OXYGEN

03 Apr – The Easter Vigil

One of OXYGEN’s traditions since its beginnings in 2001 has been to ask readers to contribute reflections on special feast days. Today, we celebrate Easter, the most important Mass for Catholics. In keeping with our tradition, we have asked through our website and our mailing list for volunteers who would like to contribute a short reflection.

We have, in today’s edition, contributions from Sharon Soo, Desmond Soon, Donna Yeo, and Patricia Ang. Patricia is our regular contributor who has returned from her break. Desmond wrote our recent Christmas reflections. Donna and Sharon are both first-time contributors; Donna is a subscriber on our mailing list while Sharon draws inspiration from the website.

On behalf of the OXYGEN team, I thank our contributors for taking time to share with us how God has revealed Himself to us through them on this holy night. We wish you all a blessed Easter!

Peace,
Dan
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The Easter Vigil

In accord with ancient tradition, this night is one of vigil for the Lord (Exodus 12:42). The Gospel of Luke (12:35ff) is a reminder to the faithful to have their lamps burning ready, to be like men awaiting their master’s return, so that when he arrives he will find them wide awake and seat them at his table.

- The Sunday Missal
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Genesis 1:1-2:2

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water.

God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness. God called light ‘day’, and darkness he called ‘night.’ Evening came and morning came: the first day.

God said, ‘Let there be a vault in the waters to divide the waters in two.’ And so it was. God made the vault, and it divided the waters above the vault from the waters under the vault. God called the vault ‘heaven.’ Evening came and morning came: the second day.

God said, ‘Let the waters under heaven come together into a single mass, and let dry land appear.’ And so it was. God called the dry land ‘earth’ and the mass of waters ‘seas’, and God saw that it was good.

God said, ‘Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees bearing fruit with their seed inside, on the earth.’ And so it was. The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seed in their several kinds, and trees bearing fruit with their seed inside in their several kinds. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the third day.

God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let them indicate festivals, days and years. Let them be lights in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth.’ And so it was. God made the two great lights: the greater light to govern the day, the smaller light to govern the night, and the stars. God set them in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth, to govern the day and the night and to divide light from darkness. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the fourth day.

God said, ‘Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth within the vault of heaven.’ And so it was. God created great sea-serpents and every kind of living creature with which the waters teem, and every kind of winged creature. God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas; and let the birds multiply upon the earth.’ Evening came and morning came: the fifth day.

God said, ‘Let the earth produce every kind of living creature: cattle, reptiles, and every kind of wild beast.’ And so it was. God made every kind of wild beast, every kind of cattle, and every kind of land reptile. God saw that it was good.

God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.’

God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be your food. To all wild beasts, all birds of heaven and all living reptiles on the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food.’ And so it was. God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came: the sixth day.

Thus heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing.
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“God said, ‘Let there be light; and there was light. God saw that the light was good and He separated the light from darkness”.

As our Lenten journey draws to a close, we look back and see from where we have come, and reflect on where we are going. I confess, I find Lent to be a struggle. I started Ash Wednesday full of the best of intentions: “Yes God, here I am,” I told the Lord. Not two weeks into it though, and I faltered. I struggle and often fall away, filled with guilt, anger, frustration and self-loathing. Today’s reading reminds us that even at the beginning there was both ‘darkness’ and ‘light’, two opposing but intertwined forces. Our journey is meaningful because of the struggle of those dark moments when we pray and try to find our way back. It is in the shadows, that the light is more beautiful. It is when we’re beaten, down and broken, that we pray: God help me find my way. God made us, He sees us, He knows us, and is welcoming us back to the light – a “light that shines in the dark, light that darkness could not overcome”.

(contributed by Sharon Soo)
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Exodus 14:15-15:1

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me so? Tell the sons of Israel to march on. For yourself, raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and part it for the sons of Israel to walk through the sea on dry ground. I for my part will make the heart of the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow them. So shall I win myself glory at the expense of Pharaoh, of all his army, his chariots, his horsemen. And when I have won glory for myself, at the expense of Pharaoh and his chariots and his army, the Egyptians will learn that I am the Lord.’

Then the angel of God, who marched at the front of the army of Israel, changed station and moved to their rear. The pillar of cloud changed station from the front to the rear of them, and remained there. It came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. The cloud was dark, and the night passed without the armies drawing any closer the whole night long.

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove back the sea with a strong easterly wind all night, and he made dry land of the sea. The waters parted and the sons of Israel went on dry ground right into the sea, walls of water to right and to left of them. The Egyptians gave chase: after them they went, right into the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

In the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and of cloud, and threw the army into confusion. He so clogged their chariot wheels that they could scarcely make headway. ‘Let us flee from the Israelites,’ the Egyptians cried. ‘The Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians!’

‘Stretch out your hand over the sea,’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘that the waters may flow back on the Egyptians and their chariots and their horsemen.’

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its bed. The fleeing Egyptians marched right into it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the very middle of the sea. The returning waters overwhelmed the chariots and the horsemen of Pharaoh’s whole army, which had followed the Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left. But the sons of Israel had marched through the sea on dry ground, walls of water to right and to left of them.

That day, the Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. Israel witnessed the great act that the Lord had performed against the Egyptians, and the people venerated the Lord; they put their faith in the Lord and in Moses, his servant.

It was then that Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song in honour of the Lord:

(Exodus 15:1-6.17-19. R v.1)
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“Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”

Sometimes in our moments of despair, we turn to God and ask Him for guidance and for His direction to get us through our low points in life. However, when He eventually presents us with opportunities, do we listen and take heed? There is no point asking God for help if we do not have the courage to have faith in His words. In this reading, Moses was the one who trusted the Lord completely and led the Israelites across the sea. How many times have we asked God for help and not acted on opportunities that came our way because of fear or lack of faith? Surely if we can turn to God and ask for help, we should not turn a deaf ear to His words or dismiss a chance that presents itself. Having faith involves first having belief in ourselves – in taking that first step towards redemption.

(contributed by Desmond Soon)
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Isaiah 55:1-11

Thus says the Lord:

Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty;
though you have no money, come!
Buy corn without money, and eat,
and, at no cost, wine and milk.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
your wages on what fails to satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and you will have good things to eat
and rich food to enjoy.
Pay attention, come to me;
listen, and your soul will live.

With you I will make an everlasting covenant
out of the favours promised to David.
See, I have made of you a witness to the peoples,
a leader and a master of the nations.
See, you will summon a nation you never knew,
those unknown will come hurrying to you,
for the sake of the Lord your God,
of the Holy One of Israel who will glorify you.

Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Let the wicked man abandon his way,
the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn back to the Lord who will take pity on him,
to our God who is rich in forgiving;
for my thoughts are not your thoughts,
my ways not your ways – it is the Lord who speaks.
Yes, the heavens are as high above earth
as my ways are above your ways,
my thoughts above your thoughts.

Yes, as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.
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Pay attention, come to me; listen, and you will live.

The scene I have in mind as I reflect is that of a kind teacher asking her little kindergarteners to stop whatever they are doing, sit in front of her and listen to her as she reads them a story. The first step is the hardest. There have been times in Mass or in prayer when I’ve let my mind wander or I try to do things to engage myself in the proceedings. I forget that to pay attention, I have to stop thinking about or doing everything else. I have to intentionally direct my focus to the words, to the purpose. Only when I do so am I actually going to the Lord. And only when in the presence of the Lord, then can I listen to Him. Over Holy Week and the Easter Triduum, some of the readings are relatively long. We have three simple commands to follow. And like the little kids listening to their teacher’s story, the words of the Lord, His promises, will bring us life and joy.

(contributed by Donna Yeo)
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Romans 6:3-11

When we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.

If in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. We must realise that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery of sin. When a Christian dies, of course, he has finished with sin.

But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. When he died, he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.
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Luke 24:1-12

On the first day of the week, at the first sign of dawn, they went to the tomb with the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, but on entering discovered that the body of the Lord Jesus was not there. As they stood there not knowing what to think, two men in brilliant clothes suddenly appeared at their side. Terrified, the women lowered their eyes. But the two men said to them, ‘Why look among the dead for someone who is alive? He is not here; he has risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee: that the Son of Man had to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified, and rise again on the third day?’ And they remembered his words.

When the women returned from the tomb they told all this to the Eleven and to all the others. The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them also told the apostles, but this story of theirs seemed pure nonsense, and they did not believe them.

Peter, however, went running to the tomb. He bent down and saw the binding cloths but nothing else; he then went back home, amazed at what had happened.
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… you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Jesus Christ.

In my first class of DAFF (Diploma in Adult Faith Formation), we were asked what is the core of your faith. One of my classmates responded – the risen Lord. He loves us so much that He died and forgave us for our sins. When He died, death has no power over Him anymore. His life now is life with God. It is the same for us, when we make to choice to follow Jesus, a new life begins for us. In a way it is stepping out of our old self and walking into the new self which is filled with grace and love. Knowing the Lord has made me realise that He is the significant person in my life. He is someone I always turn to in this journey.

What would you do if you were the one who saw Jesus who has risen from the dead right before you? I think I would be speechless and frozen in my tracks. The angel of the lord appeared at the tomb and told the guards and those around that Jesus has risen and He was heading towards Glilee. By rising from the dead, He shows us that He is God and our sins are forgiven. Henceforth we can try a lead a life that is filled with His presence and grace.

Jesus knows me in and out as He formed me. He is the eternal Lord, who was and is and is to come. Let us allow Him to restore our spirit, our mind and our body. He makes all things new. Let us seek Him and allow Him to raise us to experience a new life. Allow Him to fill us with wisdom and the discernment of his plans. Allow Him to fulfil his plans and promises in our lives.

(contributed by Patricia Ang)
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Prayer: We pray for a blessed Easter for all Christians and all who we will bring the light of Christ to.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to God for being the light that pierced the darkness.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 04 Apr – Acts of the Apostles 10:34.37-43; Colossians 1-4 (or 5-8) John 20:1-9 (or Luke 24:1-12); Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection