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The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world. Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice. But the fact of Easter gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice. ~Henry Knox Sherrill
(What difference does belief in Christ's resurrection make in your life?) |
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ACTS 2:14, 22-33; PS 16:1-2A AND 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
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.
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
"They, in turn, convened with the elders and worked out their
strategy, giving the soldiers a large bribe." —Matthew 28:12
Satan's first attempt to keep the great news of Jesus' Resurrection from a world enslaved by death was to bribe the guards at Jesus' tomb. Money from large international organizations is being used "to this very day" (Mt 28:15) in prodigious amounts to finance the culture of death and temporarily obscure the message
of the Resurrection.
Although this approach has had both limited and even some long-term success (see Mt 28:15), it is primarily a proven failure. Mary Magdalene and another Mary had no resources by the world's standards; yet they became the first to announce the message of the Resurrection which has been proclaimed to
all nations (Mt 28:1ff). Peter was a simple Galilean fisherman in the midst of thousands of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. Who would listen to him? Yet three thousand people accepted Peter's witness for his risen Lord and were baptized (Acts 2:14, 41)
. If you have faith in the risen Christ but no
money, prestige, or worldly power, you have all you need to witness for the risen Christ. Because of your faith, you will reach many thousands of people with the good news of Jesus' Resurrection, and you are unstoppable. Even if Jesus' opponents kill you, your resurrection-witness will not be stopped but will be given the ultimate credibility and power. All you need is faith in order to be Jesus' witness.
Prayer: Father, give me faith to move not only mountains but also to witness for the risen Jesus (see Mt 17:20).
Promise: "This is the Jesus God has raised up, and we are His witnesses." —Acts 2:32
Praise: Alleluia! Praise the risen Jesus, Who leads us to all truth.
Presentation Ministries
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What is Christian Love? - Reprinted from Freedom from Codependency, by Philip St. Romain While we may be unable to define love or pin it down, this does not mean that we are ignorant of its ways. Jesus of Nazareth shows us, in human form, how love thinks and acts: He reveals the inner life of
the Trinity. By taking on our nature and living our life, God, in Christ, has opened the way for the human race to experience the inner life of God. As any practicing Christian knows, faith does not leave one free from sin; the struggle with sin continues, and Christ does not take this away. Rather, he gives us his Spirit to overcome sin. Without his Spirit, we cannot live his life. Therefore, his incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension, and gift of the Spirit are gifts, not
enablements.
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