Daily Readings - Tue Apr 14 2020

³⁶Therefore, may the entire house of Israel know most certainly that God has made this same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.³⁷Now when they had heard these things, they were contrite in heart, and they said to Peter and to the other Apostles: "What should we do, noble brothers?³⁸Yet truly, Peter said to them: "Do penance; and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit³⁹For the Promise is for you and for your sons, and for all who are far away: for whomever the Lord our God will have called.⁴⁰And then, with very many other words, he testified and he exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this depraved generation.⁴¹Therefore, those who accepted his discourse were baptized. And about three thousand souls were added on that day

John

Chapter 20

¹¹But Mary was standing outside the tomb, weeping. Then, while she was weeping, she bowed down and gazed into the tomb¹²And she saw two Angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been placed, one at the head, and one at the feet¹³They say to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have placed him.¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus¹⁵Jesus said to her: "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?" Considering that it was the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have moved him, tell me where you have placed him, and I will take him away.¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary!" And turning, she said to him, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher)¹⁷Jesus said to her: "Do not touch me. For I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers and tell them: ‘I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God.’ ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord, and these are the things that he said to me.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter two profound moments of faith and response to the risen Christ. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter's sermon at Pentecost leads to a transformative moment for the crowd. They are moved to repentance upon realizing Jesus' true identity, leading them to seek baptism and join the growing community of believers. This passage highlights the early church's dynamic growth and the power of proclamation. In the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene's encounter with Jesus at the tomb is deeply personal. Her grief turns to joy as she recognizes Jesus, who then commissions her to spread the news of his resurrection. This moment underscores the personal and transformative nature of encountering Christ, emphasizing the call to share this Good News with others. Both readings invite us to reflect on our own encounters with Christ. Like the crowd at Pentecost, we are called to repentance and a deeper commitment to our faith. Like Mary, we are called to recognize Christ in our lives and to share this gift with others. May we respond with faith, allowing the risen Christ to transform us and inspire us to share His love with the world.