Order of the Holy Sepulchre // Vigil Ceremony
Assumption of the Office of Lieutenant
Conferral of Promotions // Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral // Raleigh
October 23 2026
At the Tomb of Jesus
We read in the Gospel that a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathea, asked Pilate to release the body of Jesus and then laid him in his newly hewn tomb. Mark and Luke tell us that Joseph was among those looking for the Kingdom of God, whereas John speaks of him as a secret disciple of the Lord. We read elsewhere that Nicodemus was on hand with an enormous quantity of myrrh and aloes for Jesus’ burial. Nicodemus too was a secret disciple who came to see Jesus by night.
As Jesus stood trial and was condemned, no one spoke for him. But with his death, we encounter well-educated and prominent leaders who had secretly put their trust and hope in Jesus, leaders who now found their voice and were willing to be identified with Jesus. Deep down, they were blessed with that simplicity of heart that enables one to hope against hope.
Condemned and crucified as One who is a common criminal, Jesus is buried and anointed as One who is a king. The new tomb, the spices, the linen cloths attest to this. Just when everything seemed to be lost and all was finished, Jesus’ glory shone through, ‘the glory of God’s only begotten Son, full of grace and truth.’
Although we are enjoying the wonderful hospitality of the Church of Raleigh, tonight our eyes are fixed on that place of divine revelation, Jerusalem. Mystically we have come to the tomb of Jesus as pilgrims of hope. Even if our discipleship is no secret, we are no strangers to fear and hesitancy because of the resistance and persecution that the Name of Christ still provokes after more than 2,000 years. Like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, we come to the tomb of Jesus to be renewed in hope, that in Christ, grace has conquered sin and life has conquered death. Like Jesus’ secret disciples who were emboldened, we ask for the grace to find our voice so that we many never hesitate to proclaim the hope that is ours, even in the most difficult and desperate situations.
Pilgrims of Hope
Before the Incarnate Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, we will indeed plead for those in the Holy Land who find themselves in desperate straits – innocent civilians in Gaza who were killed, injured, or taken hostage, innocent people whose lives remain in shambles, Christians clinging to their homes in places like Taybeh, the West Bank’s last fully Christian town, now under fresh assaults.
Echoing in our hearts this night is the voice of Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, Pastor of the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, the intrepid pastor who refused to leave his people when tragedy struck. Let us hear him pleading for his parishioners, struggling to bring order out of chaos, peace out of conflict, life out of death. This night, let us hear the voice of Fr. Bashsar Fawadleh, parish priest of Taybeh, speaking up for his people who are being pushed from their homes by aggressive settlers . . . shrinking further the Christian presence. We hear this night the prophetic voice of Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, calling us to be his partners in protecting, defending, & fostering the Holy Land, and especially Jerusalem, as “the place of God’s revelation”, “the place where faiths (Jewish, Muslim, and Christian) should feel at home, but where failed accords and constant conflict remain the norm.
Into these desperate situations, where all appears to be lost, we come as spiritual pilgrims of hope. With Fr. Romanelli, Fr. Bashar, and Cardinal Pizzaballa we trust that somehow the glory of the Lord will shine through. Just as Jesus could not be held captive by death, so we ask him to bless the efforts of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre to help release those living “in darkness and the shadow of death.” With God, all things are possible.
Honors and Responsibilities
What, then, can it mean to assume an office in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, or to be honored with a promotion? Surely these are a recognition of proven and devoted service to the mission of the Order and adherence to its rightful expectations. Surely these honors indicate a life of fidelity worthy of the faith one professes. Yet, something more is needed. The assumption of an office or the bestowal of a promotion must also signal an increase of love for the Lord who died and rose in Jerusalem, and a deepened faith in the God who can bring forth grace from sin, triumph from tragedy, life from death. Surely it means an increase of love for those who dwell in the Holy Land today, amid its complexity, its conflicts, its tragedy, its need. It is for them that we pray this night. It is to this land that we re-commit ourselves this night.
Visiting the Holy Land last year opened my eyes and my heart as never before to the Land called Holy, and to the mission of the Church of Jerusalem. Kneeling before the empty tomb, I found myself at the earthly origin of the Christian faith, that spot where Mary Magdelene and Mary encountered the angel who announced the news that, in the end, is the only hope of the world. It is to that place and to that Good News that our Order is dedicated. Let us go there if we can – but even if we cannot, let us be there always in our prayers, our generosity, and our good works. Our Lady of Palestine, pray for us!