At the Easter Vigil on 26 March Cardinal Vincent reflected on the light of Christ explaining that, ‘The darkness is real, this week shown most emphatically on the streets of Brussels. The light is strong, overcoming all darkness, as our ceremony has portrayed in light which flooded the darkened Cathedral.’
He went on to say, ‘It is the light of the risen Christ who, still bearing the wounds of his suffering, comes to us in glory. And this light, passed in faith from hand to hand, has the power to overcome all darkness, all sin.’
At the Easter Vigil, Cardinal Nichols baptised six people into the Catholic Church. Reflecting on the rebirth that comes through baptism, he said, ‘Yet here is a further key truth; this new life, this way of faith is not an external imposition on our nature, on our humanity, as many would have us believe. Our faith does not distort our natural selves by asking of us things which are against who we truly are. No, this new life is the fulfilment of the nature which we all share even though it carries us beyond the limitations of our nature. Of course, faith is demanding. But more important it is fulfilling.’
The Easter Vigil began with the Cardinal entering the darkened Cathedral with the light of the Paschal candle. The flame of the candle was shared with everyone in the Cathedral to spread light across the church, symbolising the light Christ brings by his resurrection after the darkness of the crucifixion. In addition to the six people that were baptised, another six were received into full communion with the Church, and a further six, along with those baptised and received, made their confirmation at the Easter Vigil in Westminster Cathedral.
The full text of Cardinal Vincent's homily can be found here.
