This evening, we came into a dark church, a reminder that for a while Jesus Christ was absent from the world after dying on the cross. Soon after Deacon Larry entered holding aloft the Easter candle, that darkness was dispelled. The solitary flame of his candle quickly spread throughout the church. For me, few moments in the year are as moving as this sign of the risen Christ touching the lives of so many through the help of others.
This is the night many people throughout the world have been waiting for. They were drawn to our faith because Christ touched them in some way, perhaps because someone had shared the joy of the gospel with them. So much has happened in their lives yet I can only say that far from finishing the task that brings them to this night, “We have only just begun.”
Not only have we gathered to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also tonight we will soon celebrate the sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation and Eucharist. There is joy, excitement, and even suspense in the air. Can you feel it? The elect, as we call them, have been preparing for this night for many months but as anyone who has been in their shoes would say, “We have only just begun.”
If you have not witnessed the unfolding of faith in the lives of those who will be coming into our faith community tonight, JR, Kitrell, and Bill, you might feel like you are catching the tail end of a drama. They are ordinary people who came to find Christ here in our Catholic faith. Ordinary people from ordinary backgrounds yet they came with an extraordinary hunger to discover for themselves how Christ can change their lives just as he has changed the lives of countless followers since the first Easter.
Their journey to this night was touched many times over by their sponsors and catechists; ordinary people from ordinary backgrounds in this faith community who shared an extraordinary enthusiasm to deepen their awareness of Christ and our Catholic faith. Every one of them has generously shared their faith insights. They too would say to the elect this night, “We have only just begun.”
But this evening isn’t just their story. This evening we heard the story of a faith community that would soon betransformed by the resurrection of Jesus. Ordinary people from ordinary backgrounds touched by an extraordinary man who by his resurrection showed that he was also the Son of God. Imagine how different the world would be today if they had not said to one another, “We have only just begun.”
By his resurrection, Jesus Christ invites us to taste new life just as the early church did with the certainty that far from abandoning us, God is very much with us.
We cannot pretend that all is well or that we are serene for our past lives are filled with moments of hurt that are the consequence of our sinfulness yet this is the night that we dare to dream new dreams, knowing that God never tires of forgiving us. This is the night we can allow our lives to be transformed along with those who will soon be fully initiated into our faith. When we are sprinkled with blessed water after renewing our baptismal promises, we can rekindle our dreams of new life in Christ and say, “We have only just begun.”
In his book, The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis wrote, “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.” Can you see why we have only just begun? Undoubtedly you know someone who is hungering to know the good news.
Our journey with Christ, our prayer in coming to know Christ can never end, for the moment we think we are done, the flame of our faith could very well flicker and we could find ourselves enslaved to sin once again. That is why we too can only say, “We have only just begun.” Believing that we can be changed, that we can be infused with new life by the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that we can die to sin and be alive in Christ, we dare to sing alleluia! This is the night the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!