Easter Sunday, The resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Also Read: Mass Readings for 09 April 2023 Homily for 09 April 2023 – Sunday
First Reading: Acts 10: 34a, 37-43
We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. (39-41)
Alleluia!! The Lord has risen.
In the verses preceding this passage, (Acts 10:1-33) Peter is dramatically and wonderfully sent for by Cornelius. Here he testifies to Cornelius and his household about the Lord’s ministry while he was here on earth, his death, resurrection, and even after that how he ate and drank with them! (Luke 24: 41-43) The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t just rise like say Lazarus from the dead! But Christ carried his body in a glorified and transcendent manner. He was beyond time and space, unlike Lazarus! He met the disciples at Emmaus and then appeared through the closed doors to the apostles in Jerusalem! (Luke 24: 13-43) Christ rose and ascended into heaven in the same glorious, resurrected body. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches this mystery in CCC 645 – 646, titled ‘Christ’s Risen Humanity’. We eat and drink with him today in the Holy Eucharist! Praise God, we have thus been blessed.
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (43)
Peter further welcomes Cornelius and thus all gentiles (us), into Christ’s saving mystery.
Alleluia!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! (1)
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. (17)
This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. (23)
Alleluia!
Second Reading: Colossians 3: 1-4
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (1)
Let us be mindful of this truth. When we filter our plans based on the above verse we will know where we belong!
In Jesus’ name, Amen! Alleluia!
Gospel: John 20: 1-9
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. (6-9)
Our Lord Jesus Christ’s incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension must be approached with faith. With just our human reasoning we will never be able to understand this great mystery. There is no written account of how exactly Christ rose from the dead, what took place in the early hours of the dawn, before Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb is not described in words anywhere! The disciple whom “Jesus loved” too, had to first see the linen wrappings and only then he believed! All of this precisely points to the fact that there is no human intervention involved at all. May we see in our hearts and believe, as did St. John. Let us always revere and love the Risen Lord Jesus Christ who dwells in us. Amen.
Happy Easter Dear Sisters and Brothers! The Lord Lives and Reigns Forever, Amen! May your hearts be filled with Peace and Joy. Alleluia!
