April 17 - Easter Sunday

(Acts 10:34a-43; Col 3:1-4; Jn 20:1-9)

There are five points in our first reading: (1) Jesus went about doing good (2) He was crucified (3) He was resurrected (4) He commissioned Peter and the other disciples to preach (5) If you believe in Jesus your sins will be forgiven.  Overall Peter’s words suggest that it would be foolish not to give oneself over to a life of discipleship.  Our Psalm guides us to remember “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”  In Colossians Paul insists that the truth of being raised with Christ demands striving for things that are above.  Living a life focused on “what is above” is no easy task.  Salvation is not something to be waited for in the end; it is something to be lived out every day.  John is the only evangelist to report Mary Magdalene as the sole visitor to the tomb of Jesus.  The detail of the burial cloths is important.  When Peter recognizes that the head cloth has been folded up, he understands that the body of Jesus was not stolen (since thieves wouldn’t take the time to fold up the linens).  Mary’s arrival early in the morning is a sign of the new light and life that Easter brings.

• If you believe in Jesus your sins will be forgiven.  What scripture or experience helps you believe that when you have doubts?
• While faith in the Resurrection can seem difficult, we commonly talk about having faith in ordinary, daily things.  What are some other things in which people say they have faith?
• Those baptized into Christ must ask themselves how their lives display the presence of Christ.  What do you hope people would say about you?