Daily Readings - Sat Mar 30 2024

¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.²⁶Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.²⁸God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."²⁹Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.³⁰And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food." And it was so.³¹God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth day.

Romans

Chapter 6

³Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.⁵If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.⁶For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--⁷because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.⁸Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.⁹For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Mark

Chapter 16

¹When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body.²Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb³and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"⁴But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.⁶"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"⁸Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Sermon

The readings today take us on a journey from creation to resurrection, inviting us to reflect on our identity, purpose, and ultimate hope. In the first reading from Genesis, we hear the beautiful account of God creating humanity in his own image and likeness. This passage reminds us of our inherent dignity and the special place we hold in God’s creation. We are called to steward the earth and all its creatures, not as masters who exploit, but as caretakers who honor the divine plan. The second reading from Romans deepens this understanding by revealing that our true identity is not just as creatures of God but as children of God, baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. Through baptism, we die to sin and rise to new life, freed from the slavery of sin and called to live for God. The Gospel from Mark then brings us to the empty tomb, where the young man in white proclaims the Good News: Jesus has risen. The women, filled with fear and trembling, are sent to tell the disciples, embodying the Church’s mission to proclaim the Resurrection to the world. These readings are deeply interconnected. In Genesis, we see the beginning of God’s plan for humanity. In Romans, we understand that this plan reaches its fulfillment in Christ, who through his death and resurrection, restores us to a new life. The Gospel of Mark then shows us the culmination of this plan in the Resurrection, which is the source of our hope and joy. Together, these readings remind us that we are not just creatures but sons and daughters of God, called to live in the light of the Resurrection. In our daily lives, these readings invite us to live with a sense of purpose and hope. We are called to recognize our dignity as children of God and to live in a way that reflects this identity. We are to care for creation, to live free from sin, and to share the Good News of the Resurrection with others. The moral lesson is clear: we are not defined by our past sins or failures but by our new life in Christ. Let us, therefore, rise with him, walk in the light of his truth, and proclaim his victory over death to a world in need of hope.