Daily Readings - Tue Apr 14 2020

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

Chapter 20

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 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.