35. What is an Easter Vigil? How did Jesus save us? How did Jesus fulfill the Law and the Old Testament? Anniversary of Tammy Peterson's Confirmation and Holy Communion

Send us a text

A Blessed Holy Week and Triduum to you all!

This week, we have a special guest co-host, Sheila' daughter, to introduce this week's special episode for Easter.

The power of the Easter Vigil—that "Mother of All Vigils"—shines through in this remarkable homily from Father Peter Turrone, delivered at Holy Rosary Parish in mid-Toronto, Canada. Beginning with the blessing of fire and preparation of the Paschal Candle marked with 2024, Father Peter takes us on a journey through salvation history that culminates in the cosmic significance of Christ's resurrection.

From Creation to the Fall of man, from Abraham's sacrifice to the Prophet Moses Moses leading the Israelites from slavery, the entire biblical narrative finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. As Father Turrone explains, drawing on the late Pope Benedict XVI's writings, Resurrection isn't merely reversing clinical death but represents something entirely new—"the first day of a new creation with a new heaven and a new earth," as G.K. Chesterton beautifully puts it.

This homily holds special significance as it marks the one-year anniversary of Tammy Peterson's Confirmation into the Catholic Church. Father Turrone speaks directly to catechumens and candidates preparing to receive the sacraments, reminding them that through Baptism, they become adopted children of God with the Father and Son dwelling within them. His words challenge all believers to bring Christ's light everywhere—from homes to workplaces to social media—despite the challenges of a culture that has often chosen "the path of the prodigal son rather than remain faithful to her Christian roots."

Whether you're preparing for your own journey into the Catholic Church, commemorating your Baptismal or Confirmation anniversary, or simply seeking deeper understanding of Easter's transformative power, this episode offers profound insights into the mystery at the heart of our faith. Subscribe to Veil and Armor and join us at Veil + Armour as strive to continue to tell stories that inspire Catholic women in their vocation of raising the next generation of saints and leaders.

Holy Rosary Parish's website is: https://holyrosary.ca/

Tammy Peterson's Podcast is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tammypeterson
It is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all podcasting platforms.

Hawthorn School for Girls' website is:
https://hawthornschool.com/

Veil + Armour is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all Podcasting Platforms

Support the show

To reach Veil + Armour, please visit:
https://veilandarmour.com
https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour
https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato
https://www.sheilanonato.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour

What resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know!
Email: [e-mail]
If our podca

Episode Transcript

Special Co-Host (00:00):
"In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God and the Wordwas God.
He was in the beginning withGod.
All things were made throughHim and without Him was not
anything made.
That was made In Him was life,and the life was the light of
men.
The light shines in thedarkness and the darkness has

(00:24):
not overcome it.
It is the one-year anniversaryof Mrs Tammy Peterson's
confirmation.
I remember attending the Eastervigil of my family at Holy
Rosary Church in Toronto.
It was a special time seeingher being confirmed with the
gifts of the Holy Spirit,receiving her First Holy
Communion and entering thechurch with other catechumens,

(00:48):
including Mr.
Reese Harris, who celebratedhis Baptism with his wife and
young daughter.
If you have been invited to anEaster visual mass and don't
know what it's about, you're infor a treat.
Father Peter Turrone, thePastor of Holy Rosary Parish and
the priest who prepared Mrs.

(01:08):
Peterson to be received intothe Catholic Church, explains
the truth of salvation history.
Here's his beautiful homilyduring the Easter vigil last
year at this time.
Thank you, and God bless.

Sheila Nonato (01:28):
Hello and welcome to the Veil and Armour podcast.
This is your host, SheilaNonato.
I'm a stay-at-home mom and afreelance Catholic journalist,
Seeking the guidance of the HolySpirit and the inspiration of
Our Lady.
I strive to tell stories thatinspire, illuminate and enrich
the lives of Catholic women, tohelp them in living out our
vocation of raising the nextgeneration of leaders and saints

(01:51):
.

Special Co-Host (01:51):
Please join us every week on the Veil and
Armour podcast, where storiescome alive through a
journalist's lens and mother'sheart.

Father Peter Turrone (02:00):
My brothers and sisters, after 40
days of fasting, prayer andalmsgiving, sisters, after 40
days of fasting, prayer andalmsgiving, we have finally
arrived at this holiest ofnights.
We began this Mother of AllVigils with the blessing of the
fire, asking God to fill us withthe fire of his glory and to
inflame our hearts with heavenlydesires.
This was followed by thepreparation of the Easter

(02:23):
paschal Candle.
The words Christ, yesterday andtoday, the beginning and the
end, the Alpha and the Omega.
All time belongs to him and allthe ages To him.
Be glory and power throughevery age and forever.
The numerals 2024 were carvedinto the candle.

(02:43):
2024 years have passed sincethe Alpha took on flesh to
redeem what had been lost due tothe sin of Adam and Eve.
In the second part of tonight'svigil, the Liturgy of the Word
swept us through severalthousands of years of salvation
history.
In the Genesis account, weheard how God created the world.

(03:03):
Good Humanity.
The apex of creation wascreated in the image and
likeness of God himself.
All of us were made to glorifyand to magnify God.
However, the sin of Adam andEve damaged everything.
Original sin was a spiritualearthquake which alienated us
from him, from each other andfrom the rest of creation.

(03:26):
But even after this terriblesin, god had offered them the
hope of salvation through hiswords to the serpent, I will put
enmity between you and thewoman, between your seed and her
seed.
She shall bruise your head andyou shall bruise his heel.
The seed born of a woman wasdestined to become the true lamb

(03:47):
God himself alluded to when heattested Abraham.
As we read in the secondreading, Jesus Christ is both
priest and victim, who came tosave us from slavery to sin and
lead us into the promised landflowing with milk and honey.
He did this by mounding thecross and having both water and

(04:07):
blood drained from his piercedside, from which the church
arises.
The only reason why we cangather tonight because of and
with great joy and not sorrow inour hearts, is because of what
the young man proclaimed to MaryMagdalene, mary, the mother of

James and Salome (04:24):
"Do not be alarmed.
You are looking for Jesus ofNazareth, who was crucified.
He has been raised.
He is not here.
G.
K Chesterton, the famous Englishconvert, once wrote on the
third day, the friends of Christ, coming at daybreak to the
place, found the grave empty andthe stone rolled away In

(04:46):
various ways.
They realized the new wonder.
But even they hardly realizedthat the world had died that
night.
What they were looking at wasthe first day of a new creation
with a new heaven and a newearth.
The entire New Testament isunanimous on this one point the
passion and the cross and burialof Jesus Christ reveal their

(05:08):
significance only in light ofhis resurrection, without which
there is no Christian faith.
Paul goes on to say that wewould be truly pitied if there
were no resurrection.
But what exactly does it meanto be resurrected?
According to Benedict XVI, theresurrection is not a reversal
of clinical death.
That is what Lazarusexperienced when Jesus raised

(05:31):
him from the dead.
There is something verydifferent involved here.
Jesus now belongs wholly to theWord of God.
Throughout the Easter season, wewill hear of Jesus' many
appearances.
He speaks to them in a verystrange, cryptic language when
he says "'Remember when I waswith you while standing in their

(05:51):
midst.
'".
How can this be?
All of his post-resurrectionappearances are not the
resurrection itself, but are itsradiant splendor.
It is a meta-historical event.
Since the dawn of the newcreation ushered in by Christ's
resurrection, many men and womenhave come to believe that Jesus
is God in the flesh.
Shortly we will call upon thegreat cloud of witnesses, as we

(06:16):
hear from the letter to theHebrews.
When we sing the litany of thesaints, we will invoke the help
of the many baptized men andwomen of different tribes and
nations, who took the gospelliterally and wore the sweet and
gentle yoke of Jesus Christwith perseverance throughout
their entire lives.
Dear catechumens, you are aboutto be washed clean with the

(06:38):
same blood that Jesus shed onthe cross for our salvation.
Through baptism, you willbecome adopted children of God.
Both the Father and the Sonwill come and live in you
through the fire of the HolySpirit.
Throughout your lives you drankfrom many different wells, like
the Samaritan woman seeking toquench your thirst.
You have come to recognize thatChrist, and Christ alone, can

(07:00):
satisfy your deepest desires.
Dear candidates and catechumens, tonight we will all be.
You will be sealed with theholy spirit through confirmation
.
May the Lord grant you everygift and fruit and charism
needed to glorify the Lord byyour lives.
And to all of us here presentwho have already received the

(07:21):
sacraments of initiation, wewill have an opportunity to
renew our baptismal promises andreceive the Eucharistic Lord
this holy night.
After the resurrection.
Jesus' Real Presence remainswith us in the Eucharist.
His promise to be with us untilthe end of the ages is thus
fulfilled.
After we leave here tonight,all of us were called to bring

(07:45):
Christ's light to our homes andplaces of work and on social
media in the digital sphere.
As (the late Pope) Benedict XVIused to say, even though the
West has preferred to follow thepath of the prodigal son rather
than remain faithful to herChristian roots, we continue to
fight the good fight so thatothers may be saved too.
We know that there are manypeople who are attracted to the

(08:07):
Catholic Church but areunderstandably reluctant to
approach her due tomisunderstandings or as a result
of the disgraceful behavior ofsome of her members.
Benedict XVI addressed thisissue during his visit to the US
back in 2009.
In his homily at St Patrick'sCathedral, he said that the
church building itself may lookgray and drab on the exterior.

(08:30):
However, if we surrender ourfear and our concerns to God and
are willing to cross thethreshold, we will come to
discover her inner beauty.
May the risen Lord find ourhearts wide open this most holy
of nights, so that we canalready get a taste of the
victory in store for those whoremain faithful to the Omega,

(08:50):
who will one day return to takehis own with him into the
kingdom he has prepared for usfrom the foundation of the world
.

Sheila Nonato (09:14):
Thank you for listening to the Veil and.

Special Co-Host (09:15):
Armour podcast.
I invite you to share this withanother Catholic mom today.
Please subscribe to our podcastand YouTube channel and please
spread the word.
Let's Be Brave, let's Be Boldand Be Blessed together.