Breaking Open the Word
April 20, Easter Sunday
Introduction
Today is Sunday April 20th. It is Easter Sunday. He is risen – Alleluia! The Responsorial Psalm proclaims, “This is the day our Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” Let us then rejoice and be glad. Our God is truly an awesome God. He bent down, became one of us, bore our sins upon His cross and died for us. Our God is all powerful for, through His resurrection, He defeated sin and death and opened the door to salvation.
In the First Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, we see that joy of the resurrection manifested in the words of Peter. The same Peter, who swore he would die with Christ yet denied Him three times; the same Peter who was hiding with the other disciples in the upper room in fear is now out in the world BOLDLY proclaiming Jesus Christ. Peter speaks of the ministry of Jesus, of his good deeds and healing power. Peter speaks of how Jesus was anointed by God with the power of Holy Spirit. Most importantly, Peter speaks of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Peter not only speaks about the death and resurrection, he WITNESSES to it. He speaks of seeing the risen Christ. This is a COURAGEOUS PROCLAMATION. It allows those who did not see the risen Savior visibly to come to know and believe in Him. The one who denied Jesus, wept bitterly and hid now recognizes the mission – “He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.”
Gospel Explained
It is important to realize that the recognition of the resurrected Jesus did not begin so boldly. When we look at the Gospel, we see that Mary of Magdala is confused; she thinks that someone has taken Jesus’ body from the tomb. We see Peter and John running to the tomb and peering in. It seems John comes to believe, but in what? The Gospel tells us that Peter and John have yet to fully understand.
There is beauty in that….. and a source of comfort for all of us. Mary of Magdala, Peter and John were intimate friends of Jesus. They had spent several years with Him during His ministry and mission of preaching the Kingdom of God. Yet, when their world was rocked, and the person they loved and came to believe in was arrested, condemned and crucified they experienced all of the human emotions that we feel when our lives are rocked. Like them, we become confused, fearful, untethered. We have our doubts. We wonder where Jesus went and if He somehow was stolen from us. It takes time, and the grace of the Holy Spirit, to come to understand what has happened and why.
Today's Theme
Today we are invited to really sit with the risen Christ. It is a day to rejoice, to celebrate, to be joy-filled. However, it is a day where we are invited to run to the tomb, to peer in. It is a day where we, modern day disciples, should make our way to where Jesus is and ask him to help us understand what His passion, death and resurrection mean in our daily lives. We should, if we haven’t already, make our way to the “tombs” of our lives and ask Jesus to enter them and breathe new life into those areas that lie within us that need the power of His resurrection. Let us allow the light that entered that dark tomb on Easter morning, enter the dark places of our lives and illuminate them.
Theme in our Life Today
It is Easter Sunday. He is risen – Alleluia! The Responsorial Psalm proclaims, “This is the day our Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” Let us then rejoice and be glad…. and when we are done; when the easter eggs have been found, the chocolate bunnies have been eaten, when the easter hams beef tenderloin and lamb have been consumed… when family and friends leave to go home and it gets quiet in our homes, may we return to the dawn of this day. May we ask our Risen Savior for the blessings of this holy day. May we ask for the courage to boldly proclaim Christ like Peter did in our first reading. May we for the grace to embrace our mission for through our baptism He has “commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.”
Prepare for Sunday
How will you find the time to travel to the tomb of the risen Christ and encounter him in his glory?
What areas of your life require resurrection? Will you allow the risen Jesus to enter those areas of your life?
In what ways are you called to boldly proclaim Christ like Peter did?