Sunday:       EASTER SUNDAY - THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD
Date:         April 4, 1999
Year:         A
The readings: [Acts 10:34, 36-43; Col. 3:1-4; Jn. 20:1-18 Or 1 Cor. 5:6-8; Lk. 24:13-35]
The message:  THE LORD HAS RISEN!
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  1027

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Praise God, the Lord Jesus has risen! The Kingdom of God is coming on earth! Jesus commanded His followers to go forward and to testify that He is the One ordained by God to judge the living and the dead. All the prophets of the Old Testament testified about Him, that those who believe in Jesus, would receive the forgiveness of sins through His Most Holy Name.

Through faith in Christ and the Sacrament of Baptism, we are born again as new creations of the seed of God, called to be adopted as children of God. As such, we must set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for we have died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God.

You may ask, "What advantage is there to setting our minds on things from above?" Mary Magdalene certainly felt something special in the presence of the Lord Jesus. When she found Him missing, she said, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." Even thought she believed that Christ was dead, she still wanted to be in His Divine presence, wanting to show her last respect towards Him. But when she heard and recognized the voice of Jesus, she turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" which means Teacher. What great joy she must have had!

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus also felt something special in the presence of the Lord Jesus. It was not until they were sitting at the table and that Jesus broke bread that they realized they were in His Divine presence. When Jesus blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them, their eyes were opened. They recognized Jesus and He vanished from their sight. Afterwards, the two disciples said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the scriptures to us?" [Lk. 24:13-35]

The key words here are, "Were not our hearts burning within us?" The burning that the disciples were talking about is the means by which one measures his relationship with the Lord Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus have a hunger for knowledge of the Word, seeking to grow in the Lord Jesus, becoming more like Him day by day.

It is worthwhile pointing out that the eyes of Mary Magdalene were opened when she was in the presence of Jesus. The eyes of the disciples were opened when Jesus broke the bread. This clearly indicates that for Christians to have their eyes opened, they must be in the presence of Jesus. How can you be the presence of Jesus? By attending the Holy Mass and receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist. From the Eucharist, the soul receives the necessary grace to grow in holiness to become more like Jesus. From the Eucharist, the heart begins to burn as it burned in Mary Magdalene, in the disciples on the Emmaus Road, in the apostles who followed Jesus throughout His ministry and even in Saint Paul who died for Christ.

It is not sufficient to stay home and pray. To experience the burning love of Jesus within, it is necessary to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist on a regular basis. To properly receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist, one must receive the Sacrament of Penance. And to receive the Sacrament of Penance, one must have faith in the Holy Name of Jesus and receive the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.

To place all of this in its proper order, one must first have faith in the Most Holy Name of Jesus. Then he must receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, the new Christian receives a new heart, a new spirit and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When it is appropriate, depending on the age of the newly baptised person, one must then receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at which time he receives special gifts from the Holy Spirit. Prior to the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Christian receives the Sacrament of Penance to cleanse the soul.

Having received all these Sacraments, the Christian then qualifies to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist on a regular basis alongside with all the other Christians. Through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, God's child maintains the justification that is necessary to walk in the newness of life in Christ.

Should the Christian fall into sin, he must return to God, receive the Sacrament of Penance for the forgiveness of his sins and seek out the Sacrament of the Eucharist to maintain his righteousness in Christ. Through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the soul of the Christian receives the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He rejoices for having been called to the Lord's Supper. It is by walking in the newness of life that the Christian obtains his righteousness and feels the deep burning within the heart, being drawn towards a special relationship with Jesus.

Some may wonder what it means to have one's heart burning within. To associate with this spiritual experience, you only have to recall what you felt like when your spirit was uplifted during the Christmas service when songs of praise were sang. Or remember what your heart felt like when you took part in an evening candle procession. Some feel this burning during their hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in the presence of Jesus. Others feel it during the Sacrament of Baptism when the power of the Holy Spirit is strongly felt. You may be able to associate the heart burning within in the Sacrament of Matrimony, in your quiet moment after receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist or even by remembering the peace that you felt as a child when you spoke to Jesus in your heart before going to bed at night.

Whatever occasion you associate this feeling with, as Christians, you have an obligation to maintain this burning flame, the heart burning within, by maintaining an ongoing daily relationship with the Lord Jesus in the newness of your spiritual life.

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"Peter began to speak to those assembled in the house of Cornelius. "You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ - he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One ordained by God as Judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His Name." [Acts 10:34-43]

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Second Reading...

"If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory." [Col. 3:1-4]

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Gospel Reading...

"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrapping but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

End of shorter version...

Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary Mgadalene stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Mary Magdalene went and announced to the discipels. "I have seen the Lord," and she told them that he had said things to her." [Jn. 20:1-18]

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Alternate Second Reading...

"Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." [1 Cor. 5:6-8]

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Gospel Reading...

"On the first day of the week, two of the disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about eleven kilometres from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And Jesus said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" Jesus asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that Jesus was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So Jesus went in to stay with them. When He was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Jesus; and He vanished from their sight. The two disciples said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the scriptures to us?" The same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. These were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon! Then the two disciples told what had happened on the road, and how the Lord had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. [Lk. 24:13-35]

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