Easter Monday

Easter is the most important Christian festival. Christians celebrate it
on the basis of their belief that Jesus rose from the dead

Invitation

May I take this opportunity to draw your attention to the daily reading of the Gospel?

This invitation aims to share with you the joy of the Gospel. Everyone, without exception,
can experience that joy by opening their heart
to the healing power of God’s word.

Available every day

 

Introduction

After forty days of preparation for Easter,
we now sing of our joy for fifty days.
In the liturgy, the ‘Alleluia’ resounds more frequently and intensely.
We learn the reason for this from the words of the Apostle Paul:
‘God raised Jesus to life,
having broken the bonds of death’.
We wish to celebrate this mystery of God’s love
in communion with Christians worldwide,
filled with joy and gratitude.

Consideration

After Easter, we trace the first thirty years of our Church. From its birth in Jerusalem, through its expansion into Samaria and Syria, right up to Paul’s missionary activities in the Middle East and Greece. We owe the rapid growth of the Church to God’s Spirit. He united and inspired the first Christians to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection with an unshakeable faith.  He rose from the dead and He was with them, in their midst. This Resurrection is not merely a historical fact whose place and date we must simply remember. It is an eternal mystery, and it challenges us too to be Christians who dare to bear witness. How do I go about bearing witness to something like the Resurrection? Is that possible in my daily life?

FIRST READING             Acts 2, 14, 22–32

God raised this Jesus, and we are all witnesses to that.

From the Acts of the Apostles

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the eleven,
and raised his voice to address them:
“You all,
men of Israel,
listen to these words:
Jesus of Nazareth was a man whose mission to you
was confirmed by God.
“For you yourselves know the mighty deeds, wonders and signs
which God performed through Him among you.
“Him,
who was delivered up according to God’s predetermined plan
and foreknowledge,
you, by the hand of lawless men,
nailed to the cross and killed.
“But God raised Him to life,
having loosed the bonds of death;
for it was impossible for Him to be held by them.
“Yet speaking of Him, David says:
‘I have set the Lord always before me;
He is at my right hand,
so that I may not be shaken.
“Therefore there is joy in my heart,
and my mouth exults with gladness;
yes, even my body shall rest in hope,
for You will not abandon my soul to the grave;
nor will You let Your Holy One see corruption.
“You have made known to me the paths of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence.
“Men and brothers,
I may speak freely to you concerning the patriarch David;
that he died and was buried;
for we have his tomb with us to this day.
“Now then,
since he was a prophet,
and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that He would seat one of his descendants on his throne,
he spoke, looking into the future,
about the resurrection of Christ,
that He was not abandoned to Hades,
and that His body did not see corruption.
“This Jesus God has raised up,
and of this we are all witnesses.”

RESPONSORIAL               Ps . 16(15), 1-2a, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge,
or: Alleluia.

Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge;
You are my Lord, I acknowledge it,
I find no happiness apart from You.
The Lord is my inheritance, my drink from the cup,
He holds my destiny in His hand.

I give thanks to the Lord who has always guided me,
He speaks to my heart even at night.
I keep my eyes fixed on the Lord at all times,
I do not fall, for He stands beside me.

Therefore I am joyful and glad of heart,
therefore I can go to sleep in peace.
You will not abandon my soul to the realm of the dead,
You will not deliver Your servant to the grave.
You will show me the path of life
so that I may find my full joy in You,
everlasting happiness at Your side.

ALLELUIA            Ps . 118(117), 24

Alleluia.
This is the day the Lord has made,
we shall rejoice and be glad in it.
Alleluia.

SEQUENCE          

Let us praise the Lamb of Easter,
honour the Lamb of God with offerings.
Yes, the Lamb saves the sheep,
Christ, through His innocence,
brings us poor sinners to the Father.
Death and life, O wonder,
must struggle together.
He who died, He lives, He is our King.
Tell us, Mary,
what is it that you have seen?
Christ’s tomb that was empty,
the glory of Him who has risen,
angels as witnesses,
the sweat cloth and the shroud.
My hope, my Christ alive!
Behold, He goes before you to Galilee.
Truly Christ is risen: He rose from the dead.
O King, our Hero, grant us peace. Alleluia.

GOSPEL               Mt. 28, 8-15

Go and tell 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 left the tomb at once,
filled with fear and great joy,
and they hurried
to bring the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them and said:
“Greetings.”
They approached Him,
clasped His feet and worshipped Him.
Then Jesus spoke to them:
“Do not be afraid.
“Go and tell my brothers
that they must go to Galilee,
and there they will see Me.”
Whilst the women were still on their way,
some of the guards went into the city
and reported to the chief priests
everything that had happened.
They held a meeting with the elders;
and, after deliberation, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money;
with the instruction:
“Say:
His disciples came to steal Him away in the night;
whilst we were asleep.
“And should this come to the governor’s ears,
we will set him at ease
and ensure that you face no trouble.”
They took the money and did as they had been told.
This story has been passed down amongst the Jews
to this very day.

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Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCIS

On Care for Our Common Home

78. At the same time, Judeo-Christian thought has demythologised nature.
Whilst continuing to admire it for its splendour
and immensity, it has not attributed a divine character to it.
This serves to underline once again our duty towards it.
A return to nature must not be at the expense of the freedom and
responsibility of human beings, who are part of the world with the
task of using their own capacities to protect it and to
develop its potential. If we recognise the value and fragility
of nature and, at the same time, the capacities that the Creator has given us,
this enables us today to put an end to the modern myth of unlimited material progress.
A fragile world entrusted by God to human care,
appeals to our reason to recognise how we ought to
direct, exercise and limit our power.

To be continued
Every day at 1 am