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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 04-17-17, SOL, Monday within the Octave of Easter
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 04-17-17 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 04/16/2017 7:53:08 PM PDT by Salvation

April 17, 2017

Monday in the Octave of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 2:14, 22-33

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
"You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

"You who are children of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:

I saw the Lord ever before me,
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;
my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.


My brothers, one can confidently say to you
about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit
that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia Ps 118:24

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 28:8-15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me."

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, "You are to say,
'His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.'
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.



TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; easter; mt28; prayer
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To: All
Regina Coeli 

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. / For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.

Has risen, as he said, alleluia. / Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. / For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.


21 posted on 04/16/2017 8:26:20 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Matthew
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  Matthew 28
8 And they went out quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples. Et exierunt cito de monumento cum timore et gaudio magno, currentes nuntiare discipulis ejus. και εξελθουσαι ταχυ απο του μνημειου μετα φοβου και χαρας μεγαλης εδραμον απαγγειλαι τοις μαθηταις αυτου
9 And behold Jesus met them, saying: All hail. But they came up and took hold of his feet, and adored him. Et ecce Jesus occurrit illis, dicens : Avete. Illæ autem accesserunt, et tenuerunt pedes ejus, et adoraverunt eum. ως δε επορευοντο απαγγειλαι τοις μαθηταις αυτου και ιδου ιησους απηντησεν αυταις λεγων χαιρετε αι δε προσελθουσαι εκρατησαν αυτου τους ποδας και προσεκυνησαν αυτω
10 Then Jesus said to them: Fear not. Go, tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, there they shall see me. Tunc ait illis Jesus : Nolite timere : ite, nuntiare fratribus meis ut eant in Galilæam ; ibi me videbunt. τοτε λεγει αυταις ο ιησους μη φοβεισθε υπαγετε απαγγειλατε τοις αδελφοις μου ινα απελθωσιν εις την γαλιλαιαν και εκει με οψονται
11 Who when they were departed, behold some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all things that had been done. Quæ cum abiissent, ecce quidam de custodibus venerunt in civitatem, et nuntiaverunt principibus sacerdotum omnia quæ facta fuerant. πορευομενων δε αυτων ιδου τινες της κουστωδιας ελθοντες εις την πολιν απηγγειλαν τοις αρχιερευσιν απαντα τα γενομενα
12 And they being assembled together with the ancients, taking counsel, gave a great sum of money to the soldiers, Et congregati cum senioribus consilio accepto, pecuniam copiosam dederunt militibus, και συναχθεντες μετα των πρεσβυτερων συμβουλιον τε λαβοντες αργυρια ικανα εδωκαν τοις στρατιωταις
13 Saying: Say you, His disciples came by night, and stole him away when we were asleep. dicentes : Dicite quia discipuli ejus nocte venerunt, et furati sunt eum, nobis dormientibus. λεγοντες ειπατε οτι οι μαθηται αυτου νυκτος ελθοντες εκλεψαν αυτον ημων κοιμωμενων
14 And if the governor shall hear this, we will persuade him, and secure you. Et si hoc auditum fuerit a præside, nos suadebimus ei, et securos vos faciemus. και εαν ακουσθη τουτο επι του ηγεμονος ημεις πεισομεν αυτον και υμας αμεριμνους ποιησομεν
15 So they taking the money, did as they were taught: and this word was spread abroad among the Jews even unto this day. At illi, accepta pecunia, fecerunt sicut erant edocti. Et divulgatum est verbum istud apud Judæos, usque in hodiernum diem. οι δε λαβοντες τα αργυρια εποιησαν ως εδιδαχθησαν και διεφημισθη ο λογος ουτος παρα ιουδαιοις μεχρι της σημερον

22 posted on 04/17/2017 5:51:15 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
8. And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
9. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
10. Then said Jesus to them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

HILARY; The women having been comforted by the Angel, are straightway met by the Lord, that when they should proclaim His resurrection to the disciples, they should speak rasher from Christ's own mouth than from an Angel's.

AUG. They departed forth of the tomb, that is, from that spot of the garden which was before the tomb hewn in the rock.

JEROME; A twofold feeling possessed the minds of the women, fear and joy; fear, at the greatness of the miracle; joy, in their desire of Him that was risen; but both added speed to their women's steps, as it follows, And did run to bring his disciples word. They went to the Apostles, that through them might be spread abroad the seed of the faith. They who thus desired, and who thus ran, merited to have their rising Lord come to meet them; whence it follows, And, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail.

RABAN. Hereby He showed that He will meet with His help all those who begin the ways of virtue, and enable them to attain to e, everlasting salvation.

JEROME; The women ought first to hear this Hail, that the curse of the woman Eve may be removed in these women.

CHRYSOL. That in these women is contained a full figure c of the Church is shown hereby, that Christ convinces His disciples when in doubt concerning the Resurrection, and confirms them when in fear; and when He meets them He does not terrify them by His power, but prevents them with the ardor of love. And Christ in His Church salutes Himself, for He has taken it into His own Body.

AUG. We conclude that they had speech of Angels twice at the sepulcher; when they saw one Angel, of whom Matthew and Mark speak; and again when they saw two Angels, as Luke and John relate. And twice in like manner of the Lord; once at that time when Mary supposed Him to be the gardener, and now again when He met them in the way to confirm them by repetition, and to restore them from their faintness.

CHRYSOL. Then Mary was not suffered to touch Him; now she has permission not only to touch, but to hold Him altogether; they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

RABAN. It was told above how He rose when the sepulcher was closed, to show that that body which had been shut up therein dead, was now become immortal. He now offers His feet to be held by the women, to show that He had real flesh, which can be touched by mortal creatures.

CHRYSOL. They hold Christ's feet, who in the Church present the type of Evangelic preaching, and merit this privilege by their running to Him; and by faith so detain their Savior's footsteps, that they may come to the honor of His perfect Godhead. She is deservedly bid to touch me not, who mourns her Lord upon earth, and so seeks Him dead in the tomb, as not to know that He reigns in heaven with the Father. This, that the same Mary, one while exalted to the summit of faith, touches Christ, and holds Him with entire and holy affection; and again, cast down in weakness of flesh, and womanly infirmity, doubts, undeserving to touch her Lord, causes us no difficulty. For that is of mystery, this of her sex; that is of divine grace, this of human nature. And so also we, when we have knowledge of divine things, live to God; when we are wise in human things, we are blinded so by our own selves.

ID. They held His feet to show that the head of Christ is the man, but that the woman is in Christ's feet, and that it was given to them through Christ, not to go before, but to follow the man. Christ also repeats what the Angel had said, that what an Angel had made sure, Christ might make yet more sure. It follows, Then said Jesus to them, Fear not.

JEROME; This may be always observed, both in the Old and New Testament, that when there is an appearance of any majestic person, the first thing done is to banish fear, that the mind being tranquilized may receive the things that are said.

HILARY; The same order as of old now followed in the reversal of our woe, that whereas death began from the female sex, the same should now first see the glory of the Resurrection, and be made the messenger thereof. Whence the Lord adds, Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, there shall they see me.

CHRYSOL. He calls them brethren whom He has made akin to His own body; brethren whom the generous Heir has made His co-heirs; brethren, whom He has adopted to be sons of His own Father.

AUG. That the Lord, both by His own mouth, and by the Angel, directs them to seek for Him, not in that place in which He was to show Himself first but in Galilee, makes every believer anxious to understand in what mystery it is spoken. Galilee is interpreted 'transmigration,' or 'revelation'. And according to the first interpretation what meaning offers itself, save this, that the grace of Christ was to pass from the people of Israel to the Gentiles, who would not believe when the Apostles should preach the Gospel to them, unless the Lord Himself should first make ready their way in the hearts of men. This is the signification of that, He shall go before you into Galilee. There shall you see him, means, there shall you find His members, there shall you perceive His living Body in such as shall receive you. According to the other interpretation, 'revelation,' it is to be understood, you shall see him no longer in the form of a servant, but in that in which He is equal with the Father. That revelation will be the true Galilee, when we shall be like him, and shall see him as he is. That will be the blessed passing from this world to that eternity.

11. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed to the Chief Priests all the things that were done.
12. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money to the soldiers,
13. Saying, Say you, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
14. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
15. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

CHRYS. Of the signs which were shown around Christ, some were common to the whole world, as the darkness; some peculiar to the watch, as the wonderful apparition of Angels, and the earthquake, which were wrought for the soldiers' sake, that they might be stunned with amazement, and bear testimony to the truth. For when truth is proclaimed by its adversaries, it adds to its brightness. Which befell now; Some of the watch came into the city, and showed to the Chief Priests all the things that were done.

RABAN. Simple minds, and unlearned country-folk, often make manifest without guile the truth of a matter, as the thing is; but on the other hand, a crafty wickedness studies how to recommend falsehood by ing words.

JEROME; Thus the Chief Priests, who ought to have been by this turned to penitence, and to seek Jesus risen, persevere in their wickedness, and convert the money which was given for the use of the Temple to the purchase of a lie, as before they had given thirty pieces of silver to the traitor Judas.

CHRYSOL. Not content to have put the Master to death, they plot how they may destroy the disciples, and make the Master's power matter of charge against His disciples. The soldiers indeed lost Him, the Jews missed Him, but the disciples carried Him away, not by theft, but by faith; by virtue, and not by fraud; by holiness, and not by wickedness; alive, and not dead.

CHRYS. How should the disciples carry Him away by stealth, men poor, and of no station, and who scarcely dared to show themselves? They fled when afterwards they saw Christ alive, how, when He was dead, would they not have feared so great a multitude of soldiers? How were they to remove the door of the sepulcher? One might have done it unperceived by the guard. But a large stone was rolled to the mouth requiring many hands. And was not the seal thereon? And why did they not attempt it the first night, when there was none at the sepulcher? For it was on the Sabbath that they begged the body of Jesus.

Moreover, what mean these napkins which Peter sees laid here? Had the disciples stolen the Body, they would never have stripped it, both because it might so receive hurt, and cause unnecessary delay to themselves, and so expose them to be taken by the watch; especially since the Body and clothes were covered with myrrh, a glutinous spice, which would cause them to adhere. The allegation of the theft then is improbable. So that their endeavors to conceal the Resurrection do but make it more manifest. For when they say, His disciples stole the body, they confess that it is not in the sepulcher. And as they thus confess that they had not the Body, and as the watch, the sealing, and the fears of the disciples, make the theft improbable, there is seen evidence of the Resurrection not to be gainsaid.

REMIG. But if the guards slept, how saw they the theft? And if they saw it not, how could they witness thereto? So that what they desire to show, they cannot show.

GLOSS. That the fear of the Governor might not restrain them from this lie, they promise them impunity.

CHRYS. See how all are corrupted; Pilate persuaded; the people stirred up; the soldiers bribed; as it follows, And they took the money, and did as they were instructed. If money prevailed with a disciple so far as to make him become the betrayer of his Master, what wonder that the soldiers are overcome by it.

HILARY; The concealment of the Resurrection, and the false allegation of theft, is purchased by money; because by the honor of this world, which consists in money and desire, Christ's glory is denied.

RABAN. But as the guilt of His blood, which they imprecated upon themselves and their children, presses them down with a heavy weight of sin, so the purchase of the lie, by which they deny the truth of the Resurrection, charges this guilt upon them for ever; as it follows, And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

CHRYSOL. Among the Jews, not among the Christians; what in Judea the Jew concealed by his gold, is by faith blazed abroad throughout the world.

JEROME; All who abuse to other purposes the money of the Temple, and the contributions for the use of the Church, purchasing with them their own pleasure, are like the Scribes and Priests who bought this lie, and the blood of the Savior.

Catena Aurea Matthew 28
23 posted on 04/17/2017 5:51:57 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


The Resurrection

1380s
Tempera on spruce, 132 x 92 cm
Národní Galerie, Prague

24 posted on 04/17/2017 5:53:02 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Resurrection of Christ and Women at the Tomb

Fra Angelico

1440-42
Fresco, 181 x 151 cm
Convento di San Marco, Florence

25 posted on 04/17/2017 5:53:53 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Resurrection

Hans Memling (1440 - 1494)

Oil on oak, 58 x 28,2 cm
Szépmûvészeti Múzeum, Budapest

26 posted on 04/17/2017 5:54:34 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: All
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre

Fr. Don Miller, OFM

Etching | Saint Benedict Joseph Labre | Wellcome ImagesImage: Etching | Saint Benedict Joseph Labre | Wellcome Images

Saint Benedict Joseph Labre

Saint of the Day for April 17

(March 25, 1748 – April 17, 1783)

 

Saint Benedict Joseph Labre’s Story

Benedict Joseph Labre was truly eccentric, one of God’s special little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children, he studied under his uncle, a parish priest. Because of poor health and a lack of suitable academic preparation he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the religious life. Then, at age 16, a profound change took place. Benedict lost his desire to study and gave up all thoughts of the priesthood, much to the consternation of his relatives.

He became a pilgrim, traveling from one great shrine to another, living off alms. He wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor. Filled with the love of God and neighbor, Benedict had special devotion to the Blessed Mother and to the Blessed Sacrament. In Rome, where he lived in the Colosseum for a time, he was called “the poor man of the Forty Hours devotion” and “the beggar of Rome.” The people accepted his ragged appearance better than he did. His excuse to himself was that “our comfort is not in this world.”

On April 16, 1783, the last day of his life, Benedict dragged himself to a church in Rome and prayed there for two hours before he collapsed, dying peacefully in a nearby house. Immediately after his death, the people proclaimed him a saint.

Benedict Joseph Labre was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1881.


Reflection

In a modern inner city, one local character kneels for hours on the sidewalk and prays. Swathed in his entire wardrobe winter and summer, he greets passersby with a blessing. Where he sleeps no one knows, but he is surely a direct spiritual descendant of Benedict, the ragged man who slept in the ruins of Rome’s Colosseum. These days we ascribe such behavior to mental illness; Benedict’s contemporaries called him holy. Holiness is always a bit mad by earthly standards.


The Liturgical Feast of Saint Benedict Joseph Labre is April 16.


Saint Benedict Joseph Labre is the Patron Saint of:

Homeless


27 posted on 04/17/2017 3:08:20 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Information: St. Stephen Harding

Feast Day: April 17

Born: Dorset, England

Died: 28 March 1134

Major Shrine: Church of St. Stephen Harding in Apátistvánfalva, Hungary, district of Szentgotthárd.

28 posted on 04/17/2017 3:35:52 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Monday, April 17

Liturgical Color: White

Pope Pius X gave an address to new
cardinals on this day in 1907, in
which he condemned the heresy of
Modernism. This heresy tries to
change truths taught by the Church to
fit the thinking of the day.

29 posted on 04/17/2017 4:46:53 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Catholic Culture

Easter: April 17th

Easter Monday

MASS READINGS

April 17, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who give constant increase to your Church by new offspring, grant that your servants may hold fast in their lives to the Sacrament they have received in faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (1)

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Activities (4)

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Prayers (10)


30 posted on 04/17/2017 4:50:15 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 28:8-15

Monday within the Octave of Easter

Go. (Matthew 28:10)

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

These are the kinds of thoughts that come to us when we think of Easter Sunday. But put yourself in the disciples’ place as they woke up that morning. Jesus of Nazareth, their teacher and friend, had just endured an agonizing death at the hands of the Romans. No wonder they stayed behind locked doors! They were terrified that they might be arrested next.

But recall the first words the angel said to the women who found the empty tomb: “Do not be afraid. . . . Go quickly” (Matthew 28:5, 7). Recall how, when they met Jesus on the road, he also told them, “Do not be afraid. Go to Galilee”—to the place of revelation and miracles (28:10).

Jesus wants to say the same thing to you as we enter the Easter season. So use your imagination and listen as he urges you:

“Go quickly! You may not be hiding from authorities threatening your life, but you may feel as if you are being pursued by shame and regret over past sins. I am risen, and I have conquered fear and guilt. So come to me in Confession, and let me set you free.”

“Go quickly! Maybe your future looks like a bleak landscape. But that’s not what I see. I have a plan for your life—a plan to care for you and sustain you. So come to me. Lift up your eyes to the heavens. Remember that I care for you even more than I care for every star in the sky. Come, and let me show you a future full of hope.”

“Go quickly! Don’t remain in the graveyard, where Mary Magdalene found my tomb. Don’t dwell on all the sins that put me there. No, come to me, the risen Savior, and receive a new outpouring of the redemption I have won for you. Let me convince you that nothing can separate you from my love.”

“Go quickly! Whenever you feel overwhelmed or discouraged, gaze upon my cross, and tell yourself, ‘Jesus died for me. I am a new creation, and I belong to him.’ Say it over and over, and watch as I lift your burdens.”

Today, right now, go quickly to the Lord, and let him lift up your heart!

“Jesus, I believe that you are risen in victory. Lord, I run to you today. Let me share in that victory.”

Acts 2:14, 22-33
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11

31 posted on 04/17/2017 4:57:56 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for April 17, 2017:

Reminder: Easter lasts for 50 days! (Lent was only 40.) A lesson that joy will have the last word. How can you and your spouse practice being joyful this Easter season?

32 posted on 04/17/2017 5:02:43 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

April 17, 2017 – The Supreme Measure of Paschal Joy

Monday in the Octave of Easter

Matthew 28:8-15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” While they were going, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are the source of all life because you are life itself. Your resurrection from the dead gives me the hope of being raised from the dead to rejoice with you forever in heaven. I need to dwell more often on the good you have done for us and on your promises to those who put their trust in you. Thank you, Jesus, for taking up your life again and leading the way home to heaven. I love you, and I want to follow after you with all my heart. I want to cooperate more fully with you in bringing many others there with me.

Petition: Lord, as a fruit of my experiencing your love, grant me the grace of witnessing to you.

1. Coming into the Light of the Resurrection: Contemplate the women at the tomb. Feel their distress upon entering an open and empty tomb. Experience their fears for where the body might be. Share in their joy because their faith, and ours, awakens to the reality of Our Lord’s resurrection. Indeed, it is true! He has truly risen! Alleluia! Approach him and bow down, then adore and embrace the loving feet of Our Lord. He wants to be our strength, our light and our love. He wants to be our Lord.

2. From Contemplatives to Missionaries: From our contemplation we must become missionaries. This is the instruction Our Lord gives these privileged women: “Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” From their adoration, Our Lord calls them to be witnesses to the world, beginning first with the apostles. These women, insignificant in the eyes of the world, have become irreplaceable heralds of the Gospel. Why? It is not because of any social class or role they had had. Rather, it is because of the faith and love with which they would live and accomplish the mission entrusted to them. They were faithful to Our Lord in spreading the Good News of the Resurrection to the apostles and the world.

3. Obedience of Faith Allows Us to See: Our Lord asks the apostles to obey his command: “Go to Galilee … there they will see me.” Christ requires our obedience in order for us to see him in faith and experience his resurrection. Without obedience, we might not recognize him. The guards at the tomb were obedient to the orders of the chief priests. Yet the guards lacked faith, so they did not believe what they saw and thus did not adore. We all obey someone. However, it is obedience to Christ that leads to faith which leads to life: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for this time I have spent with you in prayer and contemplation of your resurrection. Help me always to grow and mature in my faith. Without it I am lost. Without it I am unable to see you, and if I cannot see you, how will I be able to follow you? I place my trust in you and your promise of eternal life.

Resolution: I will make a special effort to speak well of others today, especially those with whom I may disagree.

33 posted on 04/17/2017 5:06:56 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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34 posted on 04/17/2017 5:11:36 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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