Vigil ceremony presided by Pope Benedict XVI in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, April 7, 2007. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

After sundown on Saturday, Pope Benedict celebrated the Easter Vigil.

Catholics all over the world attend this beautiful first Mass of Easter, celebrating Jesus' Resurrection.

Whether in Rome or in Wisconsin, the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter is the same -- the universal Church.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI baptized eight people during a candlelit Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica early Sunday, opening the most important event of the Christian Church calendar.

Benedict started the Mass by blessing a large white candle and carrying it down the main aisle of the darkened basilica. Slowly, the twinkle of candlelight lit up the entire basilica as the faithful shared the lone flame.

The Church considers the period between Good Friday, which commemorates Jesus' crucifixion, and Easter Sunday, which marks his resurrection, as the most important of all vigils.

"In the resurrection of Jesus, love has been shown to be stronger than death, stronger than evil," Benedict said during his homily.

He baptized six adults and two children — part of the joyful renewal Christians associate with Easter.

"Baptism is more than a bath, a purification. It is more than becoming part of a community," Benedict said. "It is a new birth. A new beginning in life."

Applause rang out in the basilica after the eight were blessed with holy water. One of the baptized children, a little boy, wiped the water from his eyes as he sucked on a lollipop.

Benedict, who turns 80 later this month, appeared to tire by the end of Mass, which lasted more than two hours and capped a busy Holy Week. On Good Friday, Benedict presided over long back-to-back public ceremonies — an afternoon service and a late-night Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum to mark Jesus' suffering and death.

I wouldn't read too much into Pope Benedict appearing tired by the end of the Easter Vigil.

I attended the Easter Vigil Mass at my home parish, as I usually do. This year, it was over two and a half hours long. You don't have to be almost 80 to tire by the end of such a lengthy service.

Although long, it's very beautiful, very moving.

Just like at St. Peter's Basilica, the Easter Vigil begins in the dark, symbolizing the darkness of the world without Jesus. The priest lights the Paschal candle and that flame is passed from person to person, candle to candle, until the church is glowing with light -- hope.

Out of darkness, light.

In addition to the fire, there is the water of baptism, in which sins are washed away, new members are baptized into the Church and the faithful renew their baptismal vows.

Then, catechumens are confirmed.

They receive the Holy Eucharist for the first time.

It's a moving celebration of initiation, rebirth, and life.

Out of the sadness and death of Good Friday, comes Easter joy.

This is my faith.

Gospel
Lk 24:1-12

At daybreak on the first day of the week
the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus
took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were puzzling over this, behold,
two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to them,
“Why do you seek the living one among the dead?
He is not here, but he has been raised.
Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners
and be crucified, and rise on the third day.”
And they remembered his words.
Then they returned from the tomb
and announced all these things to the eleven
and to all the others.
The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James;
the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles,
but their story seemed like nonsense
and they did not believe them.
But Peter got up and ran to the tomb,
bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone;
then he went home amazed at what had happened.