Daily Reflection – Apr 1, 2018
Sunday 1 April 2018
First Reading: ACTS 10:34A, 37-43
Responsorial Psalm:
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
PS 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Second Reading: COL 3:1-4
Gospel Reading: JN 20:1-9
Today’s Note: Easter Sunday – The Resurrection of the Lord – The Mass of Easter Day
Gospel Reading:
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
Reflection:
Not to all the people, but to us. (Acts 10:41)
Happy Easter!
We want to focus on just one verse today. Speaking to a centurion and his family, St. Peter says that the risen Jesus chose to appear, “not to all the people,” but only to himself and the other disciples, “the witnesses chosen by God in advance” (Acts 10:41). He didn’t appear to everyone—not the Pharisees, not the people in Athens or Alexandria, not even to all the people he had healed and delivered. It was just a few people.
Peter then goes on to say something even more surprising: God had commissioned him and the others “to preach to the people and testify” (Acts 10:42). Rather than making a proclamation from heaven for all to hear, God chose ordinary, everyday people to share his good news. In other words, he chose people just like us.
Why would God choose such a humble, risky strategy? We may never know the full answer, but here are two possibilities:
First, Jesus wants us to experience his love through each other. He wants us to feel his presence through the generosity, the affection, and the humility of his followers. That’s why he has called us to be a Church—so that he can work through us to change the world. It’s why he calls us to gather around the altar as brothers and sisters.
Second, Jesus trusts us. He was confident that, with the help of his Spirit, Peter and Mary Magdalene and the rest could accomplish something grand and beautiful for him. In the same way, he trusts you. He knows you won’t always get it right, but neither did the apostles. Still, he knows that if you set your heart on loving people as he loves them, you will make a difference.
Christ is risen! May we all proclaim it through our love!
“Jesus, I am in awe that you have chosen me to share your gospel!”
