VOICE OF THE LOGOS (40): REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR EASTER VIGIL, YEAR C

This Is the Night: The Night That Judges All Other Nights

1st Reading: Genesis 1:1—2:2 (or shorter form: Genesis 1:1, 26–31a)
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103(104):1–2, 5–6, 10, 12–14, 24, 35
2nd Reading: Genesis 22:1–18 (or shorter form: Genesis 22:1–2, 9a, 10–13, 15–18)
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 15(16):5, 8–11
3rd Reading: Exodus 14:15—15:1
Responsorial Psalm: Exodus 15:1–6, 17–18 (“I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!”)
4th Reading: Isaiah 54:5–14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 29(30):2, 4–6, 11–13
5th Reading: Isaiah 55:1–11
Responsorial Psalm: Isaiah 12:2–6
6th Reading: Baruch 3:9–15, 32—4:4
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18(19):8–11
7th Reading: Ezekiel 36:16–17a, 18–28
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 41(42):3, 5; 42(43):3–4 (or when Baptism is not celebrated: Psalm 50(51):12–15, 18–19)

Epistle (8th Reading): Romans 6:3–11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 117(118):1–2, 16–17, 22–23 (Alleluia is sung instead of a Psalm response here)

Gospel: Luke 24:1–12

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Night has always been a powerful part of human experience. It’s a time when many things pause: we rest, we prayerfully keep vigils, we dream, we reflect. But night can also be a time of fear, uncertainty, and danger. In the Scriptures, night often carries both meanings. On one hand, it’s the space where God speaks in dreams, leads His people, or begins something new. On the other hand, it’s also when betrayal happens, when darkness seems to reign, and when hope appears lost. And according to the Scriptures, some of God’s most powerful acts happened in the night. Yet tonight, we gather to hear something bold: This is the night… not just another night, but the night by which all other nights are judged.

What makes this night so unique? What gives it the right to stand above all the nights in human history? The Church gives us this theme in the Exsultet, the ancient hymn we just sang at the beginning of this Easter Vigil (Easter Proclamation). The Exsultet uses the phrase “This is the night” exactly four (4) times in its standard Latin-to-English translation found in the Roman Missal. It tells us that this night is different, not because it’s poetic, but because something happened in it that changes the entire story of the world. So tonight, the Church doesn’t just say, “This is a holy night.” She says something even more daring: “This is the night… not one among many, but the night by which all other nights are judged.” In other words, every night that has ever existed, from the first night of creation to the nights of Passover, the night of Christ’s birth, the night of His agony, all of them find their meaning and purpose in this night. Why? Because tonight, death is defeated, and the world begins again. All the readings we’ve heard tonight are not just random selections, they are building a narrative that finds its climax in the empty tomb.

We began with the very first words of Scripture: “In the beginning…” (בְּרֵאשִׁית – bereshit). On that first night, when darkness covered the face of the deep, God said, “Let there be light” – “yehi or” (יְהִי אוֹר). That light broke into the chaos and began the story of creation. The division between light and darkness came from God Himself. But even that divine light was temporary. The sun sets, the moon waxes and wanes, and the human heart still finds itself often trapped in shadows. The goodness of that first creation, tov me’od (טוֹב מְאֹד), “very good,” was later marred by sin. Needless to say, that light, as good as it was, still allowed darkness to return each evening. The rhythm of day and night continued. It was light that helped us live, but it could not yet save us. It could not overcome sin, suffering, and death. Creation began in that night, but it could not end there. But tonight, a greater light shines not from the sun, but from the empty tomb. And unlike the first light, this one never fades.

Then we moved to the story of the Exodus, another powerful night. “It was a night of watching for the LORD” (Exodus 12:42). The night of deliverance. Israel walks through the Red Sea, and Egypt’s power collapses. That night was their beginning as a free people. The Jewish tradition still calls it Leil Shimurim (לֵיל שִׁמּוּרִים), the “Night of Watching” (Exod. 12:42). It was a night they were told to remember for all generations. God led His people through the Red Sea, turning slaves into a nation. That Passover night was remembered forever as the beginning of Israel’s freedom. But still, something was missing. The people were saved from Egypt, but not from death. They wandered, they sinned, they died. The night of the Exodus was great, but it wasn’t the final victory, tonight goes further. How? The waters of the Red Sea saved Israel from Pharaoh; but from tonight, the waters of Baptism save us from sin and death. That’s what Paul teaches in Romans: “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Rom 6:3). Tonight is not just about memory; it is about mystery, one we step into and live.

Next, we heard from the prophets — words of restoration, hope, and promise. Isaiah, spoke of a new creation and a new covenant. He cried out: “Come, all you who thirst, come to the water!” (Is 55:1). Baruch reminds us that wisdom is found in God alone. Ezekiel speaks of a new heart and a new spirit. All these were pointing forward, longing for a night that could do more than just offer temporary rescue, a night that could change hearts, forgive sins, and raise the dead. Thus, the readings built up this longing across salvation history; a world thirsting not just for survival, but for a Saviour. And tonight, the Church says: the thirst is quenched. The promise is fulfilled!

Then came Paul’s voice in the Epistle: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Romans 6:3). Here, the language becomes personal. The Greek word used for baptism, βαπτίζω (baptizō), means to be immersed, even drowned. We are not just sprinkled with Christ’s teachings, we are plunged into His death, so that we might rise with His life. This mystery only makes sense because of what happened tonight.

Then, we finally arrive at the Gospel. The women went to the tomb at early dawn, but by then, it was already empty. Jesus had risen while it was still dark. No one saw it happen. No flash of light, no dramatic scene, just an absence. Jesus didn’t wait for the sun. That’s how God works. Just as the Spirit hovered over the dark waters in Genesis, the same Spirit raised Christ from the dead in the hidden hours of the night. No one saw it happen. There were no human witnesses. But something eternal changed in that quiet moment. The tomb is empty. He is not here. Egerthē! (Ἠγέρθη): He has been raised! And that changes everything. All other nights ended in death. This one begins with life. It is the night that judges all other nights because it brings something no other night could offer: eternal life. This is why tonight judges all other nights. Because this is the night where fear becomes hope, darkness becomes light, and death gives way to life. It’s not just another event in history. It is the beginning of a new creation.

What message does tonight’s liturgy serve us?

First, this night teaches us that God works even in the dark. Just as creation began in the dark, and just as Christ rose before the dawn, God is often doing His deepest work in our darkness. We may not always see it when it’s happening, but light is being born. Don’t fear the night; God enters it. Notice how none of the disciples saw Jesus rise. The empty tomb was the first sign, and faith had to make sense of it. Many of us wait for God to act in visible, obvious ways. But God also works in hiddenness. Just as He rose at night, He often raises us when we least expect it, quietly, secretly, deeply.

Second, we learn that salvation is not just about freedom from something (like Egypt), but freedom for something greater; that is, for communion, for holiness, for eternal life. The Exodus was just the beginning. Tonight completes what Moses started, not through parted seas, but through an opened tomb. Just as Israel passed through water and walked into freedom, and just as Christ passed through death and entered glory, we are called to walk through this night into new life. This Vigil is not a re-enactment. It is a participation. If He is risen, then we must rise too, in heart, in mind, in life.

Third, we are reminded that baptism is not a ritual but a participation in this very night. When we are baptized, we enter into the night of Christ’s death, so that we may rise with Him. It’s not symbolic; it’s real. Your baptism is your Easter.

Fourth, tonight reminds us that no part of our life is wasted, not even the nights of sorrow, sin, or confusion. This night redeems them. It judges them, yes, but to save them, not to condemn them. In Christ, even the worst night can become the beginning of something beautiful.

Above all, the Paschal candle burns brightly tonight, but tomorrow the world returns to its usual pace. We cannot afford to forget this night. As the Exsultet says, “May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star.” That flame must burn in us, in how we live, how we speak, how we forgive, how we serve. The night of Easter only judges all other nights if it changes the way we live every day after. Thus, we are called to live in the light of this night. Not just tonight, but every night. Again, if this night is the one that judges all others, then we must measure our lives by it, not by fear, not by failure, not by what the world says, but by the empty tomb. So yes, this is the night. Not one among many. The night by which all other nights are judged, not in condemnation, but in light. A light that no darkness can ever overcome.

O that today you would listen to his VOICE, harden not your hearts! (Ps. 95:7)

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Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Seminário Padre Pedro Magnone, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com

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Have you prayed your rosary today?