Mary Magdalene at Jesus' Tomb from lds.com


The Resurrection of the Lord
The Mass of Easter Sunday
Lectionary: 42
20 APRIL 2014

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 baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both 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 people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

R/ This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R/ 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:
R/ 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:
R/ Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has 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:
R/ Alleluia

Reading 2 COL 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.

Or 1 COR 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.

Sequence - Victimæ Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.


("The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection" by Eugene Burnand)

Gospel JN 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.

Gospel Reading: John 20:1-9

*On the third day after Jesus’ death on the cross Mary Magdalene, accompanied by some other women (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 23:55—24:1), come to the tomb fully expecting to find Jesus’ body. Imagine her reaction when she finds the heavy stone rolled back and the body gone! Her first thought was to run to tell Peter, the leader of the remaining apostles.

*Although Peter at first doubted her story (Luke 24:11), he and “the other apostle” (by tradition, John), also run to the tomb. They find the burial cloths in such a state that made it clear that the body had not been stolen (verses 6-7). At this point, they still could not grasp that Jesus had risen, as he predicted he would. Later, however, they would have no doubt.

*That Jesus rose from the dead is the most well-attested miracle in Scripture. The Old Testament foretold it; Jesus predicted it on more than one occasion; it was confirmed by his several appearances (John 20:19—21:1; Acts 1:3; Luke 24:13-35; 1 Corinthian 15:3-8). It was even verified by the Roman soldiers guarding his tomb ((Matthew 28:11-15)

* Let us rejoice today that Jesus has defeated sin and death—Alleluia! He is risen indeed!

QUESTIONS:

+In the 1st Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is speaking to the first Gentile (non-Jewish) converts to Christianity. What was their response to his message that the Jesus they had heard something about had been raised from the dead (see Acts 10:44-49)? What should our reaction be?

+According to St. Paul in the 2nd Reading, what should we be preoccupied with (verse 2)? Why? What has happened to us (verse 1, 3)? What will happen to us (verse 4)?

+Put yourself in the place of Mary. What is your emotional state in the days following the crucifixion? Why do you go to the tomb so early? How do you react to the empty tomb?

+According to the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, how long was Jesus dead and his body in the tomb (John 2:18-22; Acts 10:40; CCC 994)? What did Jesus do for that time while in the tomb (1 Peter 3:19, 4:6; CCC 631-33)?

+What had the disciples been told in advance about Jesus rising from the dead (Matthew 16:21, 27:63)? How do the positions of the linen shroud and the napkin provide corroborating evidence of the Resurrection? What is your proof that Jesus rose from the dead?

+How should we respond to the empty tomb? Why did John preach the message (John 19:35,17:20; 1 John 5:13)? When a loved one dies or life seems cruel or a drudgery, how does the Resurrection of Jesus help you deal with your pain?

Bible Study--Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord--Cycle A

Closing Prayer
Catechism of the Catholic Church:  §§ 2174, 515, 631-658


"It is no great thing to believe that Christ died; for this is something that is also believed by pagans and Jews and [even] by all the wicked: everyone believes that He died. The Christians' faith is in Christ's Resurrection; that is what we hold to be a great thing--to believe that He rose."  –St Augustine

Thanks and Happy Easter to you and your family. He has risen.

Thank you, Brother!

and a most joyous Easter to you and yours!

Repeated the Baptismal Vow at my church in the place of the Creed, a nice change of pace.

I didn't know that painting existed until this weekend.

We did the Vigil for the first time and don't think we'll miss it again. It was special.

Our pastor did get a new holy water sprinkler. I've never seen a priest so happy, soaked up to his own elbow.  He nailed one of the other priests and the whole church started laughing. My wife sat in a puddle. Good time. Also when the church kicked into the Gloria after the last OT was awesome.