Daily Readings - Sun Mar 31 2024
Acts
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
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
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
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 message of Easter, a time of renewal and hope. The first reading from Acts highlights Peter's proclamation of Jesus as the universal savior, sent to heal and do good, and the command to preach His resurrection. The second reading from Colossians invites us to set our minds on heavenly things, living a life transformed by our union with the risen Christ. The Gospel from John vividly portrays the discovery of the empty tomb, where the beloved disciple's faith is kindled, though understanding comes later.
These readings are interconnected through the theme of resurrection. Peter's message emphasizes Jesus' role as judge and savior, while Colossians encourages a life focused on eternal values. John's narrative illustrates the moment faith begins, even before full understanding. Together, they remind us that the resurrection is not just an event but a transformative reality.
In our daily lives, this message calls us to live with hope and an eternal perspective. Just as the disciples' encounter with the empty tomb changed their lives, the resurrection invites us to trust in God's plan and embrace a life of faith and transformation. Let us live each day with eyes on eternity, trusting in the power of the resurrection to guide us.