Daily Readings - Tue Apr 03 2018
Acts
36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."37Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"38And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."40And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation."41So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
John
11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.12And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.13They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."14Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.15Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."16Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).17Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"--and that he had said these things to her.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound moments of faith and response to Jesus. The First Reading from Acts describes Peter's sermon at Pentecost, where he proclaims Jesus as Lord and Christ, leading the crowd to repentance and baptism, resulting in three thousand conversions. This moment marks the birth of the Church, driven by the Holy Spirit. The Gospel from John presents Mary Magdalene's encounter with the risen Jesus at the tomb. Her grief turns to joy as she recognizes Jesus and is tasked with spreading the news of His resurrection to the disciples.
Both readings highlight the transformative power of faith. In Acts, the community responds collectively through repentance and baptism, while in John, Mary's personal faith leads her to become the first evangelist. These stories show how faith, whether individual or communal, compels us to action and sharing the Good News.
In our daily lives, we are called to recognize Jesus in our midst, just as Mary did. Like Peter, we must embrace the Holy Spirit's guidance to live out our faith. The moral lesson is clear: faith should inspire us to act, whether through personal conversion or sharing the Gospel with others. Let us, like Mary, joyfully proclaim Jesus's presence in our lives, embodying the faith that transforms and unites us.