Easter Vigil - 2012

Easter Vigil - RCIA
 
This week, the Holy Father spoke of this sifting at Holy Thursday Mass.
 
"…as Christ told Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat," today "we are once more painfully aware that Satan has been permitted to sift the disciples before the whole world."
—POPE BENEDICT XVI, Mass of the Lord’s Supper, April 21st, 2011
 
Where do you and I stand in this sifting? Are we among the weeds or the wheat?
 
"We too find excuses when being his disciples starts becoming too costly, too dangerous."
 
It's very uplifting to be with Christ in the moments of glory, it's wonderful to be with Him in the time of exaltation …
If Judas, Peter, and the Apostles fled the Lord in His hour of sorrow … what will I do when the time of sorrow approach?
 
It's wonderful the liturgy of Easter Vigil … in few minutes time some of you will receive the Sacrament of Baptism; some will be accepted to the full unity with the Catholic Church, some will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and some will receive the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ for the first time.
 
What a wonderful achievement? What a time of glory and joyful exaltation …
 
But my dear brothers and sisters … will you be with Christ when all this will be over and when comes the normal, difficult daily life?
 
Or "you will find excuses when being His disciple starts becoming too costly, too dangerous, to boring to demanding."
 
I will quote you only one sentence of Jesus which is repeated three times in the Gospel:
 
"You will be hated by all because of My Name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10,22)
 
The way to the Resurrection goes through Calvary. We have to be aware of this truth.