The Word today, Easter2B
- Admin
- Apr 5, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 20, 2024
April 08 - April 13, 2024
The Annunciation of the Lord
Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10 The birth of a child—as in this reading—is always a sign of hope. Hebrews 10:4-10 Our reading today reflects on the death of Jesus, in the light of the incarnation.
Luke 1:26-38 There are several annunciation stories in the Old Testament. Our annunciation is similar, yet significantly different on account of the child to be born — son of the Most High, descendant of Jacob and David, Jesus the Messiah.
Acts 4:32-37 The ideal community Every so often, Luke gives us a general summary—perhaps looking back somewhat idealistically. The vignette has inspired many across the centuries—not least St Augustine of Hippo in his Rule of life.
John 3:7-15 Halfway through, Nicodemus falls silent and is in effect absent (he will return in John 7 and 19). Instead, we have faith affirmation in the catechetical language of the Johannine community. V. 13 evokes Jacob’s Ladder from Genesis. Vv. 14 and 15, direct us to the story of Moses and the bronze serpent, a story of healing. This “lifting up” is fundamental to the theology of the Fourth Gospel.
Acts 5:17-26 This miraculous anecdote (not lacking in humour) illustrates how irrepressible the preaching of The Way was and how its bearers were and are still today under God’s protection.
John 3:16-21 The opening words in this Gospel are justly famous—surely one of the greatest affirmations in Scripture. They echo the story of the sacrifice of Isaac. The rest of the Gospel is difficult for us, until we remember that we are overhearing the robust dialogue between the Church and Synagogue from about AD 90. It may be best to understand the harsh line on judgment to refer to full believers who have chosen to walk away.
St Stanislaus, bishop and martyr
Acts 5:27-33 In this passage, Peter responds to those who would silence him. The clarity of his defence might help us today: obedience to God comes before obedience to humans.
John 3:31-36 Our reading of John 3 moves forward to the teaching on the lips of John the Baptist. The writer is looking back with the 20/20 vision of (theological) hindsight. Our reading gives us a rich reflection on Jesus and what Jesus means to us today.
Acts 5:34-42 As we continued the tale of the aftermath to the escape, a certain Gamaliel speaks. His advice is sound both as law and as strategy.
John 6:1-15 Today we hear a version of the multiplication of the loaves from John’s Gospel. The evangelist signals that the time is Passover—and he uses the story to explore Jesus' identity as a Moses-type figure: he feeds in the wilderness, he acts as a prophet and is misunderstood as a king. The sensitive reader will notice that the superabundant feeding also echoes the Christian Eucharist: bread, took, gave thanks, gave.
St Martin I, bishop of Rome, martyr
1 John 1:5-2:2 The first letter of John manages to be both inspirational and realistic. We need to keep an eye on both, to stay on the path of conversion of heart.
Matthew 11:25-30 This passage contains a great truth: the Gospel is for all and not for some élite group. We can all come to Jesus when we are burdened.
References
-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024af, April 7). Second Sunday of Easter. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040724.cfm
-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/
Comments