Easter Sunday - The Resurrection of the Lord – Year C
March 27, 2016
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.
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
Alleluia!
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. What does Mary Magdalene discover when she visits Jesus’ tomb?
2. Who does she tell?
3. Which two disciples visit the tomb?
4. What do they discover?
5. What happens when the disciple who arrives first enters the tomb?
6. Why is the resurrection of Jesus good news?
7. How can you bring the joy of Easter to others?
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!
This week...
Welcoming God's forgiveness
Even if you have never received
the sacrament of reconciliation, you can still talk to a priest or religion
teacher about it. If you have already started receiving it, you can go see a
priest to ask for God’s forgiveness. Don’t be afraid to tell God about the bad
things you have done - you will receive his love more than ever.
Becoming reconciled
In the evening, when you pray,
try to remember what happened during the day - the things you did or the things
you said that were not loving. If you think that you have hurt someone's
feelings, ask God to forgive you and to give you the strength and courage to
make up with that person.
Crossword Puzzle
Source: http://www.usccb.org - Magnifikid - www.sermons4kids.com – http://rclblectionary.com - http://usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm