How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? / The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, / And the place death, considering who thou art With loveʼs light wings did I o'erperch these walls, / For stony limits cannot hold love out, / And what love can do, that dares love attempt.! These famous words exchanged between Shakespeareʼs Romeo and Juliet during their secret rendezvous in the garden very beautifully capture the mystery we celebrate tonight. One can imagine our risen Lord speaking those same words of Romeo when asked by any of His disciples, how camest thou hither; how did you come here and how are you alive?! For stony limits cannot hold love out, and what love can do, that dares love attempt. That large stony door would not keep our Lord enclosed in the tomb, for He is God and God is love and love conquers death.! There is a magnificent parallel to be drawn between Romeo and Juliet who meet in the secret of the night in Julietʼs garden cloister and that first Easter morn when in the last remaining moments of darkness before the rising of the sun the faithful women encounter the angels who attest to the Resurrection. It is indeed the greatest of love stories, but as we heard tonight, this love story began in another garden long, long before. At the dawn of time, after having created man and woman in His own image, God set His first children in a garden and began to share His life with them. What began in the garden of Eden with a miserable conclusion was restored in the garden of the resurrection magnificently. 1
" We keep the memory of that culminating moment alive each year through our participation in this sacred vigil. We leave the comfort of our homes in the dead of night and shrouded in darkness make our way into this church to recall the our entire history brought to itʼs fulness in the death and resurrection of Godʼs only-begotten Son. This church is our new garden where Christ comes to reveal Himself to us again and where we profess our undying love.! For the first time in more than 48 hours, we will soon celebrate the Eucharist- the way par excellence that Christ comes to reveal Himself. But the glory of this night is the manifold ways in which He resplendently presents Himself. From our procession into the darkened church led by this pillar of light; throughout the sacraments of initiation soon to be conferred on the Churchʼs newest sons and daughters; to the solemn blessing finally imparted to us once again after so many days of longing; hardly an instant passes where Jesus isnʼt manifesting Himself to us in one way or another.! The focal point of our celebration tonight, however, is the new life to be bestowed through Holy Baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to be conferred by the sacrament of Confirmation. Our Elect and Candidates have long awaited this monumental moment. Christ has revealed Himself to you, dear sisters and brothers, in a special way which initiated this journey, and now He will bring that to fruition by Himself drawing you into the mysteries of our faith. 2
! There is an especially significant symbol which will be used in our celebration of these holy sacraments: the Sacred Chrism Oil. This oil was consecrated by our Bishop only a few nights ago. It serves as a representation of his ministry ever in our midst despite his physical absence because as a bishop, a successor of the 12 Apostles, he shares in the fullness of Christʼs priestly ministry. The prayer which is used to consecrate this oil is a magnificent summary of all of the great mysteries we celebrate this night.! As with all of the passages of Sacred Scripture we just heard proclaimed, the formula for consecration of the Chrism oil also recounts how God has worked down the ages towards our salvation. In the beginning, says the prayer, at your command, the earth produced fruit-bearing trees. From the fruit of the olive tree you have provided us with oil for holy chrism We acknowledge how from the beginning of time God always has, and continues, to provide for our every need.! It continues on, After the avenging flood, the dove returning to Noah with an olive branch announced your gift of peace. This was a sign of a greater gift to come. Now the waters of baptism wash away the sins of men, and by anointing with olive oil you make us radiant with your joy. The olive-bearing dove delivered to Noah a sign of hope that they could carry on their lives in peace and freedom. That dove also calls to mind a scene early in Jesusʼ adult life when, at His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of the dove. 3
! Moments from now, that same Spirit shall descend upon those who emerge from these waters of baptism- as He already has upon the rest of us baptized in Christ- and will deliver the same message of peace and freedom. Although now, instead of a dove resting upon our heads, it is that symbol so closely associated with Him: the fruit of the olive tree. In your sacramental Confirmation Christ Himself will seal the power of the Holy Spirit then dwelling within you by the oil which takes its name from Him.! The olive and the dove were inseparably united the day they delivered the good news of salvation to the Ark. It is for this reason that the prayer of consecration over the oil concludes, Make this Chrism a sign of life and salvation for those who are to be born again in the waters of baptism. Wash away the evil they have inherited from sinful Adam, and when they are anointed with this holy oil make them temples of your glory, radiant with the goodness of life that has its source in you.! We have come to this temple of Godʼs glory in order either to be reminded of all that Christ has accomplished for us or recreated by these holy sacraments. It is this accomplishment which makes us radiant, beautifully symbolized through the pouring out of the fragrant Sacred Chrism soon to consecrate our newest brothers and sisters. We have come to this garden, my dear ones, here to meet our Lord. And since, as Romeo so aptly said, what love can do, that dares love 4
attempt, let us attempt to repay with radiant lives what Jesusʼ love first did that Easter morning: set us free from sin, save us from death and promise us an inheritance of everlasting life. 5