Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter
Homily by Fr Raphael Hodari
“You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified… He is not here.”
Dear Brother and sisters, These are the words the young man in a white robe pronounces to complete the first statement he made: “He has been raised,” which actually means that it is not about the absence but a different way of his presence “ He is here… but don’t expect to be with him like it was fore. The tomb cannot contain him; he is beyond the limitations of space and time. “He has been raised,” and he can reach any place or period of history without anything limiting him. He does not need to walk to be where he wants to go; he no longer feels tiredness and hunger. It is not about a return to ordinary life like Lazarus or Jairus’ daughter. He is not here in the way we are here. He has been raised. You cannot see him, and yet, he can see you, touch you, talk to you, and give you comfort because He has been raised. You can see him when he wants it in a way he wants”.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, we are trying to paraphrase the young man’s words using other sources these women did not have. What was the meaning of the young man’s words? First, let us say that everything they see and hear at the tomb is a surprise. They are still carrying in their memory what happened some hours before the sabbat. They still feel much pain and sorrow about what happened to the man they followed. These words of the white-robed man cannot be enough to comfort them. Besides, they don’t know who this young man is; he is not telling who he is and where he comes from. Even before they hear his words, they are surprised to see him sitting in the tomb. Marc does not say anything about the divine character of his appearance. Now, we can say that he was an Angel, but for these women, to be in a white robe did mean that he was an Angel: anyone could wear a clean white robe for special occasions or religious purposes. The worst picture is to find him sitting in the tomb. He is not dead; he is not taking care of the dead; he is not working on the tomb, and he is not its owner. He is just there for what purpose? Sitting in an open tomb alone, how did he get there? Who opened for him? The most immediate reactions might have been surprise, confusion, and fear. Seeing the tomb open could be unsettling, especially considering the large stone typically used to seal such tombs. As the covering stone was not designed to be moved from the inside, whoever opened it opened from the outside, and it could not be just one individual but many. Who were they?
The surprising man in an unclosed tomb says something good, giving the women a beautiful, different mission. Indeed, while they were looking for a dead person to care for his body and to leave him in the tomb again, now, they will not take care of the dead body; they must turn back, not carrying species but carrying the Good News that will make alive the apostle’s hearts who are still hiding out of fear. They must go to announce that the one who was dead had been raised. This beautiful news and wonderful mission find them unprepared. The original ending of Marc’s Gospel does not say that they did: It reads: Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. We understand them. They needed a different sign. A strong, impressive, striking one to erase the crucifixion’s shame and sorrow. Not just an empty tomb or a young, white-robed young man without a name.
Dear Brothers and sisters, Jesus would leave those very simple signs. The resurrection happens in secret, in total discretion. And even when he appears to his disciples, he looks like a friendly companion on a journey, a gardener, and even a cook who prepares fish and bread for his disciples…nothing about shining garments, hair, or face. Those who see him after his resurrection don’t recognize him; he looks like a stranger. When the time comes to make himself known, he manifests himself as the crucified who is now alive. The incarnate Son who was crucified and is now raised. That is the point. He wants to be recognized in strangers, in friends, in our family and community members, in coworkers, in every person we meet. As he still carries the marks of his passion, he wants us to see him in those who suffer or those who are condemned and excluded. This way, we’ll be able to recognize him in his glory. It is an invitation to strive to love him in those we can see and not to be shocked by the simplicity of the sacramental signs. It is a way to tell us that we can love him even though we do not see him. St. Piter expresses this very well in his letter: “Although you have not seen him, you love him; you believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.”