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Sunday Scripture Study

Easter Sunday – Cycle A

April 24, 2011

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Opening Prayer

First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Psalm: 118:1-2,16-17,22-23

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4

Gospel Reading: John 20:1-9

On the third day after Jesus’ death on the cross Mary Magdalene, accompanied by some other women (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 23:55 - 24:1), come to the tomb fully expecting to find Jesus’ body. Imagine her reaction when she finds the heavy stone rolled back and the body gone! Her first thought was to run to tell Peter, the leader of the remaining apostles.

Although Peter at first doubted her story (Luke 24:11), he and “the other apostle” (by tradition, John), also run to the tomb. They find the burial cloths in such a state that made it clear that the body had not been stolen (verses 6-7). At this point, they still could not grasp that Jesus had risen, as he predicted he would. Later, however, they would have no doubt.

That Jesus rose from the dead is the most well-attested miracle in Scripture. The Old Testament foretold it; Jesus predicted it on more than one occasion; it was confirmed by his several appearances (John 20:19 - 21:1; Acts 1:3; Luke 24:13-35; 1 Corinthian 15:3-8). It was even verified by the Roman soldiers guarding his tomb ((Matthew 28:11-15)! Let us rejoice today that Jesus has defeated sin and death -Alleluia! He is risen indeed!

QUESTIONS:

In the 1^st Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is speaking to the first Gentile (non-Jewish) converts to Christianity. What was their response to his message that the Jesus they had heard something about had bee raised from the dead (see Acts 10:44-49)? What should our reaction be?

According to St. Paul n the 2^nd Reading, should we be preoccupied with (verse 2)?Why? What has happened to us (verse 1, 3)? What will happen to us (verse 4)?

Put yourself in the place of Mary. What is your emotional state in the days following the crucifixion? Why do you go to the tomb so early? How do you react to the empty tomb?

According to the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, how long was Jesus dead and his body in the tomb (John 2:18-22; Acts 10:40; CCC 994)? What did Jesus do for that time while in the tomb (1 Peter 3:19, 4:6; CCC 631-33)?

What had the disciples been told in advance about Jesus rising from the dead (Matthew 16:21, 27:63)? How do the positions of the linen shroud and the napkin provide corroborating evidence of the Resurrection? What is your proof that Jesus rose from the dead?

How should we respond to the empty tomb? Why did John preach the message (John 19:35, 17:20; 1 John 5:13)? When a loved one dies or life seems cruel or a drudgery, how does the Resurrection of Jesus help you deal with your pain?

Closing Prayer

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 2174, 515, 631-658

It is no great thing to believe that Christ died; for this is something that is also believed by pagans and Jews and [even] by all the wicked: everyone believes that He died. The Christians' faith is in Christ's Resurrection; that is what we hold to be a great thing--to believe that He rose.

- St. Augustine

How Can This Be True?

Pastor’s Column

Easter Sunday, 2011

“Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first;

he saw and believed.”

John 20:8

Doesn’t it seem as though the Lord tends to “hide himself” in this world? Why, at times, can it be difficult to believe? The Lord permits this so that we can seek and discover him through faith, for he will not fully reveal himself until the last day of our lives! Until that awesome moment, the Lord will never violate our free will and take away our ability to believe or disbelieve in him. This is one of the reasons the world is set up the way it is.

Nevertheless, our Catholic faith offers quite a few examples of miracles that come very close to proving the existence of God and the afterlife. Here are just a few examples (feel free to look them up online): the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe; the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, Italy; the various Marian apparitions throughout the world, particularly at Fatima with the well-documented miracle of the sun, as well as Our Lady’s appearance in Zeitun, Egypt, where she actually got her picture on the front page of the leading secular newspaper! In all of these instances, in some cases despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, some people simply will not believe: it can’t be true (because it doesn’t fit my worldview) so it isn’t true. Others find evidence of God everywhere, and in fact God is waiting to be discovered in the details of our lives, in the Scriptures and in the Church if we really want to find him. But the choice is up to us.

Japan’s nuclear reactor disaster has been much in the news. Have you ever heard of the 8 German Jesuit missionaries who were in a home only 1 kilometer from the epicenter of the Atomic Blast and survived? Not only did they walk away from the blast in an area where almost everyone else didn’t, they also had no radiation sickness until the end of their lives.

To this day, 60 years later no one in the medical or scientific community has a plausible explanation as to how they did it! (But it hasn’t been for lack of trying: one survivor, a certain Fr. Schiffer, said he had been interviewed over 200 times about it!) They were in a private home with a Catholic chapel attached to it. Although secular scientists are sure that there must be a non-religious explanation for this unique occurrence, the missionaries themselves were convinced that they were protected because they were living the message of Our Lady of Fatima and praying the rosary in that home daily! What do you think?

What is your opinion of miracles like this? In fact, what is your opinion of Christ’s resurrection from the dead? Is your belief “It can’t be true so it isn’t true?” or are you open to a belief in Christ’s resurrection from the dead and his offer of eternal life? Be careful how you choose, because everyone in eternity awaits your final decision.

Father Gary