Happy Easter! Welcome to this Easter season, a fifty-day meditation on the mystery of the Lord’s Resurrection.
We begin it, today, by visiting the empty tomb with Mary, Peter and John (Gospel). All of them fail to understand the teaching of the scripture at first, but then John sees and believes – just as we are invited to reflect, ponder, and treasure these things in our hearts throughout Eastertide.
The First Reading depicts the evangelist Peter sharing with the household of Cornelius, the Good News that he himself had received. His desire to witness, his energy, and his conviction are evident. The ‘day made by the Lord’ (Psalm) has come to Cornelius and his family, and like the psalmist, Peter ‘rejoices and is glad’ alongside them.
Belief in the resurrected Jesus brings the fruit of forgiveness, which clears out the yeast of evil to make way for the gifts of sincerity and truth (Second Reading).
Let’s pray, this week, that our gratitude for what the Lord has done for us will impel us to go out and bear witness to his name through lives lived by peace, joy and hope. Amen!
We also continue to pray for peace throughout the whole world, and especially for the people of Ukraine and eastern Europe.