Happy Easter Everyone. Tonight is the night of all nights. For tonight Easter night is the greatest night in all of Christendom. For tonight Jesus Christ is risen. Tonight we remember this through all the readings we have heard. Tonight we celebrate the mother of all liturgical celebrations with great solemnity all over the world. Tonight we believe in God’s goodness as Jesus triumphs over death with his resurrection. We remember, we celebrate, we believe.
There is this ancient tale of Elie Wiesel about the Hasidims (conservative Jews) in Eastern Europe during the 1700’s. One day a great misfortune was threatening the Jews of that area. And so the great Rabbi Israel Baal Shem-Tov started a tradition. The great leader would go into a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would do a ritual of lighting a fire. Then he would say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the misfortune averted. Go to the forest, light a fire, say the prayer – his formula for redemption. This went on for years and the people were always safe.
After many years another threat of disaster loomed over the people. This time it was his disciple’s turn (the celebrated Magid) to intercede with heaven, he went to the same place in the forest and say: "Master of the Universe, listen! I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayer." And again the miracle would be accomplished.
Many generations later, another misfortune was about to befall upon this people. Their leader at this time Rabbi Moshe-Leib of Sasov, in order to save his people once more, would go into the forest but this time he would say: "Dear God, I do not know how to light the fire, I do not know the prayer, but I still know the place in this forest and this must be sufficient." True enough, it was sufficient and the miracle was accomplished.
Then after more than a hundred years, the task now fell upon Rabbi Israel of Rizhyn to overcome misfortune. The people just saw him sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God: "I am unable to light the fire and I do not know the prayer; I cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can do is to tell the people the story, and this must be sufficient." And it was sufficient.
We Remember. For the Hasidic Jews to remember the story of how they were saved was crucial. So is it too with us Christians. That is why tonight all the various readings we have just heard (Adam and Eve and the promise of a savior, the promise fulfilled in Exodus)
These stories remind us how we were saved. That is why we have to remember the story and pass it on to the next generation that it may never be forgotten…. Because we remember
We celebrate. Tonight also we lighted the fire and we said the blessing prayers of old. Through that light of the Paschal candle we went forth like those rabbis of old in our story going through the dark forest into that place where the celebration takes place. The priest then installs the candle to light our celebration at the Altar of the Word and later to the altar of the eucharist. This paschal candle will always be lighted throughout the easter season everytime we gather as God’s people here to remind us of the place of our salvation...which… We celebrate.
We Believe. Tonight is the night when we shall renew our baptismal promises. We shall once again profess in front of the whole Church our faith. The priest will ask us: Do we believe in God, in his resurrected Son, in the Holy Spirit whom we shall await…. And we shall boldly answer: We Believe.
We remember, we celebrate, we believe.