St. Vincent Ferrer Parish

An amusing story is told that one Easter, Saint Peter noticed that many Filipinos were absent from heaven. Upon inquiry, he discovered that they all had returned to earth to celebrate the salubong in their own hometowns. This humorous tale captures the magnetic quality of the Easter ritual, known locally as the “meeting” (encuentro); it dramatizes the encounter of the risen Lord and his mother on Easter morning. It is a popular ritual countrywide; each region has its own terminology to describe the event: salubong (Tagalog), pagsugat (Cebuano), sabet (Ilocano), tonton (Bicolano), and abet-abet (Pangasinan).
In early morning darkness, two processions proceed through the streets of the town. An all-male group follows the statue of the risen Christ; the women follow the sorrowful mother (mater dolorosa). The sober, sad mood of Good Friday dominates the two processions.
Both groups, praying and singing, emerge into the town square where additional crowds are waiting. They approach the arch of “meeting.” The first light of dawn is breaking; the little male and female angels are positioned around the decorated arch.
A white-clad angel is lowered ever so carefully. She intones the Regina Caeli Laetare, Alleluia (Queen of Heaven Rejoice, Alleluia). As the choirs of angels break into their Easter chants, the lead angels removes the black veil and reveals the joyous face of the Virgin. Mary meets her risen Son – to the wild, yet prayerful, enthusiasm of the expectant crowd. Then the Eucharist is celebrated; the faithful hear the Gospel proclamation to become, like the first disciples, witnesses of the risen Lord.
The foregoing description of the Easter pageantry in the Philippines is, in fact, eminently faithful to the Gospel narratives. Although there are numerous accounts of resurrection encounters in the Gospels (Peter, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, the disciple), scripture exegetes note they follow a common five-point pattern that describes the “experience” of meeting the risen Lord.
(1) There is a mood of sadness, fear, and despondency; Jesus’ followers are in darkness; their minds are closed. For example, Mary Magdalene is in the garden weeping; the Emmaus disciples are returning home disappointed.
(2) The initiative for the encounter comes from Jesus; he accompanies the disciples wandering in their confusion. Jesus comes to Mary, but she thinks he is only the gardener; Jesus “the stranger” walks with the Emmaus disciples.
(3) There is a greeting of peace and reconciliation. Jesus says to his disciples: “Peace be with you.” He personally calls Mary Magdalene by her name.
(4) The high point comes in the moment of recognition. The Emmaus disciples recognize Christ in the breaking of the bread; Mary addresses Jesus as “Rabbouni” (Teacher); John exclaims to Peter: “It is the Lord.”
(5) A mission command from Jesus concludes the encounter: “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.” “Go, make disciples of all nations.”
This five-point paradigm, present in the Gospels, is also present in the Filipino Easter salubong: (1) Darkness reigns as the celebration begins; death seems to have been victorious; Mary is weeping; (2) The processions show Jesus looking for his sorrowful mother; (3) Jesus’ greeting is placed on the lips of the interpreting angel: “Rejoice, O Queen of Heaven!” (4) Mary’s black veil of sadness is removed; she encounters her risen Son; (5) The celebration of the Eucharist empowers the faithful for their mission.
Friends, this five-point biblical pattern, found in the salubong celebration, is a paradigm of our own Christian experience. We so often walk in darkness, failing to recognize the reality of Christ among us; he calls us by name to acknowledge his living presence; we need Word and Sacrament (the Eucharist) to heal our blindness; when we recognize that he is risen and alive, we are impelled into mission to announce the Good News to all.
Easter is all about meeting the crucified-risen Lord and keeping his personal presence alive in our lives. May you continue to have a deep “encounter” (salubong) with the risen Lord!

Fr. James H. Kroeger, M.M.
Sambuhay, A Pastoral Ministry of the Priests and Brothers of the Society of St. Paul
Year 22 No. 57 Easter Sunday April 12, 2009

Reading 1
Genesis 1:1-2:2:2

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss. While a mighty wind swept over the waters. – Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. – God saw how good the light was. God then separated the light from the darkness. – God called the light “day” and the darkness he called “night.” Thus evening came, and morning followed – the first day. Then God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other.” And so it happened: God made the dome, and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it. God called the dome “the sky.” Evening came, and morning followed – the second day. Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear.” And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared. God called the dry land “the earth,” and the basin of the water he called “the sea.” God saw how good it was. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it.” And so it happened: the earth brought forth every kind of plant that in it. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed – the third day. Then God said: “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years, and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth.” And so it happened: God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night; and he made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed – the fourth day. Then God said, “Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.” And so it happened: God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying, “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth.”  Evening came and morning followed – the fifth day. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.” And so it happened: God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth. God saw how good it was. Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.” God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth.” God also said: “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I give all the green plants for food.” And so it happened. God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came and morning followed – the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.

Responsorial Psalm
“Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.”
Psalm 104:1-2. 5-6. 10. 12. 13-14. 35

Bless the LORD, O my soul! My God, you are great indeed! You are clothed with majesty and glory, robed in light as with a cloak.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You fixed the earth upon its foundation, not to be moved forever; with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it; above the mountains the waters stood.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You sent forth springs into the watercourses that wind among the mountains. Beside them the birds of heaven dwell; from among the branches they send forth their song.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You water the mountains from your palace; the earth is replete with the fruit of your works.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
You raise grass for the cattle, and vegetation for men’s use, producing bread from the earth, How manifold are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you have wrought them all – the earth is full of your creatures. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Reading 2
Romans 6:3-11

Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.

Gospel
Mark 16:1-7

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”  When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples, and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.’”

Dr. Randy Pausch was a charismatic and gifted computer science professor at the Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. He was a father of three young children, and married to the woman of his dreams. While for the most part he was in terrific shape, he actually had ten tumors in his liver and had only a few months to live.
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Dr. Pausch embarked on a mission called “The Last Lecture” to prepare his family for his impending death. He lectured about the joy of life, about how much he appreciated life, even with so little left of his own. He talked about honesty, integrity, gratitude, and other things he held dear.
Interestingly, Dr. Pausch’s last lecture – Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams – wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have… and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Dr. Pausch had come to believe. It was about living.
Indeed, Easter is a call to be alive in Christ. It is a call to witness in the risen Christ. It is a call to witness in the risen Christ that will generate a new life story. Bishop Antonio Tagle of Imus in his well-acclaimed book, Easter People, clarifies that the true People of God are the brothers and sisters of Christ, who live authentically the Easter faith. Thus, we are God’s witnesses to the extent that we live believable lives of Easter hope and joy.
Interestingly, the empty tomb tradition is a hotly contested proof of Jesus’ resurrection. Critics say that it was all a fraud or a myth or that Jesus did not die on the cross, but merely lost consciousness or in a coma. Mankind invents all these stories to find an answer to the existential problems of dying.
But the Church argues that empty tomb tradition exists because basically that is what happened: (a) Knowledge of the empty tomb came from women despite the fact that their word was not allowed in the court of law; and (b) In virtue of the impossibility of proclaiming the tomb to be empty if in fact it was intact.
Nonetheless, the empty tomb tells us that Jesus’ resurrection makes sure that the good triumphs over evil, that suffering can be meaningful and transformative, that justice will reign, that death itself is not something to be feared because death is no longer the end of everything, but the beginning of a life that never ends.
The theologians Hans Küng once wrote: Jews by virtue of his resurrection became the norm for the relationship that will culminate in our own resurrection. To celebrate Easter is to remember that Jesus lives; we rejoice in the fact that because of him we also live today and for an eternity of tomorrows.
Another theologian eloquently puts it: “The resurrection, therefore, is not solely something that happens after death; it is also something that affects the character of daily life and living before death.”
Dr. Randy Pausch died of complications from pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008. He was 47. He has inspired countless students and people worldwide on how to live rightly and generously on borrowed time. It goes without saying preachy (he has intentionally kept private his religious life in order to share about universal principles that apply to all faiths), Dr. Pausch has witnessed to the risen Lord in his daily life even long before and through his death.

Fr. Cris Robert C. Cellan, SSP
Sambuhay, A Pastoral Ministry of the Priests and Brothers of the Society of St. Paul
Year 22 No. 56 Easter Vigil April 11, 2009