Daily Readings - Tue Apr 23 2019

³⁶"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."³⁷When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"³⁸Peter replied, "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.³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."⁴⁰With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."⁴¹Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

John

Chapter 20

¹¹but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb¹²and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.¹³They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"¹⁴"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.¹⁵"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).¹⁷Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"¹⁸Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them 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.