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We have reached the end of the long journey
of Lent, Holy Week and Easter Triduum.
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It is the great Solemnity of the Resurrection
of Jesus.
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For 50 days the Church will continue to
celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, his victory over death and sin.
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This is certainly true of each Eucharistic Celebration, but more during the
Easter Season.
FIRST
READING – Acts 10,34. 37-43
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Peter is now at Cornelius home, Cornelius is
a gentile.
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In his dream Peter heard the voice telling
him to kill and eat from some of those animals who were considered impure by
the tradition of Israel. Peter does not understand why he has to eat
impure meat. He does not want to eat, he refuses for three times. Then
som body knocks at the door where Peter is, they are the people Cornelius sent
asking for Peter.
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Peter goes to Cornelius’ and preaches about
Jesus. He had preached that same sermon before, but to a Jewish audience, now
it is gentile audience.
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He explains all that had happened in all over
Judea about Jesus of Nazareth, beginning in Galilee. Galilee
is home for Jesus and for his disciples, after his resurrection he will summon
them to Galilee. We too need to return
to the place of our first encounter with the Lord, it is not a physical
returning to a given place, but a spiritual returning where we feel at home
with the Lord.
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He goes on telling them how Jesus went about
doing good, how had been anointed by the Spirit.
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He explains how he was condemned to die on
the cross, but God raised him on the third day.
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Peter tells Cornelius and his household that
whoever believes in Jesus will be granted the forgiveness of sis.
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This is the reason for the Incarnation,
reconcile us with the Father forgiving our sins, which he takes on him. Jesus
has come to give life to us reveling the Father, but we do not like that kind
of God who is always loving, forgiving, welcoming; because he calls us to do
the same.
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In this account about Cornelius we see the
first fruits of the redemption among the gentiles.
Instead of the second Reading we will
reflect this week on two gospels.
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The Gospel of Matthew about the resurrection
which we read on the Easter Vigil,
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The Gospel of John which we read on Easter
Sunday.
GOSPEL – Matthew 28,1-10
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In the passion narratives the three synoptic
Gospels are very much alike
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However the resurrection passages present
great differences.
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None of them has the intention to explain the
resurrection, since it transcends our physical experience, what the do is to
proclaim with enthusiasm the fact of the resurrection and they confirm it with
several stories of apparitions of the Risen Lord.
Ø
In all these apparitions se found the
following elements:
o
The identification of the one who
appears.
o
His identity with the historical Jesus. Showing
a close connection between the death and the resurrection of Jesus.
o He has a body
o He is real
o
His relationship with the disciples; and the
personality of some of the witnesses.
Ø
Matthew organizes the passage we will read at
the Easter Vigil in three different
moments:
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The message of the angel to the women.
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Jesus appears to the women.
o
The mission of the apostles
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Let us see what is the message of
Matthew:
§ The
women go to see the tomb. When we read the Passion on Palm Sunday we left the
three Maries seated in front of the tomb, now Matthew mentions only two.)
§ Matthews
says that when the angel descends to the tomb and moves the rock that closes
the cave, there is an earthquake, as he said when Jesus died on the cross. These are descriptions of Theophanies or Chritophanies.
§ The empty tomb
·
Two messages come out from this empty tomb:
o
The one from the women made messengers of the
resurrection to the male disciples. There are sent by the angel and
also by Jesus.
o
And the one from the guards who go to the
high priests to inform them of what has
happened.
o
The fact is that the tomb is empty, the
explanations given by both groups are different.
o
What happened then about the resurrection of Christ,
continues to happen nowadays.
o
The resurrection is a fact that cannot be
verified, it has to be accepted in faith.
o
If faith is absent, then the resurrection
becomes a fable.
o
But for us Christians the resurrection is the
foundation of our faith, as Paul says in 1Co15,14.17.
GOSPEL – John 20,1-9
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Mary Magdalene is the first witness of the
resurrection.
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She finds
out that the stone has been moved
away. John does not say that Mary enters into the tomb, but that she ran to inform
Peter and the other disciple … about the tomb.
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Her word is accepted and Peter with the other
disciple start out their way to the
tomb.
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The other disciple which the evangelist
identifies as “the beloved disciple, o the disciple who was a dear friend of
Jesus.”
o
This
disciple arrives to the tomb before Peter
o
But he does not enter he waits for Peter who
enters first.
o
When he can enter the author of the Gospel
says that he “saw and believed.”
o What did he see? The
empty tomb.
o What did he believe?
The resurrection
§ Luis
Alonso Schöekel, a Bible scholar, says that more than believe, what the Greek
verb says is that he began to
believe.
§ This
belief is still very weak, it is the faith of a beginner, because it rests on
the experience of empty tomb, not yet in the word of Jesus. Our faith has also grown from a very small
concrete fact, but later little by little this faith has become adult and
strong, there is no more need for concrete material or spiritual experiences, but
it is based on faith alone.
§ The
Gospel passage ends saying that they went home, their faith was too small for drive
them to go and preach the good news.
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On the other hand the women of Matthews
Gospel have a stronger faith since their reaction is to go and tell.
SEQUENCE
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Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A lamb the sheep redeems:
Christ who only is sinless
Reconcile sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous
The Prince of life who died reigns immortal.
Speak Mary declaring what
you saw wayfaring
“The tomb of Christ, who is living. The glory of Jesus’
resurrection,
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Bright angels attesting, the shroud and napkin resting
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen!
To Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining
Have mercy, victor King
ever reigning!
Amen, alleluia.
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v In the
great solemnities the Church has a sequence which is recited or sung before de Reading
the Gospel.
v They
are a masterpiece of poetry and music.
v As
we read this sequence of Easter we realice that it tells us the mystery of our
redemption.
v Mary
Magdelene is asked about what she has seen on the way
v She
confesses her faith in the resurrection, I have seen the Risen Lord who invites
his own to meet him in Galilee
v Galilee
o
Concrete geographical place, but also a place
in the geography of the spirit.
o
Place of the first encounter.
o
They have to go back there to encounter a new
the enthusiasm, the joy, the energy and the strength to proclaim what eye has
not seen and ear has not heard.
o
Encounter that will make them able to proclaim that our God has
saved us, that he is in our midst, that he walks with each one of us and will
be with us until the end of history.
o
Galilee, place where Peter will be able to
confess his love to his friend and Lord, after having experienced the depth of
human misery denying to know the one he loved so much.
v Yes,
let us also go back to our Galilee, each
one knows it, and there we will meet the Risen Lord, our love and our hope.
CLARETIAN CORNER
Dear daughters, love one another, as daughters of love that you are. Who have gathered you in this holy company, is it not love? My daughters, love your sisters….Venerable María Antonia París – Foundress of the Claretian Missionary Sisters – First Constitutions in Writings p. 458
My Lord, You are my love, my honor, mi hope, my refuge. You are my life, my glory, my purpose, my teacher, my Father, my love. St. Anthony M. Claret – Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters.
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