Easter Sunday - The Resurrection of the Lord
Apr 5, 2015
Gospel Jn 20:1-9
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb (1)
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 (2) 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.
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 (2) 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.
The difficult words
(1) A tomb is a large vault
for burying the dead.
(2) A burial cloth is a piece of
material used to wrap a dead body in myrrh and other spices for burial.
This week’s spotlight
Alleluia
Alleluia means
"praise God” in Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament. It is a cry of
joy and praise that is often found in the psalms.The Church has borrowed it to
proclaim the joyful reading of the Gospel. The alleluia is not used during
Lent, because Lent is a time of penance and longing for new life. On Easter
Sunday, the return of the alleluia expresses the great joy of the resurrection.
The sequence
A sequence is a
rhythmic text generally sung between the second reading and the Gospel at the
time of special celebrations such as Easter or Pentecost. On Easter, the
sequence consists of the words of Mary Magdalene, one of the first women to
witness the empty tomb and the resurrection. In this poetic song, we affirm our
faith in Jesus, the lamb who died and who freed us from our sins and from
death.
Reflection
What a
shock for Mary Magdalene on this first Easter morning: the tomb is open! What’s
going on? She runs to get Peter and John. They run to the tomb. Peter enters
but sees nothing but the wrappings that covered the body of Jesus. This doesn’t
make sense! Where is the body of Jesus?
They saw
him crucified! They saw the soldier thrust a spear in his side! John, the
disciple Jesus loved, enters the tomb, looks at the wrappings, and believes
that Jesus is truly risen. He remembers all the promises that Jesus had made.
He remembers that Jesus said it had to happen like this. Imagine his joy as the
truth starts to sink in for him.
Jesus is
alive! Jesus’ love is stronger than death!
This is
your faith, too. Death and sin have been conquered! This is why we sing out for
joy, alleluia!
Some people, like Mary, Peter, and John can’t see
Jesus because they are looking for Him in a grave or on a cross. He isn’t
there! He is risen and is seated at the right hand of His Father in heaven. If
you want to see Jesus, look in His Word, He will reveal Himself to you, just as
He did to Mary!
Discussion
questions
1.
Who came to the tomb
in the early morning?
2.
What did she see?
3.
What did she say to
Simon Peter and other disciples?
4.
What did the disciples
see when they arrived at the tomb?
5.
At that time do they
know where Jesus was?
6.
Can they find Jesus
in the tomb?
7.
Do they understand
the Scripture at that time?
8.
In the Gospel
acclamation, there is a word that is not used during Lent. Do you know what it
is?
9.
When is the sequence
sung in Easter Sundays?
Praying after Communion
After receiving Holy Communion, you can
say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. We are
able to live in joy, because we believe that your Son
Jesus is truly risen from the dead and that he gives us eternal life. May this
communion with his body and blood keep us in the joy of being saved, alleluia!
Crossword Puzzle
