The faithful holding Easter candle Apr 16 at Easter Vigil Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral
By Linda Edward
Apr 19 2022
KOTA KINABALU – On the night of the Easter Vigil, the Light of Christ comes into the darkness of our inner lives and into our world said Archbishop John Wong.
He asked the people, “Do you realize what had happened – that He is Risen?”
“We were first being enveloped with total darkness. It was dark because the Light of Christ was absent,” said the prelate.
He went on to say that this darkness has permeated into our lives and our world.
“This darkness represents so much of our own lives and of our world: among us, in our families, communities, society, when there is absence of love, peace, mercy, compassion and justice toward each other.
“In between our nations, when there are wars, fighting, oppressions, abuse of power and so on,” he said.
The prelate also named the darkness that appears in our own inner lives as “the pride, selfishness, lust, anger, hatred, revenge, jealousy, greed, laziness.”
He said this darkness is real because Christ was absent in our lives.
Archbishop Wong lighting the Easter Candle with holy fire
The Archbishop said this in his homily during the Easter Vigil Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral Apr 16 with a fully-packed church which spilled over to the parish centre.
The Paschal Mystery has come into its climax on this Vigil Night said the prelate when the Light of the Risen Christ represented by the Easter Candle slowly filled the Cathedral and gradually reached each person “until we become the ‘Bearers of Light’, he said.
For believers, the Light is a symbol of new life or renewed life which by and through it, we are set free and liberated from the darkness of sins, evil desires and thoughts and especially from the darkness of death, and thus this Light gives us eternal life, the prelate expounded.
He commented on the lack of faith of the disciples of Jesus in the Gospel which demonstrated disbelief as “the rising from the dead has never happened before,” and they thought it as “pure nonsense”.
But he focused on the little faith and curiosity of Peter who ran to the tomb and “was amazed at what had happened.”
The Archbishop asked the faithful, “What about you? Do you realize what had happened – that He is risen?”
He then invited them to unite in the same faith of the whole Church in renewing their Baptismal Promises; rejecting Satan, believing in God, in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit.
On the Vigil Night, the prelate performed the Rite of Full Initiation to 11 elects, baptised two young children, conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation to 15 candidates and performed the Rite of Full Reception of one candidate into the Catholic Faith.
