First Reading (Acts 2,14.22-32)
Reading of the Acts of the Apostles.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the eleven apostles and raised his voice to the crowd: “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by the miracles, wonders and signs that God performed through him in your midst. All this you know. God purposed and foresaw that Jesus would be handed over to the wicked, and you killed him by nailing him to a cross. But God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to have dominion over him. For David says of him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand, so that I should not be moved. Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue rejoiced, and my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life, and your presence will fill me with hope. joy.’ Brothers, let me tell you frankly that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. But since he was a prophet, he knew that God had solemnly sworn to him that one of his descendants would sit on the throne. It is therefore the resurrection of Christ that he foresaw and announced with the words: ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.’ Indeed, God raised this same Jesus, and of this we are all witnesses.”
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Gospel (Matthew 28,8-15)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, the women quickly left the tomb. They were afraid, but they ran with great joy to tell the disciples the news. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Rejoice!” The women approached and prostrated themselves before Jesus, hugging his feet. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see me.” When the women left, some guards of the tomb went to the city, and reported to the high priests everything that had happened. The high priests met with the elders, and gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying to them: “Tell them that his disciples went during the night and stole the body while you were sleeping. If the governor finds out about this, we will convince him. Do not worry.” The soldiers took the money and acted in accordance with the instructions received. And so the rumor spread among the Jews, to this day.
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Imagine being present on that first Easter morning. The cool early morning air, the dew still covering the grass, and suddenly, the most extraordinary news that has ever echoed in human ears: “He is risen! He is not here!” Can you feel the shiver running down your spine? Can you imagine the heart beating fast, the breathing heavy, the eyes wide with amazement?
It is precisely this scene that the Gospel of Matthew presents to us today. The women, faithful to the end, run from the tomb “with fear and great joy” to announce to the disciples what they saw and heard. This is one of the most beautiful paradoxes of the Christian experience: fear and joy coexisting in the same heart. The fear before the unfathomable mystery of God, and the overflowing joy at being reached by His infinite love.
And as they run, something even more extraordinary happens: Jesus himself comes to meet them. “Rejoice!” He says. What a most appropriate greeting! The first command of the resurrected Christ: rejoice! Do not fear, do not doubt, do not speculate – but rejoice! Joy is the appropriate response to the resurrection. It is the only possible response to the definitive victory of life over death.
The women, overcome by this indescribable joy, embrace Jesus’ feet and worship him. They touch the Resurrected One, confirming that he is not a ghost, he is not an illusion, he is not a product of minds stunned by grief. It is Jesus, in flesh and blood, the same one they saw crucified and buried.
Meanwhile, in another corner of Jerusalem, a completely different scene unfolds. The high priests conspire, bribing the soldiers to spread a lie: “The disciples came in the night and stole it while we slept.” Note the absurd contradiction of this story: how could they witness the robbery if they were asleep? This is the nature of lies – it always contains internal contradictions that eventually expose it.
This contrast between truth and lies, between the authenticity of women and the duplicity of religious leaders, invites us to reflect on our own response to the Paschal Mystery. Are we on the side of those who rejoice and worship, or those who conspire to deny the reality of the resurrection?
This is where the first reading connects powerfully with the Gospel. On the day of Pentecost, Peter stands before the crowd and fearlessly proclaims: “This Jesus God raised up, and of this we are all witnesses.” The women at the tomb were the first, but certainly not the last, to witness this transformative truth.
Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, does something remarkable in his speech – he connects Jesus’ resurrection to the Scriptures that the people knew. Quoting Psalm 16, he shows how David had prophesied this event centuries before: “You will not abandon my soul to the land of the dead, nor will you allow your Holy One to taste corruption.”
This is an important lesson for us. The resurrection of Jesus is not an isolated event, disconnected from the history of salvation. It is the climax, the culmination of a divine narrative that began at creation and extends until the end of time. It is God’s definitive “yes” to humanity, the affirmation that death does not have the last word.
Peter also emphasizes the historical reality of the resurrection: “For David died and was buried, and his tomb is among us to this day.” In other words, he is saying, “You can visit David’s tomb, see his bones. But Jesus’ tomb is empty!” The resurrection is not a myth, it is not a beautiful metaphor, but a real event that transformed human history forever.
And this transformation continues to happen, my dear brothers and sisters. Every time a hardened heart opens to love, resurrection happens. Each time forgiveness triumphs over resentment, resurrection takes place. Every time hope overcomes despair, resurrection happens. The power that raised Jesus from the tomb continues to operate among us, transforming lives, renewing communities, restoring what was broken.
There is a story that beautifully illustrates this truth. A missionary was trying to translate the Gospel to an indigenous tribe who had never heard of Jesus. When he came to the word “resurrection”, he realized that there was no equivalent in the local dialect. Frustrated, he asked the natives, “What would you call if someone who was dead suddenly came back to life?” After a pause, one of the elders replied, “We would call it ‘the dawn in the darkness’.” What a beautiful definition of the resurrection! It is precisely that – the dawn in the darkness of our lives.
But, like the women at the tomb and the apostles on the day of Pentecost, it is not enough to simply believe in the resurrection – we are called to witness it. Jesus tells the women, “Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.” There is a movement here – from experience to testimony, from encounter to mission. The resurrection is not a secret to be kept, but news to be proclaimed.
In our world today, so marked by division, violence, inequalities, and despair, the message of the resurrection is more urgent than ever. While some, like the high priests in the Gospel, try to silence this truth with lies or distractions, we are called, like Peter, to boldly proclaim: “This Jesus God raised up, and of this we are witnesses.”
This proclamation is not just made with words, but with our entire lives. When we choose forgiveness over revenge, we are witnessing the resurrection. When we stand up against injustice, we are witnessing the resurrection. When we reach out to the marginalized and forgotten, we are witnessing the resurrection. When we maintain hope in the midst of darkness, we are witnessing the resurrection.
My dear brothers and sisters, today we are invited to renew our faith in the risen Christ and to join the women who ran from the tomb and the apostles who proclaimed at Pentecost. We are invited to embrace the paradox of “fear and great joy” – the reverent awe before the divine mystery and the overflowing joy of being loved beyond death.
May we run from this encounter today, not to spread lies or denial, but to proclaim with our lives: “He is risen! He is alive! And we have found Him!” May the world, when observing us, see not just people who profess a doctrine, but living witnesses of an event that continues to transform history: the dawn in the darkness, the victory of life over death, the love that is stronger than hate.
And may the peace of the Resurrected One, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
