Christ is Risen: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Christians all over the world sing this song. Few weeks ago we started the Lenten journey. we have come to the end of that journey the Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is the greatest of all Sundays in the Christian calendar because of the newness of life that it brings. With Easter a new epoch has completely began. This is because the historical Jesus, who suffered, was crucified, died and was buried has now been glorified.
By his resurrection this Easter, Jesus makes a very important statement. That is, he is both the Lord of the living and of the dead. We died with him through our Lenten observances. So, let us also rise with him through the power of the Holy Spirit. That same power that resurrected him is capable of resurrecting our weakened bodies (Rom 8, 11).
The Gospel reading on Easter Sunday tells us that Jesus left the linen cloths with which he was buried in the grave when he resurrected. In order words, he did not cling to any “worldly” thing or allowed them to pull him down. So, there are two questions we need to ask ourselves this Easter. The first is: Did I resurrect with Christ this Easter? The second question is: What have I left in “my grave” this Easter? If we must rise like Christ, we must be equally ready to detach ourselves from all unnecessary mundane things that we are strongly and madly attached to. Jesus understood and obeyed the natural law which holds that for one to rise up he must leave something behind. If we fail to do this, the law of gravity which Jesus himself understood and obeyed might prevail against us?
Let the celebration of Easter deepen our faith in the resurrected Jesus who is always with us, calling us and inspiring us to lead a life of resurrection, characterized by joy, peace and compassion.
I wish each and every one of you a VERY HAPPY EASTER. May the risen Lord bless you abundantly.
Fr. Joseph Kanatt MCBS, Parish Priest
FIRST READING: (Acts 10:34, 37-43) Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear his witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’
SECOND READING: (Corinthians 3:1-4) Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.
GOSPEL: (John 20:1-9) It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
So Peter set out with the other disciple to the tomb. They ran together but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first. He bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground and also the cloth that had been over his head. This was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in. He saw and he believed. Till this moment, they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Christians all over the world sing this song. Few weeks ago we started the Lenten journey. we have come to the end of that journey the Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is the greatest of all Sundays in the Christian calendar because of the newness of life that it brings. With Easter a new epoch has completely began. This is because the historical Jesus, who suffered, was crucified, died and was buried has now been glorified.
By his resurrection this Easter, Jesus makes a very important statement. That is, he is both the Lord of the living and of the dead. We died with him through our Lenten observances. So, let us also rise with him through the power of the Holy Spirit. That same power that resurrected him is capable of resurrecting our weakened bodies (Rom 8, 11).
The Gospel reading on Easter Sunday tells us that Jesus left the linen cloths with which he was buried in the grave when he resurrected. In order words, he did not cling to any “worldly” thing or allowed them to pull him down. So, there are two questions we need to ask ourselves this Easter. The first is: Did I resurrect with Christ this Easter? The second question is: What have I left in “my grave” this Easter? If we must rise like Christ, we must be equally ready to detach ourselves from all unnecessary mundane things that we are strongly and madly attached to. Jesus understood and obeyed the natural law which holds that for one to rise up he must leave something behind. If we fail to do this, the law of gravity which Jesus himself understood and obeyed might prevail against us?
Let the celebration of Easter deepen our faith in the resurrected Jesus who is always with us, calling us and inspiring us to lead a life of resurrection, characterized by joy, peace and compassion.
I wish each and every one of you a VERY HAPPY EASTER. May the risen Lord bless you abundantly.
Fr. Joseph Kanatt MCBS, Parish Priest
FIRST READING: (Acts 10:34, 37-43) Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear his witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’
SECOND READING: (Corinthians 3:1-4) Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.
GOSPEL: (John 20:1-9) It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
So Peter set out with the other disciple to the tomb. They ran together but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first. He bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground and also the cloth that had been over his head. This was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in. He saw and he believed. Till this moment, they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.