2019.04.21 – (Easter
Sunday) C
First Reading – Acts
10:34,37-43 ©
Responsorial Psalm –
Psalm 117(118):1-2,16-17,22-23 ©
Second Reading – Colossians
3:1-4 ©
Alternative Second Reading
– 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 ©
Gospel Acclamation – 1 Corinthians
5:7-8
The Gospel According to John
20:1-9 ©
Alternative Reading –
Luke 24: 1-35
(NJB)
Listen, and keep this in the forefront of your
mind: God does not intervene in creation, or the free choices of human beings.
God does not intervene in our lives, at any
point in time and space.
God did not so much anoint Jesus, as did Jesus
accept the mantle of sonship to God. Jesus accepted the full burden that this
entailed, even to the extent that he went to his death, suffering on the cross.
Jesus was free to reject the ministry that had
been laid before him, but he did not. He was faithful to the end. Setting an
example for all of us, demonstrating through his life and death the true meaning
of the way.
Few people will be called to serve in the
capacity that Jesus served; to be tortured and executed for a cause that is
right and good.
Few of us have the capacity to love justice so
much that they could humbly endure what Jesus endured, and that is why we call
him the Christ, anointed with his blood and tears.
If you call yourself a Christian follow Jesus.
Do good.
Love justice.
Be merciful; be a source of healing in the
world.
This is the way of Christ
Do the best you can, not for the sake of your
salvation, but for the good of your sisters and brothers, for all women and men,
for the stranger among you; the migrant and the refugee, even for your enemy.
Follow Jesus.
Do good.
Love justice.
Be merciful; a source of healing in the world.
This is the way.
Do not forget it.
To the extent that the Apostle deviates from
this message, he is wrong, he is perpetrating lies for the sake of politics and
propaganda.
This is a tragic disservice to the memory of Jesus.
It was not to Jesus of Nazareth that the
prophets gave witness; not to Jesus specifically, but to the spirit of God that
dwelt within him, and in every other person who has taken to themselves the
mission of divine suffering.
Jesus never encouraged us to believe in him so
that we could be saved, but to believe that we are saved; by God, ipso facto, out of love, simply because
we are.
Saint Paul never saw the resurrected Jesus,
but he did see in himself something that was Christ like, and divine. He taught
us to see the same thing in each other, the figure of the risen Christ.
He moved us toward grace.
Listen!
It is true that the God is kind, loving, and
merciful.
It is true that God always comes to God’s
children in the way of kindness, love
and mercy, even when God is exercising judgment, and administering justice.
God has no enemies.
God does not dwell behind the walls of a city.
There are no gates barring access to God.
God is in all places, at all times and in the
hearts of all people.
God does not favor one child above another.
God is a bringing of life, not death.
God loves peace, not war.
If you meet victory in battle or in any other
conflict or contest, do not confuse this with God’s will.
Be mindful of this.
Let us not pretend that life is waiting for us
on the other side of the veil.
True life is the life we live here on Earth.
We are called on by our faith to live this life as if we believed that the
promise of our salvation were true, and already accomplished.
Imagine the holy family of God, of God who
created the universe and everything in it.
Imagine living with the holy family in that
garden now, at peace, without want or enmity, imagine that place where we can
see clearly that our relationships with each other are more important than
gold, and silver, more important than anything.
That is the place of true life, and we are
called to live that life openly.
We must make a change, go back to our
beginnings, to the simplicity of a child’s heart and grow ourselves anew.
Consider the teaching of the Apostle.
For the Apostle; yeast is an agent of change.
It transforms us as it does bread.
We are the bread.
The apostle wants to take us back to a place
before we were corrupted by the yeast of worldly influence, by the corruption
of sin.
In this metaphor, yeast is the power of sin.
The followers of Christ are asked to reject
the yeast and return to a state of purity, returning us to the unleavened
state, a place that is simple and good.
Adding yeast to the dough allows the bread to
rise, it adds flavor and pleasure, but it also corrupts the loaf.
The
Gospel reading for the day does not offer a great deal of theology to engage with.
The narrative is brief. And relatively straight-forward.
It
was dark on Sunday morning, when Mary Magdala came to the tomb. She had been at
the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified. It was she who anointed him for
burial, and she was the first to receive the revelation that Jesus had risen.
It
was dark when she arrived at the tomb, but not completely, in the dim light of
morning she saw a hint of the truth that would unfold as the sun rose, and fit illed
the day with light.
She
saw the stone rolled away from the tomb, and found the tomb empty.
At
first she assumed that someone had come and removed the body of Jesus; taken
and hidden him somewhere.
She
hurried to find the others, to tell them what she had found. When the other
disciples arrived on the scene and explored the empty tomb for themselves, the
understanding of what had transpired began to take hold.
They
saw the empty tomb, the burial garments cast aside, and they understood that
Jesus had been raised from the dead.
On
that belief, and on the strength of their witness the Church was born, but the
Church was not built on the foundation of Peter’s faith. It was built on the
faith of women; the women who never abandoned Jesus, the women who did
everything in their power to make smooth the path that was in front of him.
Throughout
his ministry it was the women who surrounded him, the women who always knew, who
always understood the power of his message. They were never confused about his
mission. They always understood how it would end.
While
his male disciples tripped over themselves, doubted him, doubted each other,
vied for supremacy, betrayed him, denied him, sold him into captivity; while
all of that was going on, the women were steadfast by his side. They anointed
him, they witnessed his trial, they stood by him as he was crucified, they
buried him, they waited by the tomb, and they were the first to see him risen.
God
bless these women, and their faith, it was a comfort to Jesus in his final
hours.
After
all that they had witnessed those same foolish men put the women aside. Took
over the narrative, and did their best to wash their names from the Gospel.
The story of the church became less and less
about Easter morning, and more and more about the days and weeks that followed.
The Gospel writers became confused with questions
about who Jesus was, about his rank among the prophets, about his historical
connection to Moses, about the proof of his ministry that was given in the
scriptures/
In their confusion they began to make up
stories to validate their claims, and this was all unnecessary.
It was contrary to the Spirit of Truth they
were ostensibly committed to serve.
They had learned a great deal from Jesus about
the way, but not enough. They
continued to fall back on their same mistakes, mistakes that were fueled by
fear and ignorance, arrogance and pride.
Jesus did not perform miracles in order to
prove to anyone that he was a child of God. He stressed the fact that we are
all the children of God, even the leper and the thief, the unmarried woman and
the outcast.
Jesus did not come to work magic, to provide
signs and wonders, because that is not how God, the creator of the universe, works
in the world.
The core truth in this Gospel passage is not
the long story about encountering Jesus, listening to him expound the scriptures,
offering proofs and arguments.
The signal truth is this, “they recognized him
in the breaking of the bread.”
They had the opportunity to see Jesus in the
man they encountered on the road, but they did not see him in this stranger.
They had the opportunity to see Jesus in the
faith of the woman at the tomb, but they could not understand it, or accept it
in the moment
Jesus was dead, and yet the way which he had personified remained in front of them, the way is the living witness of God’s
intention for creation.
The disciples were finally able to see the way, when they broke bread with the
stranger, they found it in the meal they shared and not the words and arguments
that were spoken.
The way is
community.
Jesus is found in the trust we give to others.
The way is
sharing things in common.
Jesus is present in the hope we kindle in the stranger.
The way is love.
Love
has no boundaries, not even death can stop it.
First Reading – Acts
10:34,37-43 ©
'We Have Eaten and Drunk
with Him After His Resurrection'
Peter
addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘You must have heard about the recent
happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee,
after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy
Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing
good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and
those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of
Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and also to the fact that they killed him by
hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life and allowed
him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had
chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with
him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim
this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge
everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness:
that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm
117(118):1-2,16-17,22-23 ©
This day was made by the
Lord: we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia!
Give
thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love has no end.
Let
the sons of Israel say:
‘His love has no end.’
This day was made by the
Lord: we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia!
The
Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
his right hand raised me up.
I
shall not die, I shall live
and recount his deeds.
This day was made by the
Lord: we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia!
The
stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This
is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.
This day was made by the
Lord: we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia!
Second Reading – Colossians
3:1-4 ©
Look for the Things that
are in Heaven, where Christ Is
Since
you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the
things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let
your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth,
because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God.
But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in
all your glory with him.
Alternative Second Reading
– 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 ©
Get Rid of the Old Yeast
and Make Yourselves Unleavened as You were Meant to Be
You
must know how even a small amount of yeast is enough to leaven all the dough,
so get rid of all the old yeast, and make yourselves into a completely new
batch of bread, unleavened as you are meant to be. Christ, our passover, has
been sacrificed; let us celebrate the feast, then, by getting rid of all the
old yeast of evil and wickedness, having only the unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth.
Gospel Acclamation – 1 Corinthians
5:7-8
Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ,
our passover, has been sacrificed: let us celebrate the feast then, in the
Lord.
Alleluia!
The Gospel According to John
20:1-9 ©
He Must Rise from the Dead
It
was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of
Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the
tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus
loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know
where they have put him.’
So
Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but
the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent
down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon
Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen
cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was
not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other
disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.
Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that
he must rise from the dead.
Luke 24: 1-35
Why Look Among the Dead
for Someone who is Alive?
On
the first day of the week, at the first sign of dawn, they went to the tomb
with the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled
away from the tomb, but on entering discovered that the body of the Lord Jesus
was not there. As they stood there not knowing what to think, two men in
brilliant clothes suddenly appeared at their side. Terrified, the women lowered
their eyes. But the two men said to them, ‘Why look among the dead for someone
who is alive? He is not here; he has risen. Remember what he told you when he
was still in Galilee: that the Son of Man had to be handed over into the power
of sinful men and be crucified, and rise again on the third day?’ And they
remembered his words.
When
the women returned from the tomb they told all this to the Eleven and to all
the others. The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of
James. The other women with them also told the apostles, but this story of
theirs seemed pure nonsense, and they did not believe them.
Peter,
however, went running to the tomb. He bent down and saw the binding cloths but
nothing else; he then went back home, amazed at what had happened.
They Recognised Him at
the Breaking of Bread
Two
of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven
miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had
happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by
their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them,
‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their
faces downcast.
Then
one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying
in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these
last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they
answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in
the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our
leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our
own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not
all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our
group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when
they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of
angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and
found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’
Then
he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the
prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into
his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he
explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about
himself.
When
they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on;
but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and
the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with
them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and
handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he
had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our
hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the
scriptures to us?’
They
set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven
assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true.
The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of
what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking
of bread.
Easter Sunday – Easter
(Year C)
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