Don Bosco Philippines South Province

Homily on Easter Vigil; 4 April 2026, Daughters of St Camillus Chapel, Talamban

Happy Easter! On this most blessed of all nights, we are happy to come together as a Christian community to celebrate the Feast of all feasts, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We all believe that Jesus our Lord is risen from the dead. But did anyone actually see Jesus rise from the dead?

The truth is no one had actually witnessed the Lord’s resurrection. Unlike the Lord’s Nativity which was witnessed by St Joseph and the Bl. Virgin Mary, the event of Christ’s glorious resurrection from the dead was witnessed by no one. None of his closest disciples, not even our Bl. Mother Mary, was there to see him coming out of the tomb. And no CCTV camera could show how Christ’s resurrection really happened.

Nevertheless we Christians today firmly believe that the Resurrection of Jesus had really taken place. But what is the proof? Is it the empty tomb? Yes, but not only that! The proof is that his disciples have actually seen the Risen Christ fully alive. They have met him face to face; they have spoken with him and even ate and drank with him. This is what the apostles have proclaimed long ago in the Gospels, in the Acts of the Apostles, and in the Epistles. In his letter to the Romans St Paul, who used to be an unbelieving Pharisee, proclaimed “…Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Rom 6: 4b).

At first, however, his disciples who came to see his tomb on the third day found it shockingly empty. According to the Gospel narrative we have heard this evening (Mt 28:1-10) the first ones who went to the tomb early that Sunday morning were two women identified as Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. They were probably intending to treat with spices the Lord’s lifeless body that had been buried so hurriedly minus the customary rituals. But upon arriving at the burial site, a strong earthquake suddenly shook the place. They must have trembled with fear. But what frightened them most was to see the tomb already open, and the body of Jesus no longer there.

However, the good news is this. Lest they think that somebody might have stolen Jesus’ body away, an angel of the Lord appeared sitting on the tomb stone. He must have been the same angel who announced to the Virgin Mary the birth of the Messiah, for he said to the women “Do not be frightened. I know you are looking for Jesus the crucified, but he is not here. He has been raised exactly as he promised.”

Immediately after their encounter with the angel, they hurried away from the tomb to carry the good news to the rest of the disciples. And they have barely left when suddenly Jesus appeared to them not as a dead man, but as the glorious Lord fully alive. He even greeted them with “Peace!” And he told them not to be afraid but to go and bring the good news to his brothers. In response the women paid him homage and went away filled with joy to do what Jesus had told them to do.

Dear sisters (and brothers), our faith as Christians does not rest on an empty tomb or a sacred relic of Jesus’ lifeless body. Our faith is solidly founded on the truth that Jesus is alive, and people have encountered him face to face as the risen Lord. In fact, the first ones to be blessed by his glorious presence were two women who did not expect to see him alive. But after their encounter with the angel announcing the good news, they themselves experienced a face to face encounter with Jesus, as the risen Lord; a transforming encounter that banished away all their sorrow, their fear, and their distress, and filled them, instead, with inexpressible joy and excitement to carry the good news to the rest of the disciples.

Dear sisters (and brothers), can you identify yourselves with the two women who met Jesus near the tomb? You have your own vocation stories to tell. And if I offer you the microphone, I’m pretty sure you will all rush in front and grab the mic from me to share your own past life and how you met Jesus personally. And I guess the same words from the Lord would surface from each one’s story “Do not be afraid.” “Go and carry the good news.” This would explain why we are all here tonight to celebrate the Good News of Christ’s victory over all evil that has been distorting the world, *but also in our own personal lives transformed into zealous apostles bearing good news particularly to the sick and the elderly.

St Paul explained this with greater clarity in his letter the Romans. “Through baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might live a new life.” And he concluded by exhorting them to live faithfully according to this new way of life “In the same way, you must consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.”

Dearest sisters (and brothers), the entire history of salvation which we have heard in this night vigil merely points to this NEW LIFE. From chapter 1 of the book of Genesis that presents to us the story of creation to chapter 22 that presents to us the story of Abraham and his son Isaac, we realize that the world came into being from God who has a wonderful plan to make us sharers in his divine love. But he did not just create us and left us on our own. He intervened in our history and made a covenant with us through Abraham who did not spare his own son on Mt Moriah but was ready to sacrifice him in obedience to the divine will.

Then he intervened again in our history when he sent Moses to liberate his chosen people from their slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. But that exodus event was only a prefiguration or a foreshadowing of a much greater act that God had really been planning to do as prophesied by the great prophets he sent, among them Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Baruch, just to name a few.

His loving plan of salvation actually reached its culmination when he sent his only begotten Son Jesus to become a man like us in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. This Jesus of Nazareth preached the Good News through his words and his deeds. And yet after three years of doing so much good and gaining so many followers, he was put to death on the cross. And when everyone thought everything was over after his burial, on the third day Jesus resurrected from the dead in the fullness of glory, thus fully accomplishing the Father’s wonderful plan of salvation.

This amazing and awesome event we have tried to make present tonight in symbols. We began the liturgy in total darkness symbolizing the world conquered by sin. Then we blessed the fire and the paschal candle symbolizing the light of Christ that has conquered the darkness of evil and sin. And then we lighted our candles from the paschal candle symbolizing our own passage from sin to the life of grace. In a short while we shall be renewing our baptismal promises to relive our baptism into Christ and our commitment to bring the good news of the resurrection to people who have lost all hope.

Isn’t this vigil so wonderful and amazing?

Tomorrow and during the Easter Octave, we are invited to continue coming to Mass for eight days up to the Feast of Divine Mercy. The joy that we feel cannot be confined to just one day because what we are celebrating is the greatest triumph the world has ever witnessed in its entire history. No one has ever risen from the dead except Christ our Lord. That is why we extend this great festivity not only throughout the whole week but also up to the Solemn Feast of Pentecost making a total of 50 days of Easter celebration.

Just look at the way we celebrate Christmas. We, Pinoy Catholics, cannot imagine a Christmas without a 9-day Misa de Gallo, right? But Easter is even greater and much more solemn than Christmas. In fact we have been preparing for Easter for the past forty days with prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

And as Catholics we need to level up in celebrating Easter. We should realize that as we joyfully celebrate new births, birthdays and anniversaries in the family, we should also find time to celebrate re-births, resurrections, triumphs, victories and successes, as many people are already doing. In fact we Pinoy Catholics always find time and spend money to celebrate various occasions, like school graduations, passing and topping the board exams, being promoted in work, winning an award in various competitions and tournaments.

Shouldn’t we also find a way to celebrate when someone seriously ill is finally discharged from the hospital and fully recovers? Shouldn’t we also find a way to celebrate when enemies return and reconcile with each other, when separated spouses reunite, and when prodigal children or parents return to their loved ones? Above all shouldn’t we find a way to celebrate when sinners find their way back to God through a good confession?

This is precisely the reason why the Church had established the Easter Octave. We need to celebrate not only for one day but for one week. We feel strongly that we should celebrate not only Christ’s triumph over death but also the rebirth of catechumens in the sacrament of Baptism. And we should also celebrate our own triumph over sin and our own resurrection to the new life of grace in the sacrament of confession.

These past two days ago, I have sat down for confessions first in Lourdes and then in Lawaan. I am therefore a witness to the countless people have made very good confessions these past days. I honestly feel God’s UNLI LOVE for us sinners so real and so powerful.

Brothers and sisters, after this homily we shall be renewing our baptismal promises, as a sign of our new life in Christ and our commitment to be a better version of ourselves for the good of others, for our own sanctification and above all for the glory of God. Let us make it our goal to really become more and more like Jesus to the point of becoming saints. And empowered by this Eucharist may we celebrate Easter not just tonight but throughout the succeeding days of the Easter octave and of the Easter season leading up to Pentecost. Just like the two women in today’s gospel, we also have encountered Christ, the new man, who sends us to carry the Good News to everyone we meet. GiGsss!

Disclaimer: This section of the website is a personal creative writing of the author and does not necessarily reflect the official views, opinion, or policies of the Salesians of Don Bosco – Philippines South Province. For concerns on the content, style, and grammar of this piece, please contact us.