Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord / Msgr. Owen F. Campion
The Sunday Readings
Today, the Church celebrates the greatest day of its year, Easter, the feast of the Lord’s Resurrection.
These readings are proclaimed at Masses during
the day on Easter itself.
On the night of Holy Saturday, the Church will have celebrated the Easter Vigil, surely one of its most dramatic and expressive liturgical moments.
The first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. It gives us a glimpse into life in the early Church in Jerusalem and into the lives of the 11 surviving Apostles after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus.
It is apparent that the words of Jesus, the risen Lord, were fresh in the minds of the Apostles and the other members of the Church. Strong also was the wish to follow the Lord’s instructions and example.
The Apostles were committed to making the mercy of God in Jesus known in this first proclamation of the Gospel that continues in the life of the Church today.
St. Peter is the spokesman for all the Apostles. Indeed, throughout Acts, Peter appears as leader of the Apostles and of the Church.
For its second reading, the Church gives us a passage from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians. According to the Apostle, Christians also have been raised to new life. Their new life is in the resurrected, living Christ. As Christ is in heaven, so the thoughts of Christians must be on heaven.
A passage from the resurrection narrative of St. John’s Gospel’s is the last reading. Mary Magdalene was at Christ’s tomb, but she found it empty. Upset, fearing that the Lord’s body had been stolen, she rushed to inform Peter. Reaching Peter, she anxiously said that the Lord’s body had been taken away.
Peter then hurried to the tomb with “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” traditionally thought to have been the Apostle John but never actually identified as such in the Gospel (Jn 20:2). The disciple arrived first, but he waited for Peter, another indication of Peter’s status.
Peter entered the tomb, saw that it was empty, but evidently did not realize that Jesus had risen, although the Gospel does not say this. It does say that the other disciple understood what had occurred.
Reflection
In 1943, Americans were tormented by World War II, wearily and anxiously coping with its effects upon their lives. Catholics in America found a moment of relief when a motion picture, The Song of Bernadette, was released.
Fictional, but based on history, it recalled the appearances by the Blessed Mother to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 in Lourdes, France.
Not everyone accepted as fact the story of the apparitions. At the beginning of the movie, a statement appeared on the screen, saying, “For those who do not believe, no explanation [of the apparitions] is possible. For those who believe, no explanation is needed.”
These few words capsulized the meaning and value of faith, a gift to an individual heart from Almighty God. Easter commemorates the Lord’s resurrection from death. Accepting as fact, the Resurrection is the greatest act of faith. Rising from the dead confirms Christ’s identity as God and the wonder of the Lord’s mission as Savior of the world. Praise be Jesus Christ!
Fortunate is anyone who believes. Pope Leo XIV recently noted the benefits of faith in a believer’s life. Faith lifts the veils that cover reality and pinpoint the essentials.
In a poor person, believers see not just an unlucky person, but a treasure, a beloved child of God. In human decisions, believers see not just coincidences, but opportunities to assert the mercy and justice revealed by Jesus. In hardships, believers see not misfortune, but the purpose and reality of life, of future glory and even the inspiration to provide earthly relief.
Of course, on Easter, the Church joyfully proclaims, “He lives!” †