The Word today, EasterC
- Admin
- Apr 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 27
April 21 - April 26, 2025
Acts 2:14, 22-33 The cross was a shock to the first Christians and so was the resurrection. In this speech of Peter, we “overhear” the first disciples using the Old Testament—especially the psalms—to understand what had taken place. The primary proclamation is focused on Jesus of Nazareth.
Matthew 28:8-15 The central proclamation—Jesus’ appearance to the women at the tomb—is unique to Matthew. In effect, it places the previous proclamation of the angel on the very lips of Jesus himself. In this way, Matthew—ever the teacher—make the implicit explicit.
Acts 2:36-41 The opening verse is really the climax of yesterday’s reading. The rest responds to the question: if the Easter proclamation is true, what difference should it make and what should we do?
John 20:11-18 The question in today’s gospel is powerful: “Who are you looking for?” With this question the Gospel comes full circle, because the very first words of Jesus in this Gospel are “What are you looking for? The shift from “what” to “who” marks the Christian journey. We are not looking for philosophy but a person.
Acts 3:1-10 The healing at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. Already in Acts 2:43 we read: Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. This story is not just a healing from the past but a metaphor for the present, offered to us today as believers who may feel paralysed.
Luke 24:13-35 The disciples on the road to Emmaus is a powerful account. At the centre stands a recognition/ accusation of “slowness of heart”, that is, resistance to the Easter proclamation. As we listen, we hear the stages or marks of an authentic journey to spiritual insight and faith.
Acts 3:11-26 Sometimes Christians today feel that the God of the Old Testament is somehow a different God. In contrast, the early Christians felt a very strong desire to show that the surprising outcome of Jesus life and ministry—his death and resurrection—was actually and in fact a fulfilment of things foreshadowed in the Old Testament. God’s continued fidelity was an important part of their faith.
Luke 24:35-48 Our Gospel today evokes several resurrection themes: failure to recognise the risen Lord, the gift of peace and the confirmation of the reality of the resurrection. Perhaps, however, the very last lines speak directly to us today: in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.
Acts 4:1-12 The religious authorities of the time were against the teaching of resurrection at all and very much against saying Jesus was risen. These are the very same people who brought about the crucifixion of Jesus. Here Peter, using the Old Testament, make the case for the resurrection of Jesus.
John 21:1-14 Chapter 21—an early addition to John —reminds us of the three-fold denial of Peter by means of his three-fold restoration. The fishing scene takes us back to the original call of Peter and his brothers. That earlier call is still “valid” and at the same time strengthened in the light of the resurrection.
Acts 4:13-21 The early Christians experienced opposition—but this only strengthened their courage. Anyhow, it looks as though those who were against them were “flummoxed” as we say!
Mark 16:9-15 These few verses—a very late addition to the Gospel text and not from Mark— form a kind of late synthesis of disparate material. Nevertheless, the Great Commission is repeated, for them and for us.
References
-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025ag, April 20). The Resurrection of the Lord. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042025.cfm
-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings
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