April 16, 2017

Easter

April 16, 2017:  Easter Day / The Resurrection of the Lord

Don't miss my Easter Vigil post, especially all the music!

See 20+ connections with today?
Legend below
Listen

  • Hallelujah chorus, from Messiah/ Handel:  flash mob (ignore it's at Christmas), soulful
For Psalm 118
For next Sunday
Pope Francis
Homily:  If the Lord is risen, why are there defeats and closed, fearful hearts?  Are you willing to go forward anyway,' carrying a cross, like Jesus?  In this culture of waste, what's not needed is thrown away.  Jesus was discarded but is the cornerstone, the source of life.  We too, pebbles on the ground, with faith in the Risen Christ have the wisdom to look beyond calamities and say, "There's a horizon, life, joy; there's the cross amidst this ambivalence.  Look ahead; don't close in on yourself."
Urbi et Orbi:  Today the Church echoes the message of the first disciples: “Jesus is risen!”  The feast of Passover, commemorating the liberation of the Hebrew people, is fulfilled.  Christ set us free and opened the way to eternal life.  When we let sin master us, we lose the way, but God has come in search of us.  To save us, he lowered himself even to accepting death on the cross. Today we proclaim:  “The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his sheep, and willingly died for his flock, alleluia” (Roman Missal).  The Risen Shepherd tirelessly seeks us wanderers.  With the marks of his passion–the wounds of his love–he draws us to follow him.  He places those crushed by evil on his shoulders.  He seeks the lonely and marginalized, meeting them through those who treat them with respect and kindness and help them hear him call them.
He takes upon himself all victimized by slavery, inhuman labor, trafficking, exploitation, and discrimination, and addiction.  He takes upon himself children and youth deprived of their innocence, exploited, hurt by domestic violence.  He walks beside all forced to leave their homelands as a result of armed conflicts, terrorist attacks, famine, or oppression.  He helps forced migrants to encounter others with whom they can share bread and hope.  May the Risen Lord guide all who work for justice and peace.  May he grant leaders courage to prevent the spread of conflicts and to stop the arms trade.  May he sustain all who bring comfort and relief to people in Syria.  May he grant peace to the Middle East, beginning with the Holy Land, Iraq, and Yemen.  May he remain close to the people of South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who endure hostility, aggravated by famine.
May he sustain the efforts of all committed to ensure the common good of societies marked by tensions that sometimes result in violence.  May bridges of dialogue be built, by continuing to fight corruption and to seek peaceful solutions, for progress and the strengthening of democratic institutions in complete respect for the rule of law.  May he help Ukraine regain social harmony, accompanying all efforts to alleviate their suffering.  May the Risen Lord grant hope to all in crisis, especially due to unemployment.  This year all Christians celebrate Easter together, proclaiming the great message:  “The Lord is risen!”  May Jesus, who vanquished sin and death, grant peace.  Happy Easter!
Read
    • Acts 10:34a, 37-43  Peter:  We saw what Jesus did.  They put him to death.  God raised him and let us see him.  He commissioned us to preach and testify God appointed him as judge.  All who believe in him will receive forgiveness of sins.
    • Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23  "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad."  His mercy endures forever.  I shall live and declare the Lord's works.  The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
      More "empty tomb" art
    • Col 3:1-4  If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above.  Your life is hidden with Christ.  When Christ appears, you will appear with him in glory.
    • 1 Cor 5:6b-8  Clear out the old yeast, so you may become fresh dough.  Christ has been sacrificed.  Let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast of malice and wickedness but the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
    • Jn 20:1-9  Mary of Magdala saw the stone removed, ran to Peter and the disciple Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord, and we don’t know where they put him.”  The other disciple arrived first; he saw the cloths but didn't go in.  Peter arrived and went in; then the other one entered and believed.
    • Mt 28:1-10  At dawn Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb, and there was an earthquake; an angel descended, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning and his clothing snow white.  The guards were shaken with fear.  The angel told the women, "Don't be afraid!  I know you're seeking Jesus the crucified.  He's not here; he's been raised.  Come see where he lay, then go tell his disciples, 'He's been raised; you'll see him in Galilee.'"  They went away quickly, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce it.  Jesus met them on their way and greeted them; they embraced his feet and did him homage.  Then he told them, "Don't be afraid.  Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee; they'll see me there."
    • Lk 24:13-35  Two of Jesus' disciples going to Emmaus were conversing; Jesus drew near but they didn't recognize him.  They told him, "Jesus was a prophet.  We'd hoped he'd be the redeemer, but our chief priests had him crucified.  Some women at the tomb didn't find his body; angels told them he was alive.  Others found things just as they described."  Jesus interpreted to them what referred to him in Scripture.  They urged him to stay.  While he was there, he said the blessing and gave them bread.  Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished.  They said, "Our hearts were burning while he opened Scripture to us!"  They returned, found disciples saying, "The Lord has truly been raised!," and recounted what happened.
    Reflect
        • Creighton:  "Risen with Him":  We want to receive the news of Jesus Risen:  “This, today, is the day the Lord has made!”  In the Colossians reading, Paul uses 'with' three times, each building upon the previous and leading to deeper meaning and feeling.  “You were raised with Christ.”  No isolated past event, the resurrection of Jesus given us in baptism assures us that we share in the resurrection.  “Your life is hidden with Christ.”  Not a vague past event or promise of future life, Jesus' resurrection means our life is in and with his now.  Jesus shares life with us every day.  He's risen and with us!  “You'll appear with him in glory.”  Our risen life isn't “more of the same”; we're promised glory.  says in the Letter to the Romans, “Present sufferings are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.”  “We'll be like him for we'll see him as he is.”  "We'll share in the divine nature."  Lord, stir my heart, to know and feel more profoundly that you're with me and I with you today, tomorrow and forever!
        • One bread, one body:  "Risen Jesus, I do!"  To know the risen Christ in a life-changing way, we must be baptized and live our baptismal promises, aware that we "have been raised up with Christ."  When we renew our promises, we make the greatest commitment a person can.  Believe, say "I do," and live in the risen Lord.
          The Resurrection of Jesus Christ/ Raphael
          More Resurrection art
        • Passionist:  Mary Magdalene is the first disciple to preach the Resurrection.  She told Peter and John, "We don’t know where they put him."  She went to the tomb “toward dawn,” “when the sun has risen,” “at early dawn,” “when it was still dark.”  The first thing Jesus says after the Resurrection is “Who are you looking for?,” as he asked John the Baptists’ disciples interested in him.  Jesus transforms the grief of Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John into joy.  John believes because he believes Jesus' words; Peter, as he enters the empty tomb.  For John, Jesus’ glorification took place on the Cross and is completed when he returns to the Father.  Jesus kept his word that their sorrow would be converted into joy.  He promised his disciples they'd enjoy the same relationship he enjoys with his Father.  We share in that promise, so we can celebrate his life when we free ourselves from fear and false gods.  Easter Christians celebrate Christ's Risen life with signs of the Resurrection:  wrongs righted, trust restored, families reconciled, sin confessed, addictions tamed, harvests gathered, victims liberated, strangers welcomed, losses accepted, jobs finished, prayers answered.  Jesus later chases down the disciples on the way to Emmaus, breaks bread with them, and convinces them they must go back to Jerusalem and keep the dream alive.   Then he goes to the Upper Room where the disciples are locked up, appears to them, and tells them, "You abandoned, betrayed, denied, deserted, and lied about me. lied about me, but what matters is our friendship."  We must forgive and love one another....
        • DailyScripture.net:  "John saw the empty tomb and believed":  John was the first apostle to reach Jesus' tomb.  Like Mary Magdalene and the other disciples, he wasn't ready to see it empty and hear the angel ask, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"  When John saw the empty tomb, he must have recalled Jesus' prophecy that he'd rise again; by faith he realized no tomb could hold the Lord, the giver of life.  He saw and believed.  He had to deal with the empty tomb before he could meet the Lord later that evening with the other apostles locked in the upper room out of fear of Jewish authorities. John testified as an eyewitness to Christ's life, death, and resurrection, bearing witness to what has existed from all eternity, the "word of life," Jesus incarnate but also Jesus announced by the prophets and Jesus now preached throughout the church.  If Jesus hadn't risen and appeared to his disciples, we would've never heard of him; nothing else could have changed despairing people into joyful, courageous ones.  The resurrection is central to Christian faith. Through the Spirit, the Lord gives us eyes of faith to know him and the power of his resurrection.  Our greatest joy is to encounter Christ and know him personally as our Lord and Savior....
        • Easter-trumped saint, from Universalis:  Bernadette Soubirous, religious, patroness of the sick, didn't let her serious illness get in the way, showed great humility, inspired great love of prayer and good works, especially service of the poor and the sick.  Mary appeared to her near Lourdes to call sinners to change.  See also Wikipedia.
        Dress legend
        • 'Wheat' pin:  He took, blessed, and broke bread (gospel)
        • 'Mary' pin:  "Speak, Mary!" (sequence)
        • 'Angel' pin:   The women saw angels; angels attest to the resurrection (gospel)
        • 'Lightning bolt' pin:  Angel's appearance was like lightning (gospel)
        • 'Tree' pin:  They hanged Jesus on a tree (1st reading)
        • 'Hand' tie pin:  "The Lord's hand struck with power; the Lord's right hand is exalted" (psalm); "seek what's above, where Christ is seated at God's right hand" (2nd reading); "our chief priests and rulers handed Jesus over" (1st reading)
        • 'Eyeball' pin:  It's wonderful in our eyes (psalm); "the disciples' eyes were prevented from recognizing him"; "their eyes were opened" (gospel)
        • 'Hearts' suspenders:  "You slow of heart"; "our hearts were burning" (gospel)
        • 'Dove' pin:  God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power (1st reading)
        • 'Lamb,' 'sheep' tie bars:  Our lamb has been sacrificed (2nd reading); a Lamb redeems the sheep (sequence)
        • 'Stone' tie pin:  Stone the builders rejected (psalm); stone was removed from the tomb (gospel)
        • '?' tie pin:  Questions in Lk gospel and 2nd reading
        • 'Cross without Jesus' pin:  Jesus is risen! (all readings)
        • White shirt, cuff links, and socks:  Color of robes, angel's clothing, today's liturgical color

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