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Our Sunday Reflection - March 31, 2024
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"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad."
Psalm 118
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Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
Today we gather in joy to celebrate the holiest and most wonderful of days: Easter Sunday. Jesus, who sacrificed his life on behalf of us all, has been raised from the dead. Alleluia! This is the day that gives meaning to Jesus’ suffering and death, and in turn to our own. Suffering and death are not the end. Jesus has led the way to his Father for all eternity. How appropriate that we gather today for the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we give thanks to the Lord for the ultimate sacrifice he made for our sins. In the Eucharist, we receive his Body and Blood, more closely uniting us with him, now and eternally. Let us celebrate the Eucharist on this blessed day as we are reborn in the Lord.on.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
Through the gift of God’s word, we get to hear how the Resurrection event gradually came to be understood by the early disciples. In the first two readings, Peter and Paul speak of how our life has completely changed because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. We may receive forgiveness of sins in his name. We now seek what is above, our destiny. We have become a fresh batch of dough in the hands of the Lord. But upon first seeing the empty tomb, neither Mary Magdalene, Peter, nor John understands what happened. However, even then, a glimmer of faith was kindled.Reflections
- For years, Jesus had confounded even his closest disciples. He insisted the crowds stay for a meal when all they had were a few loaves and fish. He told them to turn the other cheek, that it is the poor and downtrodden that are blessed, and that each of them had a cross to carry. He revealed that he would be condemned to death. Now he’s disappeared from the tomb they’d buried him in just three days before. Mary Magdalene is frantic. Peter and John are rendered speechless. All three are confused. What has happened? None of them yet understood that they had to look for him in a different way. Jesus may confound us as well. We may not find him where we expect, or when we expect, or in the way we expect. But let us take comfort in the confidence that no matter where we go, no matter how confounded we are, he will find us.
- In his letter to the Colossians, Paul gives us a clue as to finding the risen Lord: “Seek what is above” (3:1). If we have died with Christ, as we did in baptism, then we have been raised with Christ. This ought to be our perspective. There is a permanence to what is above that cannot be achieved on earth. How relatively fleeting even our happiest times have been: our wedding day, the birth of a child, a career accomplishment. The Resurrection frees us to seek love and mercy and life in a way that outlasts what is on earth.
- The Resurrection transforms us. Holding the promise of resurrection for ourselves and those we love gives hope and meaning to our life. It transforms us. But we are also transformed by the power God has to raise us from our graves of sinfulness and our tombs of despair. In many ways, our lives are reborn by the Resurrection, like a fresh batch of dough, as Paul told the Corinthians, and by focusing our minds on what is above, as he told the Colossians. A God who has the power to transform death to new life has the power to transform our ordinary, difficult lives to new lives as well. May we recognize that our lives stand ever ready for transformation.
Question of the Week
How has the Resurrection transformed my life? How can it continue to do so?
-from Pastoral Patterns
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readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, March 31, 2024
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, March 31, 2024
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Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
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