Welcome to our Bible Study Easter Sunday A April 20, 2014 In preparation for this Sunday’s Liturgy As aid in focusing our homilies and sharing Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

1 st reading: Acts 10:34a, Act of God 34 Peter proceeded to speak and said, 37 “You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. Acts of Jesus He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 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. 40 This man God raised (on) the third day and granted that he be visible, 41 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. Commissioning 42 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. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name." A simple outline! The focus is on the resurrection of Jesus.

1 st reading: Acts 10:34a, Act of God 34 Peter proceeded to speak and said, "37 You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. Acts of Jesus He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Commentary This is one of the preachings of Peter after the resurrection of Jesus. It is called kerygma. Kerygma in Greek is preaching. The content of the kerygma is the Christ- event (the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus). It is different from a sermon or homily which explains the readings. V.37 talks about what has happened (events) after John preached baptism: God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power. (baptism of Jesus), v.38 After his baptism, Jesus goes about doing good Healing all those oppressed (casting out demons) He can do such things because “God is with him.” It is consistent with his baptism.

1 st reading: Acts 10:34a, Witnesses 39 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. 40 This man God raised (on) the third day and granted that he be visible, 41 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. V.39 affirms that the apostles are witnesses in Galilee (country of the Jews) and Jerusalem. They witnessed his life and works (in Galilee), passion, death and resurrection (in Jerusalem) and his appearances to them. The witnesses are the apostles, who saw Jesus appear, and who ate and drank with him even after the resurrection. V.41

1 st reading: Acts 10:34a, Commissioning 42 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. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name." The resurrected Christ commissioned the apostles to preach and testify (kerysso and martyreo). To commission means to authorize, to give power to speak about his passion, death and resurrection. and to testify about eminence as judge of the living and the dead. The commissioning has an eschatological dimension (future).

Reflections on the 1 st reading Christ’s resurrection is not just a mystery to celebrate in the liturgy. It is, first of all, something to live by. We live by it by preaching the story of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. We live by it by testifying to other people in other places. If we do not feel compelled to preach and to testify our faith, we have a big problem. Maybe we have not actually understood what our faith in the Resurrected Christ entails.

Resp. Ps. 118:1-2, 16-17, R/ (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. or Alleluia. 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 2 Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.” 16 “The right hand of the LORD has struck with power; the right hand of the LORD is exalted. 17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.” 22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.

Resp. Ps. 118:1-2, 16-17, R/ (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. or Alleluia. 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 2 Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.” 16 “The right hand of the LORD has struck with power; the right hand of the LORD is exalted. 17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.” 22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. Commentary The psalm is classified as a thanksgiving hymn. In vv.1-2, the psalmist exhorts us to be grateful to God for his mercy which has no end. V.16 indicates how God has extended his unfailing mercy on the psalmist. God has used his power (right hand) to help preserve him. V.17 indicates the psalmist has been in danger. Now he will give witness to God’s power. Vv says what was considered unimportant is now considered important because of God’s action. The psalm anticipates the experience of Jesus, the paschal mystery.

Reflections on the Psalm God vindicates his faithful ones who call upon him. God does not allow destruction of those who pray to him. Their enemies may succeed in their evil scheme, but God will surely show his strong hand. Though we may badly beaten, with prayer, let us wait for God’s unfailing mercy and power.

2 nd reading: Colossians 3:1-4 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

2 nd reading: Colossians 3:1-4 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. Commentary The reading acknowledges that Christians (through baptism) are raised with Christ. Therefore, they should seek heaven where Christ seats with his Father. V.1 V.2 repeats the idea of verse 1, to think what is above. Their values must now be spiritual, not material or earthly. V.3 speaks of death (to sin) and life with Christ in God. V.4 speaks of Christ’s second coming, when he appears again. Christians share in the coming of Christ in glory.

Reflections on the 2 nd reading The resurrection of Christ leads to our own resurrection. The resurrection changes our value system. From now on, we must pay attention to higher values. In baptism, we, Christians, participate in the life, death, resurrection and the coming again in glory of Christ. We are given the honor to join the divine life of Christ.

Gospel reading: John 20:1-9 1 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. 2 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." 3 So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. 8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

Gospel reading: John 20:1-9 Mary of Magdala on a Sunday 1 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. 2 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.“ Peter and the other disciple 3 So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. 8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. A simple outline! The focus is on the resurrection of Jesus.

Gospel reading: John 20:1-9 Mary of Magdala on a Sunday 1 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. 2 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.“ Commentary V.1 introduces the first character: Mary of Magdala. Why does she go to the tomb? She is the first one to go to the tomb and to see the stone removed from the tomb. In v.2, she runs to report to Peter and to John (whom Jesus loved) Her report: “They (whoever they are) have taken the Lord from the tomb…” She does not interpret the empty tomb as pointing to the resurrection of Jesus.

Gospel reading: John 20:1-9 Peter and the other disciple 3 So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. 8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. In vv.3-5, Peter and John also run to the tomb. John runs faster than Peter; John sees burial cloths but does not go in. In vv.6-7, Peter arrives, goes straight inside the tomb and sees burial cloths, and the cloth placed on his head rolled up in a separate place. Up to this moment, there is so much running and running. Significant also is the mention of the cloths (rolled up in a separate place). There is a feminine tone in the resurrection of Jesus. V.8 indicates a development on the other disciple. He sees and believes. In v.9, the author comments that like Mary of Magdala, the two do not understand Jesus’ resurrection.

Reflections on the gospel reading Without the gift of faith, we cannot properly interpret the meaning of the Resurrection of Christ. We may be seeing and hearing a lot of things about Jesus’ resurrection, we may have images of the Resurrected Christ, but it is possible to miss the point if we stop at our senses. Running to and fro, fact finding, all those activities are meaningless, if we fail to believe. When we really believe, we talk about our faith. There is no such thing as a faith kept in secret.

Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm The first reading talks about the kerygma, which includes the resurrection of Christ. The psalm talks about the “resurrection” through God’s mercy. The second reading talks about the meaning of our resurrection through baptism. The gospel reading talks about the resurrection of Jesus through the empty tomb.

How to develop your homily / sharing What is Easter Sunday? We celebrate the resurrection of Christ. What do the readings tell about Christ’s Resurrection? The first reading tells about Christ who first ministered in Galilee, after his baptism, and then to Jerusalem, where he suffered, died and resurrected. The apostle Peter summarizes in his preaching the whole Jesus’ event.

The second reading talks about the rich meaning of the mystery of the resurrection. It does not refer only to the resurrection of Jesus, but also the resurrection of Christians, by virtue of their baptism. They rise from death, when they come out of the waters of baptism. The bodies of Christians are resurrected bodies and they must act accordingly. We must now live in the spiritual realm, not as men and women still in this world, who live according to worldly values.

The gospel tells about the aftermath of the resurrection of Jesus. Its meaning is not readily recognized, but instead it is misinterpreted. The disciples came to believe only later on. It takes time to appreciate the mystery of the resurrection. What is important is that we, Christians, may also know how to believe in spite of our inability to understand. It is not necessary to know exactly what happened in order to believe in Christ.

What is the meaning of the resurrection to us? We, Christians, consider the Easter as the most important Christian celebration. All other feasts find their meaning in the Easter faith. We cannot explain our faith without considering the resurrection of Christ.

We celebrate this Easter with more meaning if we have actually responded to the call of repentance during Lent. We rise above our sinful ways. We should now live in the grace of God. Never again should we go back to our old selves.

For those who are hard up in this life, the faith in the resurrection must mean something. It must become a vision / a mystery to live by. It must propel us to stand up again and move forward and keep going after all the setbacks and failures, and in the midst of disappointments and frustrations.

The eucharist is the sacrament of encounter with the resurrected Christ. The celebration of the eucharist preserves the memory of the resurrection of the Lord. In the eucharist, we participate in the rising of the Lord.

Our Context of Sin and Grace No sense of mission No faith in the resurrection Hopelessness No sense of a better future Materialism Dichotomy Split level personality (faith) Responsible Christians New life Experience of new freedom Renewed

Suggested Songs Wake Up Now May People =related =related Resucito Thank you, Lord Where is this Jesus