First Reading (Acts 10,34a.37-43)
Reading of the Acts of the Apostles.
In those days, Peter spoke and said: You know what happened in all Judea, beginning in Galilee, after the baptism preached by John: how Jesus of Nazareth was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were dominated by the devil; because God was with him. And we are witnesses of everything that Jesus did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by nailing him to a cross. But God raised him up on the third day, granting him to manifest himself not to all the people, but to the witnesses that God had chosen: to us, who ate and drank with Jesus after he rose from the dead. And Jesus commanded us to preach to the people and testify that God made him Judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets bear witness to him: ‘Whoever believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins in his name.'”
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Second Reading (Colossians 3:1-4)
Reading of the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians.
Brothers: If you have been resurrected with Christ, strive to reach the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; aspire to heavenly things and not to earthly things. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, appears in his triumph, then you will also appear with him, clothed in glory.
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Announcement of the Gospel (John 20:1-9)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John.
— Glory to you, Lord.
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb, very early in the morning, when it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran out and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They took the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” Then Peter and the other disciple left and went to the tomb. The two ran together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. Looking inside, he saw the strips of linen on the floor, but he did not enter. Simon Peter, who was running behind, also arrived and entered the tomb. He saw the linen strips lying on the ground and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not placed with the strips, but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple, who had arrived at the tomb first, also entered. He saw it, and he believed it. In fact, they had not yet understood the Scripture that he must rise from the dead.
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
There was a dawn like no other in the history of humanity. A dawn that began in darkness, not just the darkness of night, but the darkness of hopelessness and grief. Imagine Mary Magdalene walking alone in the early hours of the morning, surrounded not only by the shadows of the garden, but also by the shadows of suffering. Each step towards the tomb was a step of love and devotion, but also of deep sadness. His Master, his Friend, his Hope lay dead behind that stone. Or at least, that’s what she thought.
“They took the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him!” Mary Magdalene’s anguished cry resonates down the centuries to us. We can hear the panic in his voice, the confusion, the renewed fear. First the crucifixion, and now this? What else could be taken from it?
Peter and John run to the tomb. João, the youngest, arrives first, but hesitates at the entrance. Pedro, always impulsive, goes straight inside. They see the linen cloths, the shroud folded in a separate place. And then, the Gospel tells us, “the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. He saw and believed.”
“He saw and believed.” What an extraordinary transformation! From the darkness of despair to the light of faith in an instant. But what exactly did he see? An empty tomb. Some linen cloths. A folded shroud. Nothing particularly miraculous at first glance. And yet “he saw and believed.”
This is the central mystery of our faith: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the event that changes everything, that turns the world upside down, that turns death into life, defeat into victory, the end into a new beginning.
Peter, in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, confidently testifies: “God raised him up on the third day and gave him to manifest himself.” This same Peter, who denied Jesus three times, who hid in fear after the crucifixion, now boldly proclaims the truth of the Resurrection. What caused this dramatic change? He found the Resurrected Christ.
The Resurrection is not just a historical event to be remembered or celebrated once a year. It is a living reality that transforms our everyday existence. St. Paul tells us in our second reading: “If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Note well: Paul does not say “because Christ has been raised”, but “if you have been raised with Christ”. The Resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus; It’s something that happens to us.
Baptized into Christ, we die to sin and rise to new life. This is not figurative or poetic language; it is the description of a profound spiritual reality. Through Baptism, through faith, through life in the Spirit, we participate in the death and resurrection of Christ. We are, in Paul’s words, “hidden with Christ in God.”
But what does this concretely mean? How do we live as a resurrected people in a world still marked by death, suffering, and sin?
First, we live with a new perspective. “Seek the things above,” Paul exhorts us. Our priorities change. Our ambitions are redirected. Our values are transformed. We are no longer determined by the standards and expectations of this world, but by the values of the Kingdom of God. Success is no longer measured by wealth, status or power, but by love, service and loyalty.
Second, we live with new hope. The Resurrection assures us that death does not have the last word. Evil does not triumph. Suffering is not the end of the story. This hope is not an escape from reality, but an anchor that allows us to face even the most difficult circumstances with courage and confidence.
I remember a visit I made to the hospital to see an elderly woman from our community. She was dying of cancer, her body frail and consumed by the disease. When I entered the room, I expected to find sadness and despair. Instead, I was greeted with a beaming smile. “Father,” she said, “don’t worry about me. I’m just preparing to meet my Savior.” His hope in the Resurrection transfigured even the deathbed into a place of joyful expectation.
Third, we live with new power. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us. It is the power to overcome sin, to love our enemies, to forgive those who offend us, to live with integrity in a broken world. This power is not ours; It is the Holy Spirit of God working in us and through us.
I remember a man in our parish whose life had been destroyed by alcoholism. He had lost his job, alienated his family and sunk into despair. One day, in his loneliness, he stumbled into our church, not to pray, but just to find a place to sit. There, in front of the crucifix, he had an encounter with the Resurrected Christ. I can’t explain exactly what happened, but he left that church a transformed man. Today, more than ten years sober, he leads our recovery ministry, helping others find the deliverance he found.
Finally, we live as witnesses of the Resurrection. Like Peter in the book of Acts, we are called to proclaim what we have seen and heard, to witness the transformation we have experienced. This testimony is not just in words, but in the way we live, love and serve.
Imagine for a moment: if each one of us, all the baptized, fully lived the reality of our resurrection with Christ. If every day we arose with the awareness that we are a resurrected people, called to “seek things above”. If every interaction was infused with the hope and power of the Resurrection. How our families would be transformed! How different our workplaces would be! How our society would be renewed!
The Resurrection of Jesus is not just a historical event; it is a call for radical transformation. It is an invitation to live as citizens of a new Kingdom, where love triumphs over hate, life over death, hope over despair.
My dear brothers and sisters, may we, like John in the empty tomb, see and believe. May we, like Peter, boldly proclaim the truth of the Resurrection. May we, as Paul exhorts us, seek things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
And may the God of hope, who raised Jesus from the dead, fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
