Where did Lent go? Holy Week is a blur and the Easter Vigil, a memory!
The Easter Vigil this year was an especially transforming experience for me and I think for many people who were there. When the lights are out in St. Sebastian church, there is absolute and complete darkness, because there are no windows since the building started out as a movie theatre. The fire was truly blazing at the outset. The Paschal Candle was lighted and immediately began to dispell the darkness. As the flame from that candle began to be shared with the faithful, I almost thought that we had put some lights on very low; it was of course the light from nearly 2,000 candles.
We baptized 12 and Confirmed another 34. So we had 46 people receive Holy Communion for the first time. The power of the Holy Spirit was palpable all during the Vigil. I think everyone who was there was able to feel it.
We probably had 10,000 people on Easter; if it were like that all the time it would be wonderful, but it would kill us.
Christ is Risen, He is Risen, indeed!
