Daily Readings - Mon Apr 21 2025

¹⁴But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:²²Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:²³Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:²⁴Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.²⁵For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:²⁶Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:²⁷Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.²⁸Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.²⁹Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.³⁰Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;³¹He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.³²This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.³³Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

Matthew

Chapter 28

⁸And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.⁹And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.¹⁰Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.¹¹Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.¹²And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,¹³Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.¹⁴And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.¹⁵So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the power of faith, the truth of the resurrection, and the courage to proclaim it. In the first reading from Acts, Peter stands before the people of Jerusalem and boldly proclaims the resurrection of Jesus. He reminds them of the miracles and signs that confirmed Jesus as the Messiah, and he explains how the resurrection fulfills God’s plan and overcomes even death itself. Peter’s words are a testament to the transformative power of the Gospel, as he calls his listeners to recognize the truth of who Jesus is and what he has accomplished. In the Gospel, we see the immediate aftermath of the resurrection. The women, filled with fear and joy, encounter the risen Jesus and are commissioned to spread the news to the disciples. Meanwhile, the guards and religious leaders attempt to suppress the truth by bribing the soldiers to spread a false story about the disciples stealing Jesus’ body. This narrative reminds us that the resurrection has always faced opposition, but it also shows that no human effort can extinguish the truth of God’s plan. The women’s obedience and the guards’ deception reveal the human responses to divine revelation—some embrace it with faith, while others try to control or deny it. These readings call us to reflect on our own response to the resurrection. Like Peter, we are called to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ with courage and conviction, even in the face of opposition. Like the women, we are invited to embrace the joy and wonder of the resurrection, allowing it to transform our lives. And like the guards, we are reminded that our attempts to control or deny God’s plan are ultimately futile. Let us ask for the grace to stand firm in our faith, to trust in God’s plan, and to share the Good News with a world that so desperately needs it.