Contact
About me
HOMILIES
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
HOMILIES ARCHIVE
HOMILIES
Dear Audience,For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!
Easter Sunday (Year B)
7239
8
0First Reading
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (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 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 to 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."
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms of David (118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23)
(R) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
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)
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)
The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. (R)
Second Reading
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (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.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Gospel
A reading from the Gospel according to John (20:1-9)
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene 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 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 clothes 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 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.
(P) The Gospel of the Lord.(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily
There was an elderly couple. The husband was very seriously ill and lying in bed. He had a feeling that he would soon die. One day he called out to his wife. The wife asked him, "What can I do for you, darling?" The husband said in a weak voice, "You know I love you very much. I would like you to go and wash yourself now. Put on some make-up and perfume, wear a nice dress and jewelry. Make yourself as beautiful as you can, then come back and sit beside me. The wife was horrified and said, "Darling, I don't feel like dressing up and looking nice when you are seriously ill. Moreover, those who come to visit you would think that I have no scruples". "Oh, no dear", said the husband, "Don't misunderstand me. I am near to the gates of death. I'm only hoping that when the angel of death comes to call, may be he'll notice how beautiful you are and take you instead of me".
We are all at the gates of death because of our sins. But the Lord Jesus emptied himself, took the form of a man but lived a sinless and perfect life on Earth, and gave himself over to death so that we can live in eternity with him. Yes. We have new life because he had paid the price with his life for ours.
During the forty days of Lent from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, we had observed fasting, we prayed and carried out works of charity. We recalled the history of salvation from the Old Testament, and the prophecies of the coming Messiah, his suffering and glorification, and reflected on the call of our Lord Jesus to repentance, and commemorated our Lord's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, his last supper with his disciples on Holy Thursday, his trial, crucifixion, death and burial on Good Friday. Today we gather to commemorate that holy day when the Lord rose from the dead. Once again Jesus defied the expectations of his disciples and the people of Jerusalem to show that God can conquer even death.
In today's gospel, Mark narrates how the resurrection of Jesus surprised some of his women followers. These women had followed and served Jesus from the beginning of his ministry and then followed him to the cross. They stayed with Jesus to the very end while others had fled. They witnessed the horrible crucifixion, and they saw the body laid to rest. On the following day they grieved the death of Jesus. They had hoped that Jesus would become their king, and bring them freedom and security. Jesus also had made many promises to them. But he was dead now. Yet, they waited. The whole day they waited in faith that God would fulfil the greatest desire of their heart in spite of a hopeless and helpless situation.
So, on the third day, early in the morning, the women went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with spices and perfumes which was customary in Israel at the time. On the way they were talking about the large stone blocking the entrance and how it would be difficult for them to roll the stone away. But little did they know that God was waiting to surprise them. The stone had already been rolled away and the tomb was open but empty. There was no body inside the tomb. They were terrified, amazed and confused. As they were eagerly searching for the body, they were told by an angel, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go and tell Peter and the others that he is going before you to Galilee, there you will see him, as he had told you."
The women had neither expected to see the stone rolled away, nor an empty tomb or hear the angel's message. But, because they had trusted and waited in faith, they were not disappointed. They were the first to learn of the Easter surprise that Jesus is alive. They were the first to hear of God's victory over death. They were the first to be blessed with peace and newness of life. And in the coming days these women and other disciples were to be encouraged to expect many more surprises in their daily life back in their native place Galilee.
If Jesus had not risen from the dead and appeared to these women and later to all his disciples, we would never have heard of him. And nothing else could have turned their sorrow, fear and despair into joy and give them back courage and hope. So the news that Jesus was alive meant so much to them. If the resurrection of Jesus was so fundamental to their faith and prominent in their preaching in the first century surely it should be just as important to us in our faith and preaching today. Saint Paul exhorts us to "declare Jesus as Lord with our mouth, and believe with our heart that God has raised him from the dead in order to save us", Romans (10:9). Jesus said, "I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die", John (11:25-26). All we need to do is to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and confess that Jesus is Lord so that we may not perish, but have eternal life.
God has promised to reward us for our belief in Him. He will never disappoint those who are repentant, faithful, obedient, humble and hopeful. Indeed, our God is a God of surprises. He will continue to intervene suddenly and mysteriously, totally and unexpectedly even in the midst of our anxieties, fears, confusion, despair and suffering. Sometimes, when we least expect it, He will surprise us. He will fill our lives with peace and newness of life.
I wish you all a Happy Easter!
(P) Amen.Happy Easter, Alleluia!
Content Options
to download the audio file Sign In » or
Register ».
generate Google Translate Layout ».
share this homily via:
More Homilies this Month
Use the Prev or Next buttons to read or listen to the other homilies of the month.