EASTER SUNDAY (B): The Empty Tomb

 

MARCH 31, 2024 - SUNDAY
EASTER SUNDAY: The Resurrection Of The Lord (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR II
Lectionary: 42

Reading I

Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Peter proceeded to speak and said:

“You know what has happened all over Judea, 

beginning in Galilee after the baptism

that John preached, 

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth

with the Holy Spirit and power.

He went about doing good

and healing all those oppressed by the devil, 

for God was with him.

We are witnesses of all that he did

both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.

This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,

not to all the people, but to us,

the witnesses chosen by God in advance,

who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

He commissioned us to preach to the people

and testify that he is the one appointed by God

as judge of the living and the dead.

To him all the prophets bear witness,

that everyone who believes in him

will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Responsorial Psalm

118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

R.  (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

or:

R.  Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

    for his mercy endures forever.

Let the house of Israel say,

    “His mercy endures forever.”

R.  This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

or:

R.  Alleluia.

“The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;

    the right hand of the LORD is exalted.

I shall not die, but live,

    and declare the works of the LORD.”

R.  This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

or:

R.  Alleluia.

The stone which the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone.

By the LORD has this been done;

    it is wonderful in our eyes.

R.  This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

or:

R.  Alleluia.

Reading II

Col 3:1-4

Brothers and sisters:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, 

where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ your life appears,

then you too will appear with him in glory.

OR:

I Cor 5:6b-8

Brothers and sisters:

Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?

Clear out the old yeast,

so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, 

inasmuch as you are unleavened.

For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.

Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, 

not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, 

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Sequence

Victimae paschali laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim

    Offer your thankful praises!

A Lamb the sheep redeems;

    Christ, who only is sinless,

    Reconciles sinners to the Father.

Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:

    The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.

Speak, Mary, declaring

    What you saw, wayfaring.

“The tomb of Christ, who is living,

    The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;

Bright angels attesting,

    The shroud and napkin resting.

Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;

    to Galilee he goes before you.”

Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.

    Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!

    Amen. Alleluia.

Alleluia

Cf. 1 Cor 5:7b-8a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed;

let us then feast with joy in the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL

Jn 20:1-9

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.

- John 20:1-9

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Christ finally finishes His mission for us to save us through His Passion & Death, & now, finally HE RAISES in our hearts that He prove to us that His never ending unconditional LOVE for us will NEVER FADES, forever. Instead, it would STRENGTHEN our FAITH as we bring ourselves back to HIM. ALLELUIA!

PRAYER: 

We thank You Lord God for the gift of life. We're are truly blessed cause we know that in spite of all of Your pain & suffering that You've made from the Cross, You prove to ourselves that death is not the end of our lives, it just only the beginning.

Those Greater than John

DECEMBER 15, 2022, THURSDAY
Thursday of the Third Week in Advent (Violet)
CYCLE A  - YEAR I
Lectionary: 190

(N.B For mass readings for SIMBANG GABI/MISA DE GALLO, kindly look on the separated post.)

Reading I
Is 54:1-10

    Raise a glad cry, you barren one who did not bear,

        Break forth in jubilant song, you who were not in labor,

    For more numerous are the children of the deserted wife

        than the children of her who has a husband,

        says the Lord.

    Enlarge the space for your tent,

        spread out your tent cloths unsparingly;

        lengthen your ropes and make firm your stakes.

    For you shall spread abroad to the right and to the left;

        your descendants shall dispossess the nations

        and shall people the desolate cities.

    Fear not, you shall not be put to shame;

        you need not blush, for you shall not be disgraced.

    The shame of your youth you shall forget,

        the reproach of your widowhood no longer remember.

    For he who has become your husband is your Maker;

        his name is the Lord of hosts;

    Your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,

        called God of all the earth.

    The Lord calls you back,

        like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,

    A wife married in youth and then cast off,

        says your God.

    For a brief moment I abandoned you,

        but with great tenderness I will take you back.

    In an outburst of wrath, for a moment

        I hid my face from you;

    But with enduring love I take pity on you,

        says the Lord, your redeemer.

    This is for me like the days of Noah,

        when I swore that the waters of Noah

        should never again deluge the earth;

    So I have sworn not to be angry with you,

        or to rebuke you.

    Though the mountains leave their place

        and the hills be shaken,

    My love shall never leave you

        nor my covenant of peace be shaken,

        says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

Responsorial Psalm
30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

R.    (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I will extol you, O Lord, for you drew me clear

    and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O Lord, you brought me up from the nether world;

    you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

R.    I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Sing praise to the Lord, you his faithful ones,

    and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger lasts but a moment;

    a lifetime, his good will.

At nightfall, weeping enters in,

    but with the dawn, rejoicing.

R.    I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

“Hear, O Lord, and have pity on me;

    O Lord, be my helper.”

You changed my mourning into dancing;

    O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

R.    I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Alleluia
Luke 3:4, 6

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:

All flesh shall see the salvation of God.

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Lk 7:24-30

When the messengers of John the Baptist had left,

Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. 

“What did you go out to the desert to see  a reed swayed by the wind? 

Then what did you go out to see? 

Someone dressed in fine garments? 

Those who dress luxuriously and live sumptuously

are found in royal palaces. 

Then what did you go out to see? 

A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 

This is the one about whom Scripture says:

    Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

    he will prepare your way before you.

I tell you,

among those born of women, no one is greater than John;

yet the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.”

(All the people who listened, including the tax collectors,

who were baptized with the baptism of John,

acknowledged the righteousness of God;

but the Pharisees and scholars of the law,

who were not baptized by him,

rejected the plan of God for themselves.) 

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Jesus reminds the people of what they sought and found in John the Baptist: they did not search for some trivial reed or elegant courtesan but encountered a sign of God's presence. I take some time to recall and savor again the people who have helped me to discover God's ways.

PRAYER:

As we ourselves prepare to welcome Jesus at Christmas, we try to realize that our preparation has also to involve a welcome for any plan that the Lord may have in store for us.

The Coming of the Paraclete

MAY 24, 2022, TUESDAY
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter (White)
CYCLE C - YEAR II
Lectionary: 292

Reading I
Acts 16:22-34

The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,

and the magistrates had them stripped

and ordered them to be beaten with rods.

After inflicting many blows on them,

they threw them into prison

and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.

When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell

and secured their feet to a stake.

About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying

and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,

there was suddenly such a severe earthquake

that the foundations of the jail shook;

all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.

When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,

he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,

thinking that the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,

“Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.”

He asked for a light and rushed in and,

trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.

Then he brought them out and said,

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus

and you and your household will be saved.”

So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.

He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;

then he and all his family were baptized at once.

He brought them up into his house and provided a meal

and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.

Responsorial Psalm
138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8

R.        (7c)  Your right hand saves me, O Lord.

or:

R.        Alleluia.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,

            for you have heard the words of my mouth;

            in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;

I will worship at your holy temple,

            and give thanks to your name.

R.        Your right hand saves me, O Lord.

or:

R.        Alleluia.

Because of your kindness and your truth,

            you have made great above all things

            your name and your promise.

When I called, you answered me;

            you built up strength within me.

R.        Your right hand saves me, O Lord.

or:

R.        Alleluia.

Your right hand saves me.

The LORD will complete what he has done for me;

            your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;

            forsake not the work of your hands.

R.        Your right hand saves me, O Lord.

or:

R.        Alleluia.

Alleluia
See Jn 16:7, 13

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;

he will guide you to all truth.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 16:5-11

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Now I am going to the one who sent me,

and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’

But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.

But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.

For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.

But if I go, I will send him to you.

And when he comes he will convict the world

in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:

sin, because they do not believe in me;

righteousness, because I am going to the Father

and you will no longer see me;

condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

REFLECTION:

I notice how often Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit during this time after Easter, and as we approach the Ascension. The coming of the Spirit of Truth to us is clearly of great importance to Jesus. How important is it to me? Do I consciously rely on the grace of my confirmation, and recognize the reality of the Holy Spirit in my life?

PRAYER:

As I look at my life, I pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit to shed light, to bring truth and to be the consolation that Jesus promises.

God sent His Son

April 14, 2021, Wednesday
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 269

Reading I
Acts 5:17-26

The high priest rose up and all his companions,
that is, the party of the Sadducees,
and, filled with jealousy,
laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.
But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,
led them out, and said,
“Go and take your place in the temple area,
and tell the people everything about this life.”
When they heard this,
they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.
When the high priest and his companions arrived,
they convened the Sanhedrin,
the full senate of the children of Israel,
and sent to the jail to have them brought in.
But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison,
so they came back and reported,
“We found the jail securely locked
and the guards stationed outside the doors,
but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, 
they were at a loss about them,
as to what this would come to.
Then someone came in and reported to them,
“The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area
and are teaching the people.” 
Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them,
but without force,
because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

Responsorial Psalm
34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R.    (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

I will bless the LORD at all times;

    his praise shall be ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the LORD;

    the lowly will hear me and be glad.

R.    (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Glorify the LORD with me,

    let us together extol his name.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me

    and delivered me from all my fears.

R.    (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,

    and your faces may not blush with shame.

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,

    and from all his distress he saved him.

R.    (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

The angel of the LORD encamps

    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Taste and see how good the LORD is;

    blessed the man who takes refuge in him.

R.    (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia
Jn 3:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

God so love the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,

so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Jn 3:16-21

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

REFLECTION:

God loves the world, loves each one of us, loves me. This is the whole message of Jesus, expressed in his words and embodied, directly or indirectly, in the whole of his life. Am I convinced of this myself?

PRAYER:

Jesus, you are the face of God revealed, a light shining out in our darkened world. I move between the shadowlands of darkness and light. With each daily encounter, may the relationship between us deepen. Let me see as you see, love as you love, and, by my actions, radiate your light to the world.

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

April 12, 2021, Monday
Monday of the Second Week of Easter (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 267

Reading I
Acts 4:23-31

After their release, Peter and John went back to their own people
and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them.
And when they heard it,
they raised their voices to God with one accord
and said, “Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth
and the sea and all that is in them,
you said by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of our father David, your servant:
    Why did the Gentiles rage
        and the peoples entertain folly?
    The kings of the earth took their stand
        and the princes gathered together
        against the Lord and against his anointed.
Indeed they gathered in this city
against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed,
Herod and Pontius Pilate,
together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do what your hand and your will
had long ago planned to take place.
And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Responsorial Psalm
2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9

R.    (see 11d)  Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples utter folly?
The kings of the earth rise up,
    and the princes conspire together
    against the LORD and against his anointed:
“Let us break their fetters
    and cast their bonds from us!”

R.    (see 11d)  Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

He who is throned in heaven laughs;

    the LORD derides them.

Then in anger he speaks to them;

    he terrifies them in his wrath:

“I myself have set up my king

    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

I will proclaim the decree of the LORD.

R.    (see 11d)  Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;

    this day I have begotten you.

Ask of me and I will give you

    the nations for an inheritance

    and the ends of the earth for your possession.

You shall rule them with an iron rod;

    you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.”

R.    (see 11d)  Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

 

Alleluia
Col 3:1

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If then you were raised with Christ,

seek what is above,

where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Jn 3:1-8

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
He came to Jesus at night and said to him,
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God,
for no one can do these signs that you are doing
unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 
Nicodemus said to him,
“How can a man once grown old be born again?
Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”
Jesus answered,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
What is born of flesh is flesh
and what is born of spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I told you,
‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wills,
and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

REFLECTION:

Nicodemus was seeking to know who Jesus was. He went by night, probably because, being a Pharisee, he was afraid to do this openly. Yet Jesus welcomed him and took him very seriously. I too, and people I know, maybe seeking after the truth yet afraid of doing this openly because of what others might think of them. Yet Jesus welcomes my goodwill and my efforts and challenges me to be born anew.

PRAYER:

When I let the Good Spirit guide me, life takes on a new dimension. I am no longer stuck in a groove, living a flat, dull life. I begin to notice God more. I see people freshly as images of God, extraordinary immortals. I see myself as a carrier of God’s great love which is to be shared. I become a freer spirit and a happier person.