Daily Readings - Sun Apr 12 2020

³⁴Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism³⁷You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached--³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.³⁹"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,⁴⁰but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.⁴¹He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen--by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

First Reading - Colossians 3.1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5.6b-8

Colossians

Chapter 3

¹Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

1 Corinthians

Chapter 5

⁶Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?⁷Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.⁸Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

John

Chapter 20

¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.²So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"³So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.⁴Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.⁵He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.⁶Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,⁷as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.⁸Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.⁹(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter the profound truth of the resurrection and its transformative power in our lives. The first reading from Acts presents Peter’s declaration of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection, emphasizing that Jesus is the judge of all humanity. This passage underscores the universal call to believe in Christ, as Peter shares the Gospel with Cornelius, a Gentile, illustrating that salvation is for all people. The second reading from Colossians invites us to focus on heavenly things, reminding us that our true life is hidden with Christ and will be revealed when He appears in glory. This theological reflection encourages us to live in a way that reflects our union with the risen Lord. The Gospel from John vividly describes the discovery of the empty tomb, highlighting the disciples’ growing faith as they encounter the signs of Jesus’ resurrection. These readings are deeply interconnected, as they all point to the central truth of the resurrection. In Acts, Peter proclaims the resurrection as the foundation of faith, while in Colossians, the resurrection is the source of our hope and new life. John’s account of the empty tomb invites us to behold the tangible signs of Jesus’ victory over death. Together, these readings remind us that the resurrection is not merely a historical event but a living reality that shapes our understanding of God’s plan and our place in it. As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: How does the resurrection shape our daily lives? Just as Peter and the disciples were transformed by their encounter with the risen Lord, we too are called to live as people who have been raised with Christ. This means seeking the things that are above, as Colossians encourages, and living with hope and purpose, knowing that our true life is hidden with Christ. May we, like the disciples, come to believe more deeply in the power of the resurrection and allow it to transform our hearts and actions. In a world often filled with darkness and uncertainty, may we radiate the light and joy of the risen Christ, trusting in His promise to bring all things to glory.