23 - Easter Sunday

Readings and Gospel

Lectionary for this day - This has all the readings and Gospel

Acts 10:34a, 37-43 - Peter’s Speech

Colossians 3:1-4 - Mystical Death and Resurrection

[or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 - Old and new yeast]

John 20:1-9 - The Empty Tomb (More information in the footnotes here.)

Who / What / Where is...?

Acts (Acts of the Apostles)

•  This is the second volume of Luke’s two-volume work, continues Luke’s presentation of biblical history, describing how the salvation promised to Israel in the Old Testament and accomplished by Jesus has now under the guidance of the holy Spirit been extended to the Gentiles.

Nazareth

• Where St Joseph and Mother Mary lived

• Where Angel Gabriel appeared to Mother Mary (the annunciation)

• Where Jesus grew up.

• This is located in today's Israel's northern district.

• It is near the Sea of Galilee (also known as Lake Tiberias)

We are witnesses

• The apostolic testimony was not restricted to the resurrection of Jesus but also included his historical ministry. 

• This witness was theological in character. The Twelve, divinely mandated as prophets, were empowered to interpret his sayings and deeds in the light of his redemptive death and resurrection. The meaning of these words and deeds was to be made clear to the developing Christian community as the bearer of the word of salvation (cf. Acts 1:21–26).

Hanging him on a tree

• Crucifying him

Reading from the letter of St Paul to the Colossians

Colossians

• This letter is addressed to a congregation at Colossae in the Lycus Valley in Asia Minor, east of Ephesus (in today's Turkey). At the time of writing, Paul had not visited there. More information here.

right hand of God

• "By 'the Father's right hand' we understand the glory and honor of divinity, where he who exists as Son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the Father, is seated bodily after he became incarnate and his flesh was glorified. (CCC 663)

A little yeast

• Yeast, which induces fermentation, is a natural symbol for a source of corruption that becomes all-pervasive. The expression is proverbial.

Unleavened bread

• In the Jewish calendar, Passover was followed immediately by the festival of Unleavened Bread. In preparation for this feast all traces of old bread were removed from the house, and during the festival only unleavened bread was eaten. The sequence of these two feasts provides Paul with an image of Christian existence: Christ’s death (the true Passover celebration) is followed by the life of the Christian community, marked by newness, purity, and integrity (a perpetual feast of unleavened bread). Paul may have been writing around Passover time (cf. 1 Cor 16:5); this is a little Easter homily, the earliest in Christian literature.

Paschal Lamb

• The lamb offered as a sacrifice 

• The symbol of Israel's redemption at the first Passover where they were freed from the slavery of Egypt.

• In the reading, this points to Jesus as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world". Christ's whole life expresses his mission: "to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  (CCC 608)

Gospel

John

• Means "Yahweh has been Gracious"

• Brother of James (another apostle)

• Son of Zebedee

• He was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.

  • • 12 Apostles - the first 12 people that Jesus called to follow Him.

Mary of Magdala (or Mary Magdalene)

• A woman who, according to the four Gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of His followers and was a witness to His crucifixion and resurrection.

• Magdala is a village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee that was primarily known in antiquity as a fishing town.

Simon Peter

• Also known as Peter the Apostle, Peter the Rock, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas

• He was later given by Jesus the name Cephas, from the Aramaic כֵּיפָא, Kepha, 'rock/stone'.

• He was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.

  • • 12 Apostles - the first 12 people that Jesus called to follow Him.

• Considered as the first Pope of the Catholic Church.

More

Dig deeper into this Sunday's Readings and Gospel with teachings from Brant Pitre.

Saints