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“Resurrection of Christ”
by Gerard Seghers, c. 1620 |
Readings for the Mass of Easter Day [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and
Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Peter proceeded to speak and said:"You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptismthat John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazarethwith the Holy Spirit and power.He went about doing goodand healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.We are witnesses of all that he didboth in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be
visible,not to all the people, but to us,the witnesses chosen by God in advance,who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.He commissioned us to preach to the peopleand testify that he is the one appointed by Godas judge of the living and the dead.To him all the prophets bear witness,that everyone who believes in himwill receive forgiveness of sins through his name." -------------------------------------------
Commentary on Acts 10:34a, 37-43
This
is part of Peter’s speech to Cornelius and his family (Gentiles). Peter
(according to St. Luke) assumes the people know what has happened – namely that
Jesus who was thought to be the Messiah, had proven that fact in the
resurrection. Now he reminds them, before the creed was written, that Christ
will come again to judge the living and the dead.
He
goes further, explaining that his apostles are also called to spread that word
through preaching: to take what they have been given, the Good News of Christ
and him crucified, into the world. This call, St. Peter explains, is
so all peoples might come to know and understand that God has fulfilled the
promise he made through the prophets by providing a sacrifice of atonement, his
Only Begotten Son Jesus, and that belief in him will lead
to reconciliation to the Father through the forgiveness of sins.
CCC:
Acts 10:38 438,
453, 486, 1289; Acts 10:39 597; Acts
10:41 659,
995; Acts 10:42 679
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2,
16-17, 22-23
R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us
rejoice and be glad.
or:
Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,for his mercy endures forever.Let the house of Israel say,"His mercy endures forever."R. This is the day
the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
Alleluia.
"The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;the right hand of the LORD is exalted.I shall not die, but live,and declare the works of the LORD."R. This is the day
the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.By the LORD has this been done;it is wonderful in our eyes.R. This is the day
the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or: Alleluia.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Psalm
118 is in regular use during the Easter season. It is a liturgical song of
praise and victory. The messianic imagery is so strong that it has been used
for the past three days, reflecting the joy of the Church in the Eastertide.
This litany of thanksgiving features the cornerstone image that, in addition
to Acts 10:34a, 37-43 (Easter
Sunday), was also used in the Gospel of St. Mark (Mark 12:10) and the
first epistle of St. Peter (1 Peter 2:7) (there
are nine other Scripture references not listed here).
CCC:
Ps 118:22 587,
756
-------------------------------------------
Reading II: Colossians
3:1-4
Brothers and sisters:If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in
God.When Christ your life appears,then you too will appear with him in glory.-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Col
3:1-4
Paul
gives assurance to the Colossians that they too have a home with Christ, who
now is seated at the right hand of the Father. In saying this, he points their
aspirations to the things of heaven, telling them that if eternal life with
Christ is what they desire, they should focus their thoughts on the Lord, not
on things of the earth.
CCC: Col
3-4 1971; Col
3:1-3 655; Col
3:1 1002; Col
3:3 665,
1003, 1420, 2796; Col 3:4 1003,
2772
-------------------------------------------
Or: 1
Corinthians 5:6b-8
Brothers and sisters:Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?Clear out the old yeast,so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened.For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Cor 5:6b-8
Paul
calls the Corinthians to conversion with a metaphor. He uses the dual meaning
or implication of leaven in bread and the feast of the Passover to symbolize
the new covenant. The traditional Passover meal or Seder is lamb and unleavened
bread. Christ, the Lamb of God, and the unleavened bread of the Eucharist, is
their meal.
CCC:
1 Cor 5:6-8 129; 1 Cor
5:7 608,
610, 613
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 20:1-9
On the first day of the week,Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the
tomb.They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go
in.When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate
place.Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.-------------------------------------------
Commentary on John 20:1-9
In
St. John’s account of the discovery of the empty tomb, we hear how the disciple
whom Jesus loved understood what had come to pass before Peter did. Found also
in Luke (Luke 24:1-12), this
story furnishes the testimony that confirms Christ’s resurrection. The story of
the discovery of the empty tomb describes St. John (the disciple whom Jesus
loved). “From these details concerning the empty tomb one deduces that Jesus'
body must have risen in a heavenly manner, that is, in a way which transcended
the laws of nature. It was not only a matter of the body being reanimated as
happened, for example, in the case of Lazarus, who had to be unbound before he
could walk (cf. John
11:44)” [5] It is
interesting that St. John arrives first but recognizes St. Peter’s primacy,
waiting for him to enter the tomb first. Note also that when St. John entered
the tomb, he immediately understood what happened and believed.
CCC:
Jn 20:1 2174; Jn
20:2 640; Jn
20:5-7 640; Jn
20:6 640; Jn
20:7 515; Jn
20:8 640
-------------------------------------------
Or:
From the Vigil Mass Mark 16:1-7
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.Very early when the sun had risen,on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back
the stone for usfrom the entrance to the tomb?"When they looked up,they saw that the stone had been rolled back;it was very large.On entering the tomb they saw a young mansitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,and they were utterly amazed.He said to them, "Do not be amazed!You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.He has been raised; he is not here.Behold the place where they laid him.But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'"-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 16:1-7
This reading from St. Mark’s
Gospel is called the shorter ending. “The purpose of this narrative is to show
that the tomb is empty and that Jesus has been raised and is going before you
to Galilee in fulfillment of Mark 14:28. The women find the tomb empty, and an angel stationed
there announces to them what has happened. They are told to proclaim the news
to Peter and the disciples in order to prepare them for a reunion with him.” [6]
"'He has risen': the glorious
resurrection of Jesus is the central mystery of our faith. 'If Christ has not
been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain' (1
Corinthians 15:14). It is also the basis of our
hope: 'if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still
in your sins. [. . .] If for this life
only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied' (1
Corinthians 15:17; 19). The Resurrection means
that Jesus has overcome death, sin, pain, and the power of the devil. The
Redemption which our Lord carried out through his death and resurrection is
applied to the believer by means of the sacraments, especially by baptism and
the Eucharist: 'We were buried with him by baptism and death, so that as Christ
was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we might walk in newness
of life' (Romans
6:4). 'He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day' (John 6:54). The resurrection of Christ is also the role of our new
life: 'If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that
are above, not on things that are on earth' Colossians
3:1-2). Rising with Christ through grace means
that 'just as Jesus Christ through his resurrection began a new immortal and
heavenly life, so we must begin a new life according to the Spirit, once and
for all renouncing sin and everything that leads us to sin, loving only God and
everything that leads to God (St Pius X, "Catechism", 77).'"[7]
CCC: Mk 16:1 641, 2174; Mk 16:2 2174; Mk 16:5-7 333; Mk 16:7 652
-------------------------------------------
Or:
At an afternoon or
evening Mass: Luke 24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were goingto a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,and they were conversing about all the things that had
occurred.And it happened that while they were conversing and
debating,Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?"They stopped, looking downcast.One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalemwho does not know of the thingsthat have taken place there in these days?"And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,who was a prophet mighty in deed and wordbefore God and all the people,how our chief priests and rulers both handed him overto a sentence of death and crucified him.But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem
Israel;and besides all this,it is now the third day since this took place.Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body;they came back and reportedthat they had indeed seen a vision of angelswho announced that he was alive.Then some of those with us went to the tomband found things just as the women had described,but him they did not see."And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these
thingsand enter into his glory?"Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,he interpreted to them what referred to himin all the Scriptures.As they approached the village to which they were going,he gave the impression that he was going on farther.But they urged him, "Stay with us,for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."So he went in to stay with them.And it happened that, while he was with them at table,he took bread, said the blessing,broke it, and gave it to them.With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,but he vanished from their sight.Then they said to each other,"Were not our hearts burning within uswhile he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to
us?"So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalemwhere they found gathered togetherthe eleven and those with them who were saying,"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to
Simon!"Then the two recounted what had taken place on the wayand how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 24:13-35
This
story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus is found only in Luke’s Gospel.
There is a mention in Mark (Mark 16;12) that is
vague but probably refers to this event. The actual location of Emmaus is not
known, but it is estimated that it was between seven and eighteen miles from
Jerusalem. The focus of the story is the unrecognized Jesus (similar: in John 20:11-18, Mary
Magdalene thought he was a gardener). Jesus interprets Scripture and then
he is recognized in the breaking of the bread (the Eucharistic reference).
"In
the course of their conversation with Jesus, the disciples' mood changes from
sadness to joy; they begin to hope again and feel the need to share their joy
with others, thus becoming heralds and witnesses of the risen Christ." [8]
CCC: Lk 24:13-49 1094; Lk 24:13-35 1329, 1347; Lk 24:15 645, 659; Lk 24:17 643; Lk 24:21 439; Lk 24:22-23 640; Lk 24:25-27 112, 601; Lk 24:26-27 572, 652; Lk 24:26 555, 710; Lk 24:27 555, 2625; Lk 24:30 645, 1166; Lk 24:31 659; Lk 24:34 552, 641
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
What would you do if, a day after you buried your best
friend, someone ran up to you and told you they had just gone out to put
flowers on the grave and found it empty?
In this day and age, you might think perhaps the cemetery workers had
needed to exhume the casket, perhaps a mistake had been made. You might think that grave robbers had done
something heinous. It is highly
unlikely, no matter how spirit-filled your best friend may have been, that you
would think, “Oh, my friend must have risen from the dead.” Whatever your
thoughts might be, we can bet you would have them while rushing to the
graveside.
That is essentially the picture painted by St. John in his
Gospel story today. Further, thoughts
about officials having moved the body, or grave robbers having stolen the body,
were most likely the thoughts Peter and John were thinking as they ran toward
the tomb after Mary Magdala told them she found it open.
And when they arrived and saw the tomb empty, we can only
imagine the heart-stopping shock they felt.
It was as Mary had said, and things were even stranger than that. They feared that the temple guards had hired
vandals to steal the body (no Jew would have defiled themselves during the
Passover by touching a dead body), or perhaps the Romans had wanted to somehow
discredit Jesus by taking his body away.
But if they had done that, why leave the burial cloths in the tomb? And even stranger, why roll up the covering
of the head and place it in a different place?
It would be like us arriving at the disappearance of our best friend and
finding they had taken the body but left the clothing. (If you are interested
in seeing beautiful speculation on the aftermath of Jesus’ resurrection, try to
see the movie “Risen.”)
To understand how confounding this event must have been, we
need to understand what these disciples of Jesus believed about him and about
death. First, and we must be clear about
this, they absolutely knew Jesus was dead.
They saw him die and they saw the guard shove a lance into his chest to
make sure. The Romans were experts at
killing, there was no question, Jesus was dead.
Jews of Jesus’ day were divided about what happened after
death. The Sadducees and most
conservative Jews believed that when you died – that was it – you ended
completely. We find this expressed in
the psalms where we hear the psalmist pleading with God to continue his
physical life because once he has returned to dust, he can no longer praise
God. Others believed in some murky
existence in a place called Sheol. A
place of the dead, not quite hell as we know it, but an unhappy place. Still others at the time of Christ, notably
some of the Pharisees, believed in the resurrection of the just (those who had
been faithful to God during their lives) at the end of the age – the end times.
The disciples of Jesus were likely believers in this final
view, that at the end of time, Jesus would be raised up with the rest of the
just. In their wildest dreams they did
not suspect that what they found at the tomb pointed to Jesus’
resurrection. The Gospel even says
so. We hear at the end of St. John’s
Gospel “For they did not yet understand
the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.”
In this Easter therefore, the disciples would have been
facing a huge mystery. It would not be
until later that they understood, when Jesus actually appeared to them and
invited them to inspect his wounds to let them know he was not a ghost. It was only then that the magnitude of what
had taken place would strike them. This
revelation would send them scattering across the known world proclaiming the
Good News. That is the Easter
Proclamation: Jesus has risen from the dead and that was done for us.
The question we must ask ourselves as we rejoice once more
in this knowledge is what does this event mean for us? In what way does it
affect us and the way we live our lives?
To answer those questions, we must answer this one: Why did Jesus, the
Only Begotten Son of God, come to earth as man and endure suffering and death
at the hands of a people he came to save?
It is a question that we each must answer for ourselves because it is
only then that the answer will affect the way we live and our ultimate disposition
at the end of time. If we believe that
he did this so that each of us might enjoy the rewards of the peace and love of
God in this life and in the next, then it should be the most important thing in
our life. If we have not yet come to the
conclusion that Jesus’ sacrifice is supremely important in our lives, that
decision will show as well, and the benefits of faith will also be less
evident.
Today we cry out rejoicing – He is Risen! From this hour forward his gift is once more
in our hands; it is up to us what we do with it.
Pax
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2]
The picture used today is “Resurrection of Christ” by Gerard Seghers, c. 1620.
[3]
S.S. Commemoratio[4]
The readings are taken from the New American
Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by
the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication
is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.[5]
The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter
Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 699.[6]
NAB footnote on Mk 16:1-8.
[7]
The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter
Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 321-22.[8]
The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter
Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 513.
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