First reading: Acts 10:34a,37–43
Peter proceeded to speak and said: “You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 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. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Second reading: Col. 3:1–4
Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
Gospel: Jn. 20:1–9
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
In other words
Fr. Jose H. P. Mateo, SVD (Paraguay)
Today we celebrate EASTER SUNDAY! Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia! Praise the Lord! Amen! With great joy we celebrate Easter for these reasons:
One reason is that the Resurrection of Jesus is the solid foundation of our faith. This is the teaching of the Catholic Church: “The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross” (CCC 638). It is a historical event verified by the sign of the empty tomb. It also transcends history and remains a mystery of our faith. The resurrection is a work of God and proves that Jesus is the Son of God. “If Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; but now Christ has been raised from the dead” (1 Cor. 15:14–20). Exult! Be glad! Rejoice! He is risen indeed, alleluia!
Moreover, the Resurrection of Jesus is the wellspring of our hope. The First Preface for Masses for the Dead beautifully expresses our hope for life eternal: “In Him, the hope of blessed resurrection has dawned, that those saddened by the certainty of dying might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come. Indeed, life is changed, not ended, and when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made for them in heaven.” Easter is the certainty of our immortality. Easter is the assurance of our own resurrection. “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live” (Jn. 11:25).
As a final thought, the Resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our charity. Before Jesus died, He spoke to His disciples about the commandment of love. Jesus made it clear to them that they must continue His work by observing His command to love one another. Love is the foundation of our discipleship and the only motivation for our mission. “By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:35). The Risen Christ is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven, but here on earth, God’s love must be sown everywhere, and God’s mission must truly be our own.
Happy Easter! May God bless you always!