Easter is the most important Christian feast. Christians celebrate from their faith that Jesus rose from the dead
Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wants to share with you the joy of the Gospel.
of the Gospel. Everyone, no one excepted,
can experience that joy by opening their hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day
OPENING WORD
Today in the first reading we hear
how Peter steps forward with a powerful testimony:
‘God raised Jesus to life
having loosed the snares of death’.
A message for each of us too!
We celebrate Easter, the feast of victory.
Sin and death have been destroyed.
Those who confess and follow Jesus,
finds redemption and future in Him.
Peace, joy, light and love radiate through His existence.
And like the women in the gospel
may we go to our sisters and brothers,
bearing witness to the Living One in our midst.
CONSIDERATION
After Easter, we follow the first thirty years of our Church. That the expansion of the Church took such a great flight is due to God’s Spirit. He united and animated the first Christians to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection with indestructible faith. The resurrection is not a historical fact of which we need only remember place and date. It is eternal mystery, and challenges us too to be Christians who dare to bear witness. How do I approach witnessing about something like the resurrection? Can it be done in my daily life?
FIRST READING Acts. 2, 14.22-32
This Jesus resurrected God and to this we are all witnesses.
From the Acts of the Apostles
On Pentecost Peter stepped forward with the eleven
and raised his voice to address the word to them :
“All of you,
men of Israel,
listen to these words :
Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose mission to you
was ratified by God.
“For ye yourselves know the mighty deeds, wonders and signs
which God has performed among you through Him.
“Him,
who according to God’s appointed counsel
and foreknowledge is delivered up ,
hast thou by the hand of the wicked
nailed to the cross and put to death.
“But God raised Him up to life
Having loosed the snares of death ;
for it was impossible that He should be held by them.
“Aiming at Him nevertheless David says :
The Lord I had before me, always by,
He is at my right hand
lest I should falter.
“Therefore there is joy in my heart
and my mouth rejoices with joy;
yea, my body also shall find rest in hope,
because thou wilt not leave my soul to the kingdom of the dead
And Thou wilt not let Thy holy One see corruption.
“Ways to life Thou hast made known to me,
Thou shalt fill me with joy before Thy face.
“Men brothers,
I may well say to you freely of the patriarch David
That he died and was buried ;
for we have his grave with us to this day.
“Well,
because he was a prophet ,
and knew that God had sworn him an oath
That He would cause one of his descendants to sit on His throne ,
he said, looking into the future
On the resurrection of Christ,
that He was not left to the kingdom of the dead
and that His body did not see decay.
“This Jesus has resurrected God
and to this we are all witnesses.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 16(15), 1-2a, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
Protect me, God, to You I take refuge,
or : Alleluia.
Protect me, God, to Thee do I take refuge ;
Thou art my Lord, I acknowledge,
I find no happiness apart from Thee.
The Lord is my inheritance, my drink from the cup,
He holds my destiny in His hand.
I thank the Lord who has always guided me,
He speaks in my heart even at night.
Always I keep my eyes on the Lord,
I do not fall, for He is beside me.
Therefore I am cheerful and happy in spirit,
Therefore I can sleep peacefully.
My soul Thou dost not leave to the kingdom of the dead,
Thou dost not deliver Thy servant to the grave.
Thou wilt show me the way of life
To find all my joy with Thee,
perpetual happiness at Thy side.
ALLELUIA Ps. 118(117), 24
Alleluia.
This is the day which the Lord has made,
We will celebrate it in joy.
Alleluia.
SEQUENCE
Let us praise the Lamb of Easter,
Honour the Lamb of God with sacrifices.
Yes the Lamb saves the sheep,
Christ by his innocence brings
Us poor sinners to the Father.
Death and life, O miracle,
must fight together.
He who died, He lives, He is our King.
Tell us, Mary,
what is it that thou hast seen?
The tomb of Christ that was empty,
the glory of Him who is risen,
angels as witnesses,
the sweatcloth and the shroud.
My hope, my Christ alive!
Behold He goes before you to Galilee.
Truly Christ is risen : rose from the dead.
O King, our Hero, give us peace. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 28:8-15
Go and bring the message to my brothers that they must go to Galilee, and there they will see me.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time
the women immediately went away from the tomb
with fear and great joy,
and they hastened
to convey the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus came to meet them and said :
“Hail.”
They stepped up to Him,
clasped His feet and worshipped Him.
Then Jesus spoke to them :
“Be not afraid.
“Go and bring the message to my brothers
That they should go to Galilee
and there they will see Me.”
While the women were still on their way,
some of the guards went to the city
and reported to the high priests
everything that had happened.
These held a meeting with the elders
and, after consultation, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money
with the order :
“Just say :
His disciples came to steal Him in the night
While we slept.
“And should this sometimes come to the attention of the governor ,
we will calm him down
and see to it that ye are not troubled.”
They took the money and did as they were told.
This story has continued to be told among the Jews
to this day.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS-
On caring for the common home
Beyond the sun
243. In the end, face to face, we will meet the infinite beauty of God 1 and will be able to read with joyful admiration the mystery of the universe, which will share with us in the fullness without end. Yes, we are on our way to the Sabbath of eternity, to the new Jerusalem, to the common house of heaven. Jesus tells us, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5). Eternal life will be a shared wonderment, where every creature, radiantly changed, will take its place and have something to offer the definitively liberated poor.
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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