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Gospel/Readings/Reflection – Easter

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Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord
The Mass of Easter Day

Lectionary: 42

Reading I

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

118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

R.  (24) 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 II

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:

I 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

Victimae 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.

Alleluia

Cf. 1 Cor 5:7b-8a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed;
let us then feast with joy in the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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.

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A thought for the beginning of Holy week….
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Sin starts with giving in to small temptations, Pope Francis warns…

By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Apr 4, 2020 / 03:51 am (CNA).- Before we commit a sin, there were usually small temptations which we let grow in our soul, eventually making excuses for ourselves and our fall, Pope Francis said during Mass Saturday.

“That process which makes us change our hearts from good to bad, which takes us downhill,” he said April 4, is “something which grows, slowly grows, then infects others and ultimately excuses itself.”

Speaking from the chapel of his Vatican residence, the Casa Santa Marta, the pope advised first seeking forgiveness, and then reflecting on the temptations which preceded your fall into sin, considering also whether you have led others to sin.

“When we find ourselves in a sin, in a fall, yes, we must go to ask the Lord for forgiveness, it is the first [step] that we must take,” he urged.

But then ask yourselves, he said: “How did I come to fall there? How did this process start in my soul? How did it grow? Who have I infected? And how in the end did I justify myself for falling?”

Francis argued that “the devil is cunning” and usually tempts people to sin gradually: “it starts with a little thing, with a desire, an idea grows, infects others and ultimately, justifies itself.”

This process of temptation is illustrated in the day’s Gospel from St. John, he said.

In the Gospel, the chief priests and the Pharisees have met to discuss Jesus, who is causing them anxiety because through his signs, many Jews have begun to believe in him, and they feel they must do something.

The high priest Caiphas said Jesus should be killed, defending the decision with his prophecy, saying “it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people.”

Quoting the Gospel, Francis said “from that day therefore they decided to kill him.”

He explained that the Pharisees and chief priests justified killing Jesus to themselves, because if they did not, the occupying Romans “will destroy our temple and our nation,” but what brought them to this decision was a gradual process that “began with small concerns in the time of John the Baptist and then ended in this assembly.”

After this meeting, “everyone went home quietly,” the pope noted. They felt this was the decision they had to make.

This, the pope said, is “a figure of how temptation operates in us.”

Before Mass, Francis had noted that in difficult times, such as the present coronavirus pandemic, people are given the opportunity to do good.

But there are also plenty of people, he said, who take advantage of the moment for their own profit.

“Let us pray today that the Lord give us all a righteous conscience, a transparent conscience, which can be seen by God without being ashamed,” he urged.

In his homily, the pope recalled once again that behind every sin there is temptation, “which started small, which has grown.”

“All of us, when we are overcome by temptation, end up calm, because we have found a justification for this sin, for this sinful attitude, for this life not according to the law of God. We should have the habit of seeing this process of temptation in us,” he advised, adding that “the Holy Spirit enlightens us in this inner knowledge.”

Being Catholic in a Secular world

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Being Catholic in a Secular World

BY  ON
"Being Catholic in a secular world" by Andrea Bear (CatholicMom.com)

Working in the secular world requires a lot of contemplation and awareness. Celebrating our  catholic faith in a society that doesn’t always celebrate Christianity or religious life can often times feel very lonely? As a teacher I know that keeping God out of the classroom and living a holy life is one of my biggest struggles.  It has sometimes felt like living a double life.

I came to this realization when I started a job in a rigorous academic setting. I was surrounded by highly educated agnostic or atheist personalities and I struggled with how to find my place in the mix of it. How do I celebrate my faith and proclaim God when He is forbidden in schools, and how do I acknowledge Him around those who don’t believe? I made the bold move one Ash Wednesday and decided to receive my ashes at the early service before I went to work. When I entered into the school I had many students who were curious, and I had others who, unbeknownst to me, were also Catholic themselves. I had many students ask about my ashes.

So when students asked about them I told them. Many students were very curious as to what the ashes meant and wanted to understand this. I treated this just like it was any cultural experience. If we are asked, we are obligated to share and respond. I have never forced any belief on a student or a colleague, but when called to duty it is my job to serve as an ambassador. I think what I have also found is that it was okay to share my faith, but I could not force my faith on anyone, because that’s not what Jesus wants us to do anyway.

In my opinion, it would be the same with any belief. I don’t like this, or I don’t believe in that.

I started praying on the matter, and through the deep soul-searching and delving into my faith I realized that I don’t have to hide it or deny it I just couldn’t proclaim it for all. In the classroom, I can’t declare my beliefs and tell the students they should believe what I believe, but nowhere, to my knowledge, does it say a teacher can’t wear a crucifix or acknowledge their faith. On the contrary, I can’t assert what I believe and force to encourage students, but I have recognized that its okay to be aware of where I come from.

I have also realized that in this process my colleagues have respect for  me whether they agree with it or not.

So here are five truths that I’ve come to realize about being a Catholic in a secular world:

  1. It’s okay to be Catholic: Denying your faith is denying God.
  2. Don’t force your faith on others.Jesus doesn’t want people to feel forced, he wants us to choose to come to Him and that is why He gave us free will. (And honestly, it’s just plain tacky.)
  3. Do all things with love. Don’t boast to get attention or seek awareness. If you share, do it with the compassion and the right reason, not as a defense or an attack.
  4. Serve as a model rather than as a preacher. Actions speak louder than words. “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.” (author unknown)
  5. Pray for those around you. Prayer is so powerful.