Sunday, April 4
The Resurrection of the Lord
Acts 10:34,37-43
This Man God raised on the third day. (Acts 10:40)
Alleluia! Christ is risen! What joy we feel when we hear those words on Easter! We have made it through the forty days of Lent. We have walked with Jesus on His journey to the cross in Holy Week. Now we can proclaim the good news of His resurrection and celebrate with all the angels and saints.
But Easter doesn’t end today. As a Church, we celebrate Easter as an octave, for a full eight days. We celebrate it as a liturgical season, lasting fifty days, until Pentecost. And we celebrate it every Sunday throughout the year. The truth is, Easter never ends!
What Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection can never be undone. What our Father created as “very good” (Genesis 1:31), what was corrupted and lost, has now been redeemed.
So look beyond this joyous day to the season ahead. Spend time over these next fifty days reflecting on the Mass readings to see how the apostles responded to this good news. For them, the resurrection changed everything and turned their whole world upside down! Jesus had risen – they had seen Him with their own eyes. Where once they were afraid, now nothing was more important to them than sharing the good news, whatever the cost.
Jesus’ resurrection has changed everything for you too. You are loved. You are redeemed. And “when Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). How will you respond to this amazing news? Don’t let Easter come and go. Live in this truth every single day. Let it seep into every fiber of your being. Baptized into Christ’s resurrection, you are a new creation. Christ lives in you and you live in Christ, both now and forever. Alleluia!
“Jesus, You are my all in all (Colossians 3:11).”
Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Colossians 3: 1-4
John 20: 1-9
