The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Easter Sunday, resonate with triumph, joy, and hope in the Love of Father, Son, and Spirit as our resurrection.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles proclaims that Gentiles hear the Good News.
* [10:34–43] Peter’s speech to the household of Cornelius typifies early Christian preaching to Gentiles.
* [10:34–35] The revelation of God’s choice of Israel to be the people of God did not mean he withheld the divine favor from other people.
* [10:36–43] These words are more directed to Luke’s Christian readers than to the household of Cornelius, as indicated by the opening words, “You know.” They trace the continuity between the preaching and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and the proclamation of Jesus by the early community. The emphasis on this divinely ordained continuity (Acts 10:41) is meant to assure Luke’s readers of the fidelity of Christian tradition to the words and deeds of Jesus.
* [10:36] To the Israelites: Luke, in the words of Peter, speaks of the prominent position occupied by Israel in the history of salvation.
* [10:38] Jesus of Nazareth: God’s revelation of his plan for the destiny of humanity through Israel culminated in Jesus of Nazareth. Consequently, the ministry of Jesus is an integral part of God’s revelation. This viewpoint explains why the early Christian communities were interested in conserving the historical substance of the ministry of Jesus, a tradition leading to the production of the four gospels.
* [10:39] We are witnesses: the apostolic testimony was not restricted to the resurrection of Jesus but also included his historical ministry. This witness, however, was theological in character; the Twelve, divinely mandated as prophets, were empowered to interpret his sayings and deeds in the light of his redemptive death and resurrection. The meaning of these words and deeds was to be made clear to the developing Christian community as the bearer of the word of salvation (cf. Acts 1:21–26). Hanging him on a tree: see note on 5:30.
* [10:42] As judge of the living and the dead: the apostolic preaching to the Jews appealed to their messianic hope, while the preaching to Gentiles stressed the coming divine judgment; cf. 1 Thes 1:10.
* [10:44] Just as the Jewish Christians received the gift of the Spirit, so too do the Gentiles. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 118 is a Song of Victory.
* [Psalm 118] A thanksgiving liturgy accompanying a procession of the king and the people into the Temple precincts. After an invocation in the form of a litany (Ps 118:1–4), the psalmist (very likely speaking in the name of the community) describes how the people confidently implored God’s help (Ps 118:5–9) when hostile peoples threatened its life (Ps 118:10–14); vividly God’s rescue is recounted (Ps 118:15–18). Then follows a possible dialogue at the Temple gates between the priests and the psalmist as the latter enters to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice (Ps 118:19–25). Finally, the priests impart their blessing (Ps 118:26–27), and the psalmist sings in gratitude (Ps 118:28–29).
* [118:22] The stone the builders rejected: a proverb: what is insignificant to human beings has become great through divine election. The “stone” may originally have meant the foundation stone or capstone of the Temple. The New Testament interpreted the verse as referring to the death and resurrection of Christ (Mt 21:42; Acts 4:11; cf. Is 28:16 and Rom 9:33; 1 Pt 2:7).
* [118:25] Grant salvation: the Hebrew for this cry has come into English as “Hosanna.” This cry and the words in Ps 118:26 were used in the gospels to welcome Jesus entering the Temple on Palm Sunday (Mk 11:9–10). (Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter to the Colossians proclaims the New Life in Christ.
* [3:1–4] By retaining the message of the gospel that the risen, living Christ is the source of their salvation, the Colossians will be free from false religious evaluations of the things of the world (Col 3:1–2). They have died to these; but one day when Christ…appears, they will live with Christ in the presence of God (Col 3:3–4). (Colossians, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians seeks the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
* [5:6] A little yeast: yeast, which induces fermentation, is a natural symbol for a source of corruption that becomes all-pervasive. The expression is proverbial.
* [5:7–8] In the Jewish calendar, Passover was followed immediately by the festival of Unleavened Bread. In preparation for this feast all traces of old bread were removed from the house, and during the festival only unleavened bread was eaten. The sequence of these two feasts provides Paul with an image of Christian existence: Christ’s death (the true Passover celebration) is followed by the life of the Christian community, marked by newness, purity, and integrity (a perpetual feast of unleavened bread). Paul may have been writing around Passover time (cf. 1 Cor 16:5); this is a little Easter homily, the earliest in Christian literature. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of John presents The Resurrection of Jesus
* [20:1–31] The risen Jesus reveals his glory and confers the Spirit. This story fulfills the basic need for testimony to the resurrection. What we have here is not a record but a series of single stories.
* [20:1–10] The story of the empty tomb is found in both the Matthean and the Lucan traditions; John’s version seems to be a fusion of the two.
* [20:1] Still dark: according to Mark the sun had risen, Matthew describes it as “dawning,” and Luke refers to early dawn. Mary sees the stone removed, not the empty tomb.
* [20:2] Mary runs away, not directed by an angel/young man as in the synoptic accounts. The plural “we” in the second part of her statement might reflect a tradition of more women going to the tomb.
* [20:3–10] The basic narrative is told of Peter alone in Lk 24:12, a verse missing in important manuscripts and which may be borrowed from tradition similar to John. Cf. also Lk 24:24.
* [20:6–8] Some special feature about the state of the burial cloths caused the beloved disciple to believe. Perhaps the details emphasized that the grave had not been robbed.
* [20:9] Probably a general reference to the scriptures is intended, as in Lk 24:26 and 1 Cor 15:4. Some individual Old Testament passages suggested are Ps 16:10; Hos 6:2; Jon 2:1, 2, 10.
* [20:11–18] This appearance to Mary is found only in John, but cf. Mt 28:8–10 and Mk 16:9–11.
* [20:16] Rabbouni: Hebrew or Aramaic for “my master.”
* [20:17] Stop holding on to me: see Mt 28:9, where the women take hold of his feet. I have not yet ascended: for John and many of the New Testament writers, the ascension in the theological sense of going to the Father to be glorified took place with the resurrection as one action. This scene in John dramatizes such an understanding, for by Easter night Jesus is glorified and can give the Spirit. Therefore his ascension takes place immediately after he has talked to Mary. In such a view, the ascension after forty days described in Acts 1:1–11 would be simply a termination of earthly appearances or, perhaps better, an introduction to the conferral of the Spirit upon the early church, modeled on Elisha’s being able to have a (double) share in the spirit of Elijah if he saw him being taken up (same verb as ascending) into heaven (2 Kgs 2:9–12). To my Father and your Father, to my God and your God: this echoes Ru 1:16: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” The Father of Jesus will now become the Father of the disciples because, once ascended, Jesus can give them the Spirit that comes from the Father and they can be reborn as God’s children (Jn 3:5). That is why he calls them my brothers. (John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that we are of the slow earth and our coming to life takes time. Jesus rose once and for all days and all the earth and for all its peoples.
There is a slowness in us; we are not risen, nor awake to our being the disciples whom Jesus loved then and loves now. There are our earthly roots and our historical leaves covering our growabilities. Where is the joy for us who are not yet totally warmed by His light?
The Son also rises for us; His insistence is a continuation of His faithfulness which moved Him towards and to His cross. Our joy is that He rose once and for us. He peeks over the margins of our earthliness more than on one early spring morning. Our Easter joy is not that we have to go and find Him, nor run to a Sunrise Service early one morning. Our joy is that He rose to find us, to help us remove the leaves of deadly yesterdays and to bring His life into the acts of the disciples He loves. (Gillick, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “The Womb of the Earth Gives Birth,” by Hesychius of Jerusalem, died around 450 A.D.
"Hidden first in a womb of flesh, he sanctified human birth by his own birth. Hidden afterward in the womb of the earth, he gave life to the dead by his resurrection. Suffering, pain and sighs have now fled away. For who has known the mind of God, or who has been his counselor if not the Word made flesh who was nailed to the cross, who rose from the dead and who was taken up into heaven? This day brings a message of joy: it is the day of the Lord's resurrection when, with himself, he raised up the race of Adam. Born for the sake of human beings, he rose from the dead with them. On this day paradise is opened by the risen one, Adam is restored to life and Eve is consoled. On this day the divine call is heard, the kingdom is prepared, we are saved and Christ is adored. On this day, when he had trampled death under foot, made the tyrant a prisoner and despoiled the underworld, Christ ascended into heaven as a king in victory, as a ruler in glory, as an invincible charioteer. He said to the Father, 'Here am I, O God, with the children you have given me.' And he heard the Father's reply, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool' (Psalm 110:1)." To him be glory, now and for ever, through endless ages. Amen. [excerpt from EASTER HOMILY 5-6]
Hesychius of Jerusalem was a priest and a Scripture scholar who worked with Jerome and Cyril of Jerusalem. He wrote a commentary on the whole Bible.He died around 450 AD. (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Colossians 3:1-4 comments that recalling these truths can lead us into another experience of Easter joy: the joy of serving the Lord and his people. Peter must have been overjoyed when Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15). His failures and sins—even his denial of the Lord—had been washed away! Now he could participate in the mission of the risen Christ. As we serve Jesus today—by loving others, by sharing our faith, or by joyfully preparing a family meal—believe that, just like Peter, you are also participating in Jesus’ mission. And that is a true and certain path to joy.
Easter joy is not just about gathering for Mass or enjoying a feast or wearing a special outfit—you know that! It comes about through faith and service, and it can last all year long. So set your heart on “what is above” today (Colossians 3:2). Then hear Jesus say, “Come and share in my joy!”
“Jesus, I rejoice in your resurrection!” (Meditation on Colossians 3:1-4, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the kerygma first teaching of the Gospel to Cornellius, a God fearer, who was familiar with Jewish tradition. The texts from Paul proclaim Jesus at the right hand of God and Passover symbolism urging us to be rid of the leaven of malice and selfishness. Friar Jude reminds us that love yields to authority in John’s Gospel and the Beloved Disciple may be portrayed as the better disciple.
Iona Reid-Dalglish,a spiritual director and a member of the retreat team at St Beuno's Jesuit Spirituality Centre in North Wales, asks “What does the framework of Ignatian spiritual direction tell us about how we meet the risen Christ in our everyday lives?”
Pope Francis, in a recent address to his Jesuit brothers, encouraged them to pray persistently for consolation for themselves.[1] Initially we might respond in surprise at that sort of petitionary prayer. It doesn’t seem very self-less. ‘God, please console me’, can come across as selfish and thoroughly me-focused, generally not traits held up as Christian virtues.
I would like to suggest four key things that Ignatian spiritual direction might tell us about encountering the risen Christ, which offer a possible answer. Firstly, that we encounter Christ in the reality of our lives. Secondly, that Christ enters into that reality as consoler. Thirdly, that this consolation is how Christ enables people to live lives of discipleship. Fourthly, that Christ calls us to collaborate in that same consoling action of his today. If these are the case, then they invite a response. By opting for the path of consolation, indeed asking for the grace of consolation, Ignatius, the pope and the Jesuits are choosing to find and respond to the action of the risen Christ in the world. (Reid-Dalglish, 2017)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, explains how the resurrection offers us hope, especially in challenging times.
Easter is the feast of hope. This is the feast that says God will have the last word and that God’s final judgment is resurrection. God will turn all that we maim and destroy and hurt and punish into life and beauty.
What the resurrection reveals more than anything else is that love is stronger than death. Jesus walks the way of death with love, and what it becomes is not death but life. Surprise of surprises! It doesn’t fit any logical explanation. Yet this is the mystery: that nothing dies forever, and that all that has died will be reborn in love.
So to be a Christian is to be inevitably and forever a person of hope. God in Christ is saying this is what will last: my life and my love will always and forever have the final word. (Rohr, 2017)
We celebrate today as a day of triumph of full life and hope that love, truth, and goodness as proclaimed in Jesus Life is experienced in all Creation.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/10?34
Colossians, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/3?1
Gillick, L. (2024, March 31). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/033124.html
John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?1
Meditation on Colossians 3:1-4. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/03/31/927581/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/5?6
Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/118?1
Reid-Dalglish, I. (2017, November 9). The Risen Christ, the consoler. Thinking Faith. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/risen-christ-consoler
Rohr, R. (2017, November 9). Resurrection Is Assured. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/resurrection-is-assured/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=mar31a
