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Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle B

05 Apr 2015

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 What happened in Judea is now known the world over. Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 The wonder of this day can only be answered with a grateful life. Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 Celebrate this feast with fresh dough and new yeast: sincerity and truth. John 20:1-9 or Mark 16:1-7 or Luke 24:13-35 The race is on to fathom the mystery of Easter morning.

Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 Mark 16:1-7 Luke 24:13-35

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Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle A

20 Apr 2014

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Only those who eat and drink with the risen one can bear witness to him. Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 The boundless mercy of God is the wonderful reason we give thanks. Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 Above and below, inside and out, we seek to "hide" our lives in Christ. John 20:1-9 The stone is removed and the tomb is empty. What do we see in this space?

Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43

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Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle C

31 Mar 2013

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Peter presents the gospel of forgiveness to Cornelius and his household. Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 We will not die, we will live. That is divine love at work for us. Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 A little has a great effect. As with yeast, so, too, with malice or sincerity. John 20:1-9 or Luke 24:1-12 or Luke 24:13-35 The tomb is found empty. What does it mean to those who discover it?

Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 Luke 24:13-35 Luke 24:1-12

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Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle B

08 Apr 2012

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 The once-fearful Peter now boldly confesses his testimony to Jesus of Nazareth. Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 The tables have turned: The rejected stone is now the cornerstone. Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 What you put in is what you get out, so consider the quality of your yeast. John 20:1-9 or Mark 16:1-7 Three underestimated women are the first witnesses to the Resurrection.

Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 Mark 16:1-7

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Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle C

04 Apr 2010

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 You know the story, Peter says. But do you get the message? Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 For the wonders of today, we give thanks and praise. Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 On this day we celebrate the feast of sincerity and truth. John 20:1-9 or Luke 24:1-12 or Luke 24:13-35 Jesus is not in the tomb. That much is certain. But if not there, then where?

Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 Luke 24:13-35 Luke 24:1-12

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Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle B

12 Apr 2009

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Peter tells the story of salvation from the top, beginning in Galilee. Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 On this Easter day, as on the first one, we rejoice in the day that God has made. Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 The old yeast of malice and wickedness is past. Sincerity and truth now abound. John 20:1-9 or Mark 16:1-7 In Mark’s Easter story the disciples are directed to return to Galilee, where they began.

Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 Mark 16:1-7 Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43

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Where do you meet Jesus?

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Holy days/feasts: The Resurrection of the Lord: The Mass of Easter Sunday Readings: Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8; John 20:1-9 or Luke 24:1-12 or Luke 24:13-35 DARKNESS, DAWN, a faint glow on the horizon—the first hour of the first day of the week. At the tomb Mary Magdalene was confused, frightened—the stone had been rolled away. When he arrived Peter was amazed. Hollywood would say, “This is the first day of the rest of their lives.” No, this is the first day of a new era, an era of light and life and love. Jesus came again and again to those who loved him. He didn’t appear to Pilate or Herod. He came to those who loved him, to those who believed in him. They met in Galilee, home territory, familiar places, where the disciples would be comfortable. He came again and again reassuring them until they really believed it had happened: Jesus had risen from the dead. It is much the same in our lives. He comes often to those who seek the truth, to those who long for him, and just like the disciples we, too, grow in love and understanding. It is much the same in our lives. He comes often to those who seek the truth, to those who long for him, and just like the disciples we, too, grow in love and understanding. Recently a woman told me this story. Years ago she was in the kitchen cooking a Sunday brunch shortly before Easter, when her oldest son, then 9 years old, came in and said, “Hey, Mom, there isn’t an Easter Bunny is there?” Surprised, she queried, “Why are you asking?” Her son answered, “Well, you know, the Easter eggs and the little chicks, they’re all symbols of new life because Jesus is alive. He rose from the dead! You and Dad hide the Easter eggs.” The mother smiled as she reminisced. Her son was nodding his head, encouraging me to agree because he was certain of his new understanding. “I think I burned the bacon that morning,” she continued, “and he and I had a little talk. He was so little and yet he had begun to explore the meaning of Easter—Christ alive within us. That was years ago and I am still touched every time I talk about it.” Of course she was moved by that memory because every time we tell our God-story, God comes to us again. We bring the past into the present and it is filled with grace. Telling the story: That’s what the first disciples did. Mary Magdalene first ran to tell Peter. Peter and the beloved disciple went to see for themselves. The gospel indicates confusion, amazement, fear, and even tentative faith, but I don’t think those disciples were silent. I can see them full of excitement, discussing some of the things Jesus had told them—the light beginning to dawn. Perhaps they started to spread the news: The tomb is empty! Did they tell Mary, Jesus’ mother? Did they tell Mary, Martha, and Lazarus? The point is from day one they told the story of how they experienced Jesus; maybe only with close friends at first, those who were safe, but I think they couldn’t contain themselves. Where have you met the Lord recently? Are you spreading the Good News? Perhaps you found peace in receiving forgiveness, or maybe you were the one who forgave and experienced that marvelous freedom in letting go. Blessed are those peacemakers; they are free of hostility and vengeance. Perhaps you met the Lord in the struggle for justice for the poor and the marginalized. Blessed are those who search for justice because they see the world with compassionate eyes. They are free from prejudice. Speaking of the poor, did you meet the Lord as you fed or clothed those in need? Did you visit those confined by age or illness? That is a blessing in itself. They have gifts to share that cannot be described. Perhaps just like the mother in the story I told, you met the Lord in your children—in the ordinary routine of everyday life—in the love and laughter of birth or birthdays—in the tears of love and sadness when someone has died. If we are open and attentive, we will meet the Lord again and again just as the first disciples did in the experiences of life. Rejoice in it! As disciples go out and tell the whole world. Let your world know by your words and actions that you have seen him; that he lives! And in that telling you can be amazed just as Peter was because you will meet him again.

Authors Catherine Collins

holy day/feast Easter Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 Luke 24:1-12 Luke 24:13-35

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Go inside the tomb

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Occasion: Easter Sunday: Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord Readings: Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8; John 20:1-9 Easter comes amid spring rebirth, on a day of bonnets and bunnies, sweets and playtime. We're rousing ourselves from winter and ending our Lenten fasts. The Lord has risen; we are saved. It's time to savor life. The disciples experienced wonder and joy on this day. Confusion, too—sheer bafflement. But the elation that they must have felt as the realization took hold—that the man they loved, the leader they abandoned everything to follow had been raised from the dead—must have been overwhelming. All their dashed hopes were restored. And on this glorious, jubilant day, the gospels take us—into a tomb. It's an evocative scene, full of detail that makes us feel as if we are there. We see exactly what Peter saw: The cloth that had covered his head was not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place; it's jarringly specific. It puts us there with them. Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved sprint to the tomb as soon as they hear from Mary Magdalene that the stone was removed and that Jesus was missing. But Peter bolts inside while the other hesitates at the entrance. Only after Peter goes in first does he follow, and only then does he believe. His understanding is still incomplete, but he has to go inside the tomb, experience the dark, dank sepulcher of death from the inside—and find it empty—in order to even start to get an inkling about the miracle of the Resurrection. We, too, need to go there, inside the tomb. We, too, need to go there, inside the tomb. In 2007 my father-in-law Hank was as good as dead. He'd been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis long before, but that winter the progress of the disease, in which the immune system attacks and permanently scars the lungs, escalated so quickly that doctors were confounded. In a matter of days Hank could barely walk or breathe. He fell into a coma and was put on a ventilator. The doctors gave him a five percent chance of surviving. For 10 days we, his family, sat vigil at the hospital. We discussed organ donation; we started to plan the funeral. Then a new doctor was consulted. She gave him massive doses of steroids. His body responded. He came out of the coma; the ventilator was removed. He got his life back. It was a miracle. We knew he wasn't cured. There is no cure. But he got four more years. Four more years with his family and friends. He got to celebrate his 60th birthday and his 36th wedding anniversary. He got to see another of his sons married and an ultrasound of his first grandchild. We got four more years of his love and strength. Four more years of memories with him. We spent that time in an empty tomb—his—marveled at it, as did he. It made everything different. So did knowing it was waiting for him, waiting for all of us. We were given the blessing of opportunity to prepare for the awful inevitable while appreciating what had been given back to us. In Latin the word for “void” or “empty space” is vacuum. According to scientific theory, when a vacuum occurs—that is, whenever there is an absence of matter—matter will immediately rush in to fill it. The scientific argument is that a vacuum cannot really occur because any void will always instantly be filled. Hank didn’t make any big changes in his life in his last four years. He kept on living the way he always did, which wasn’t anything particularly extraordinary but one of service to God, family, company, community. After he died there were mountains of cards, rooms full of flowers, newspaper articles, three priests on the altar (all personal friends), and nearly 1,000 people at the funeral—testaments to a simple life lived well all along. It can be scary to stand at the threshold of the empty tomb and get up the gumption to go inside, and sometimes you’re compelled to. A void is left, and life rushes in, more exquisite for the space it fills.

Authors Jennifer Tomshack

holy day/feast Easter Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9

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Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle C

27 Mar 2016

SUNDAY SUMMARY Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Peter reminds his listeners of a long story with a surprising ending.Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 God chooses the rejected cornerstone and inaugurates a day to remember.Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 Human history from below is predictable. Salvation history from above astounds.John 20:1-9 or Luke 24:1-12 or Luke 24:13-35 The contest to see and appreciate the events of Easter begins with the disciples.

Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 Luke 24:13-35 Luke 24:1-12

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