Daily Catholic Mass Readings for April 23, 2019
First Reading: Acts 2.36-41
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.
Psalm 33
1Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.2Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!3Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.4For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.5He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.7He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.8Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!9For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.10The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.11The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.12Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!13The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;14from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,15he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.16The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.17The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.18Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,19that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.20Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.21For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.22Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Gospel: John 20.11-18
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
The readings today invite us to reflect on the transformative power of faith and the call to conversion. In the first reading from Acts, Peter’s bold proclamation to the crowd after Pentecost leads to a profound moment of repentance. The people, struck by the truth of Jesus’ identity as Lord and Messiah, ask, “What shall we do?” Peter’s response is clear: repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit. This moment marks the beginning of the Church, as three thousand souls embrace the faith. The reading reminds us that faith is not passive but active—it calls us to conversion and a new way of life.
The Gospel from John presents a deeply personal and emotional encounter between Mary Magdalene and the risen Jesus. Mary, grief-stricken and searching for the body of Jesus, is met with the surprising presence of the angels and then Jesus himself. Her tears of sorrow turn to tears of joy as she recognizes the Lord. Jesus’ instruction to her, “Do not cling to me,” is not a dismissal but a commission. He sends her to the disciples with the news of his resurrection, making her the first evangelist. This passage highlights the intimacy of God’s love and the call to share that love with others.
Both readings point to the universal call to conversion and the mission of spreading the Good News. Like the crowd in Acts, we are called to turn away from sin and embrace the gift of new life in Christ. Like Mary Magdalene, we are called to encounter Jesus personally and then share that encounter with others. In our daily lives, this means being open to moments of grace, seeking repentance when we fall short, and living as witnesses to the resurrection. May we, like Mary, joyfully proclaim, “I have seen the Lord!” and may we, like Peter, invite others to experience the transformative power of faith.