For Sunday, March 31,
2024, Readings: Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11,
John 20:1-18
Peter began to speak..."I truly understand
that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does
what is right is acceptable..."[Jesus] commanded us to preach to the
people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living
and the dead...everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins
through his name.
Give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good; his mercy endures forever....On this day the Lord has acted and we will rejoice and be
glad in it. [Psalm 118:1, 24]
For I handed on to you as of first
importance...that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance
with the scriptures... [1 Corinthians 15:3-4]
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said
to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher)…Jesus said to her…”go to my
brothers and say to them I am ascending to my Father…” Mary Magdalene went and
announced to the disciples...”I have seen the Lord…” [John 20:16-18]
EASTER is here! Hallelujah!!
Christ IS Risen!!!
There
are four Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This year we
hear from the Gospel of John who tells us of Mary the Magdalene’s weeping at
the tomb and, looking in, seeing two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had
been placed. The angels asked why she was weeping. She turned around and saw
Jesus but didn’t recognize him at first and then, she did…
How
long has it been since you took some time to reflect on what Easter actually
means to you? How would you describe it? Listen to the readings as they are given
aloud. If you weren’t listening or weren’t in Church, or if you did both, it’s
easy now to find them on YouTube as so many Churches have been recording since
the Pandemic. Take a listen and later, read the different accounts of the same
event in different translations.*
Take
notes as you reflect on what surprises you and what questions arise. Notice the
similarities and differences. Wonder, and try to decide, if one account speaks
to you more than another and why? Visualize yourself in the time and place. Ask
yourself: So what? ~ What does it all mean for my life today,
tomorrow, and beyond? What will I start doing ~ or stop doing ~ as a result of
reflecting on Christ's Death and Resurrection? Put your notes in a
Bible or somewhere you can find them. Mark next year’s Easter on your phone’s
calendar with a reminder to do this exercise again. Then, retrieve your notes
from this year. Compare and contrast with the notes of the two years. Each time
we listen and read, we hear/see new things and can often gain a fresh
perspective and a new experience of the moments described. The
late Thomas Merton, who became a Trappist Monk after being a world traveler in
his early life, says in his book, He is Risen:
Christ is the Lord
of a history that moves. He not only holds the beginning and the end in his
hands, but he is in history with us, walking ahead of us to where we are
going…True encounter with Christ liberates something in us, a power that we did
not know we had, a hope, a capacity for life, resilience, an ability to bounce
back when we thought we were completely defeated, a capacity to grow and
change, a power of creative transformation.
How important are
the Gospel words in these times, for you?
Let us seek fresh joy, that fuels a
creative transformation. I want to dust off and resurrect my faith, to
meet and be liberated by Christ beyond the tomb. I believe that the Resurrection
of Easter requires the Cross of Good Friday, and as Christ is moving with us
and before us, our path though not easy, will surely lead us into the eternal
Easter of Life Everlasting.
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to be
in touch with those for whom the Church is always distant and unattainable, who
are isolated by age, illness, physical distance, and other reasons. A phone
call, a note, a mail-ordered or just a small-but-hand-delivered Easter basket
will go a long way to keeping Christ present by your presence in their absence
from us…a little taste of heaven on earth goes a long way.
Wherever you are on this planet whether
bursting into Spring, slipping into Autumn, or somewhere in between, today the grace of his forgiveness our is assured always, again, and still, through this Risen Lord
of All. This Son IS Risen! Hallelujah!
*The Resurrection accounts: Matthew
28:1-20, Mark 16:1-20, Luke 24:1-12 [13-44], John 20:1-18.
**For different translations, see https://www.biblegateway.com/. Just search on the passages listed and choose
from a large number of translations. Some listed such as The Good News
Bible, The Living Bible, The Message, etc., are not translations but
paraphrases by authors choosing to make the more formal Scriptural language somewhat
easier to relate the translations to everyday thoughts and speaking. It often helps
in reverse by turning back to the Scripture to understand it more clearly.
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Christ,
Risen! On this Day the Lord has acted! We will rejoice and be glad in
it. In the midst of the darkness and fear in this world, let us revel in the
Divine Light of Your Glorious Resurrection.
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Response: Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~
O Christ, Risen! ~ Your Death and
Resurrection fulfilled the Scriptures as the Sacred Victim of political murder,
feared most by those whose political power was/is merely temporal and
time-limited. Help us strive to remind those who now hold earthly power in our
World, in our Country and in our Community, that God shows no partiality
and all are acceptable and forgiven
through You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~
O Christ, Risen! Lavish Your healing grace and hope upon all who are ailing in
body, mind, or spirit, and all who give them daily care. We now join our hearts to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~
O Christ, Risen! Our grateful hearts commend to You those we love, who have
risen with You into the heavenly peace and splendor of life everlasting. We
pray especially for… add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~
O Christ, Risen! We pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently… add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~
O Christ, Risen! Infuse the leaders of Your Church with limitless energy
and interior peace, as they strive in ever more creative ways, to guide our
prayer and encourage us to follow Your Truth. We pray especially
for: add
your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
The
Celebrant adds: Holy
Redeemer Christ, Resurrected in Glory, in dying You destroyed our mortal
death; in rising You claimed salvation for our souls. Release
us from temporal distractions that entomb us in this earthly life, and set us
again on the path to our True and Eternal Life in You. We ask through the Holy
Spirit, the Divine Breath of New Life; and our Merciful Impartial Creator, who
together with You are One God in Glory, Boundless, and Everlasting. Amen.
Peter began to speak..."I truly understand
that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does
what is right is acceptable..."[Jesus] commanded us to preach to the
people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living
and the dead...everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins
through his name.
Give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good; his mercy endures forever....On this day the Lord has acted and we will rejoice and be
glad in it. [Psalm 118:1, 24]
For I handed on to you as of first
importance...that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance
with the scriptures... [1 Corinthians 15:3-4]
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said
to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher)…Jesus said to her…”go to my
brothers and say to them I am ascending to my Father…” Mary Magdalene went and
announced to the disciples...”I have seen the Lord…” [John 20:16-18]
EASTER is here! Hallelujah!!
Christ IS Risen!!!
There
are four Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This year we
hear from the Gospel of John who tells us of Mary the Magdalene’s weeping at
the tomb and, looking in, seeing two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had
been placed. The angels asked why she was weeping. She turned around and saw
Jesus but didn’t recognize him at first and then, she did…
How
long has it been since you took some time to reflect on what Easter actually
means to you? How would you describe it? Listen to the readings as they are given
aloud. If you weren’t listening or weren’t in Church, or if you did both, it’s
easy now to find them on YouTube as so many Churches have been recording since
the Pandemic. Take a listen and later, read the different accounts of the same
event in different translations.*
Take
notes as you reflect on what surprises you and what questions arise. Notice the
similarities and differences. Wonder, and try to decide, if one account speaks
to you more than another and why? Visualize yourself in the time and place. Ask
yourself: So what? ~ What does it all mean for my life today,
tomorrow, and beyond? What will I start doing ~ or stop doing ~ as a result of
reflecting on Christ's Death and Resurrection? Put your notes in a
Bible or somewhere you can find them. Mark next year’s Easter on your phone’s
calendar with a reminder to do this exercise again. Then, retrieve your notes
from this year. Compare and contrast with the notes of the two years. Each time
we listen and read, we hear/see new things and can often gain a fresh
perspective and a new experience of the moments described.
The
late Thomas Merton, who became a Trappist Monk after being a world traveler in
his early life, says in his book, He is Risen:
Christ is the Lord of a history that moves. He not only holds the beginning and the end in his hands, but he is in history with us, walking ahead of us to where we are going…True encounter with Christ liberates something in us, a power that we did not know we had, a hope, a capacity for life, resilience, an ability to bounce back when we thought we were completely defeated, a capacity to grow and change, a power of creative transformation.
How important are
the Gospel words in these times, for you?
Let us seek fresh joy, that fuels a
creative transformation. I want to dust off and resurrect my faith, to
meet and be liberated by Christ beyond the tomb. I believe that the Resurrection
of Easter requires the Cross of Good Friday, and as Christ is moving with us
and before us, our path though not easy, will surely lead us into the eternal
Easter of Life Everlasting.
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to be
in touch with those for whom the Church is always distant and unattainable, who
are isolated by age, illness, physical distance, and other reasons. A phone
call, a note, a mail-ordered or just a small-but-hand-delivered Easter basket
will go a long way to keeping Christ present by your presence in their absence
from us…a little taste of heaven on earth goes a long way.
Wherever you are on this planet whether
bursting into Spring, slipping into Autumn, or somewhere in between, today the grace of his forgiveness our is assured always, again, and still, through this Risen Lord
of All. This Son IS Risen! Hallelujah!
*The Resurrection accounts: Matthew 28:1-20, Mark 16:1-20, Luke 24:1-12 [13-44], John 20:1-18.
**For different translations, see https://www.biblegateway.com/. Just search on the passages listed and choose
from a large number of translations. Some listed such as The Good News
Bible, The Living Bible, The Message, etc., are not translations but
paraphrases by authors choosing to make the more formal Scriptural language somewhat
easier to relate the translations to everyday thoughts and speaking. It often helps
in reverse by turning back to the Scripture to understand it more clearly.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Christ,
Risen! On this Day the Lord has acted! We will rejoice and be glad in
it. In the midst of the darkness and fear in this world, let us revel in the
Divine Light of Your Glorious Resurrection.
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Response: Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! ~ Your Death and Resurrection fulfilled the Scriptures as the Sacred Victim of political murder, feared most by those whose political power was/is merely temporal and time-limited. Help us strive to remind those who now hold earthly power in our World, in our Country and in our Community, that God shows no partiality and all are acceptable and forgiven through You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! Lavish Your healing grace and hope upon all who are ailing in body, mind, or spirit, and all who give them daily care. We now join our hearts to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! Our grateful hearts commend to You those we love, who have risen with You into the heavenly peace and splendor of life everlasting. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! We pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! Infuse the leaders of Your Church with limitless energy and interior peace, as they strive in ever more creative ways, to guide our prayer and encourage us to follow Your Truth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
The Celebrant adds: Holy Redeemer Christ, Resurrected in Glory, in dying You destroyed our mortal death; in rising You claimed salvation for our souls. Release us from temporal distractions that entomb us in this earthly life, and set us again on the path to our True and Eternal Life in You. We ask through the Holy Spirit, the Divine Breath of New Life; and our Merciful Impartial Creator, who together with You are One God in Glory, Boundless, and Everlasting. Amen.
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Response: Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! ~ Your Death and Resurrection fulfilled the Scriptures as the Sacred Victim of political murder, feared most by those whose political power was/is merely temporal and time-limited. Help us strive to remind those who now hold earthly power in our World, in our Country and in our Community, that God shows no partiality and all are acceptable and forgiven through You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! Lavish Your healing grace and hope upon all who are ailing in body, mind, or spirit, and all who give them daily care. We now join our hearts to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! Our grateful hearts commend to You those we love, who have risen with You into the heavenly peace and splendor of life everlasting. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! We pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
~ O Christ, Risen! Infuse the leaders of Your Church with limitless energy and interior peace, as they strive in ever more creative ways, to guide our prayer and encourage us to follow Your Truth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Jesus is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
The Celebrant adds: Holy Redeemer Christ, Resurrected in Glory, in dying You destroyed our mortal death; in rising You claimed salvation for our souls. Release us from temporal distractions that entomb us in this earthly life, and set us again on the path to our True and Eternal Life in You. We ask through the Holy Spirit, the Divine Breath of New Life; and our Merciful Impartial Creator, who together with You are One God in Glory, Boundless, and Everlasting. Amen.
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