General. On Easter Sunday we recall the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. After the joy we have witnessed during the Easter Vigil, during which we renewed the promises we had made in Baptism, now we indeed celebrate Christ as the real Lamb who has rolled over the rock from the entrance to our tomb of death and who has, through his resurrection, obtained for us a new life. Come let us rejoice and be glad that Christ has indeed risen from the dead, that this is the Day which the Lord has made, and thus make out of this Eucharist a feast to Christ victorious over all creation.

Acts of the Apostles. The reading from the Acts witnesses as to what Christ’s disciples and the first Christians understood about Christ’s rising from the dead. Peter here gives the Kerygma, or the good tidings that Jesus has died for us on the Cross when we were sinners, but God has risen him from Hades so that now anyone who believes in him and utters his name may receive forgiveness for his sins.

First Epistle to the Corinthians. St Paul also reminds us that our Baptism means the death and burial of our ego with Christ. However, if God has already risen Christ from the dead, so have we also been raised with him, he who is our life, through Baptism. Thus our thoughts should no longer be in things of this world, but in other heavenly things until we shall all appear together with him in glory.

Day Gospel – St John. This is a description of how John himself and Peter were given the news of Jesus’ resurrection from among the dead. Up to that time no one of the disciples had understood the Scripture which foretold Christ’s resurrection from among the dead, but those who entered the tomb indeed saw and believed. If we only see what God has done with us in our own lives, we will also believe that he is Lord for the Father’s greater glory and that he also raises sinners along with him from the dead.

Evening Gospel – St Luke. The lack of faith which the disciples of Jesus shown here must have occurred in the evening of Resurrection Day. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus opens the mind of his disciples when he talks words full of wisdom to them and they recognize him from the breaking of the bread. Many a time we also take some time to recognize and understand the wonders which God works with us personally in our lives, and we take time before going out to witness that he is alive and that the Lord is indeed risen and has appeared to us in accomplishing the actual deeds of our lives.

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