Easter is the most important Christian feast. Christians celebrate
from their belief that Jesus rose from the dead
Invitation
May I hereby call your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wants to share with you the joy of the Gospel.
Everyone, no one excepted,
can experience that joy by opening his heart
to the healing effect of God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
It is not inconceivable that some of the listeners now listening to Peter, saw no merit in the condemnation of Jesus by Pontius Pilate. Peter calls for an examination of conscience. It is the Lord Himself whom one has crucified! This formulation is extraordinary. Previously, for the disciples, Jesus was a special man, a prophet. The resurrection brought about a turning point: Jesus was indeed the Lord! Then it penetrates the audience, and they wonder how it could have come to this. It is the same in our lives: We sometimes do evil and only realize afterwards what it has meant to others. The Lord’s Easter offers us the opportunity to become aware of these sins, but also: To realize how unimaginably great Jesus’ love is that He paid such a high price for us.
FIRST READING Acts 2, 36-41
Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus.
From the Acts of the Apostles
On Pentecost Peter spoke to the Jews :
“For all the house of Israel must therefore be established beyond doubt
that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ,
Him whom you crucified.”
When they heard this they were deeply affected
and said to Peter and the other apostles :
“What shall we do, brethren?”
Peter answered them :
“Repent
and let every one of you be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of sins :
Then you shall receive as a gift the Holy Spirit.
“For this promise applies to you,
your children
and all who are afar off,
as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
With many other words he gave testimony
and he admonished them :
“Save yourselves from this degenerate generation.”
Those who accepted his word were baptized
so that on that day about three thousand people joined.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 33(32), 4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
The earth is full of the Lord’s mildness.
or: Alleluia.
The word of the Lord is true
and all that He does is trustworthy.
Law and justice He loves,
the earth is full of his mercy.
It is God who guards his servants,
those who trust in his favor.
That He will save them from death,
in the event of famine, will feed them.
Therefore our heart trusts in the Lord,
He is to us a shield and a helper.
Give us therefore, Lord, your mercy,
as we trust in Thee.
ALLELUIA Ps. 118(117), 24
Alleluia.
This is the day, which the Lord has made,
we will celebrate it in gladness.
Alleluia.
SEQUENCE
Let us praise the Lamb of Easter,
honour the Lamb of God with sacrifice.
Yes the Lamb saves the sheep,
Christ, by his innocence, leads us, poor sinners,
to the Father.
Death and life, oh miracle,
must fight together.
Who died, He lives, He is our King.
Tell us, Mary,
what is it you have seen?
The emptiness of Christ’s tomb,
the glory of Him who rose again,
angels as witnesses,
the sudarium and the shroud.
My hope, my Christ alive!
Behold He goeth before thee into Galilee.
Truly Christ is risen : Rose from the dead.
O King, our Hero, give us peace. Alleluia.
GOSPEL John 20, 11-18
I have seen the Lord and this He has said to me.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
At that time Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she stooped down to the tomb
and saw on the spot where Jesus’ body lay,
two angels clothed in white,
one at the head and one at the foot.
They spoke to her:
“Woman why do you weep?”
She replied :
“They have taken away my Lord
and I know not where they have laid Him.”
When she had said this, she turned around
and saw Jesus standing there, but without knowing that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her :
“Woman, why do you weep?
“Whom do you seek?”
Thinking it was the gardener, she asked :
“Lord, if you have taken Him away
tell me where you have put Him
so that I can take It away.”
To that Jesus told her :
“Mary!”
She turned and said to Him in Hebrew :
“Rabbuni!”
which means teacher.
Then Jesus spoke :
“Do not hold on to Me
for I have not yet ascended to my Father,
but go to my brothers and tell them :
I ascend to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.”
Mary Magdalene went and reported to the disciples
that she had seen the Lord,
and what He had said to her.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
136. On the other hand, it is troubling that, when some ecological movements defend the integrity of the environment, rightly demanding that certain limits be imposed on scientific research, they sometimes fail to apply those same principles to human life. There is a tendency to justify transgressing all boundaries when experimentation is carried out on living human embryos. We forget that the inalienable worth of a human being transcends his or her degree of development. In the same way, when technology disregards the great ethical principles, it ends up considering any practice whatsoever as licit. As we have seen in this chapter, a technology severed from ethics will not easily be able to limit its own power.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical Suggestions for Weekdays and Sundays.
Laudato Si Official English translation
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