2nd Sunday of Easter (C)

Inspire in Us the Practice of Good (2011-2013):

Sunday Reflections for Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)

2nd Sunday of Easter (C), April 7, 2013

Liturgical readings
Acts 5:12-16
Psalm 118
Revelation 1:9-11, 12-13, 17-19
John 20:19-31

"These [signs] have been recorded to help you believe that Jesus is the Messiah."



On the evening


of that first day of the week,
    even though the disciples had locked the doors
    of the place where they were
        for fear of the Jews,


Jesus
    came and stood
    before them,


"Peace be with you,"
    he said.


When he had said this,
    he showed them
    his hands and his side.


At the sight of the Lord
the disciples rejoiced.


"Peace be with you,"
    he said again.


"As the Father has sent me
so I send you."


Then


he breathed on them
    and said:


"Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive men's sins,
they are forgiven them;
if you hold them bound,
they are held bound."


It happened that one of the TWelve,
    Thomas
    (the name means "Twin"),
was absent
when Jesus came.


The other disciples
kept telling him:
    "We have seen the Lord!"


His answer was,
"I'll never believe it
without probing the nail-prints
in his hands,
without putting my finger
in the nail-marks
and my hand into his side."


A week later,


the disciples were once more
in the room,


and this time
    Thomas
    was with them.


Despite the locked doors,
Jesus
    came and stood
    before them,


"Peace be with you,"
    he said;


then,


to Thomas:


"Take your finger
    and examine my hands
Put your hand
    into my side.


Do not persist
in your unbelief,
    but believe!"


Thomas said in response,


"My Lord and my God!"


Jesus then said to him:


"You became a believer
because you saw me.
    Blest are they
        who have not seen
        and have believed."


Jesus performed
many other signs as well
    - signs not recorded here
    - in the presence of his disciples.


But these
have been recorded
to help you believe


that Jesus
is the Messiah,
the Son of God,


so that through this faith
you may have life
in his name.



Points for reflection and prayer:
"Through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders occurred among the people." (Acts 5)
"My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior." (Psalm 118)
"I saw seven lampstands of gold and among the lampstands One like a Son of Man." (Revelation 9)

Easter Sunday (C)

Inspire in Us the Practice of Good (2011-2013):

Sunday Reflections for Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)

Easter Sunday (C), March 31, 2013

Liturgical readings
Acts 10:34, 37-43
Psalm 118
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9

"He saw and believed."



Early in the morning
on the first day of the week,
  while it was still dark


Mary Magdalene came to the tomb.


She saw that the stone
had been moved away,


so she ran off


to Simon Peter
and the other disciple
(the one Jesus loved)


and told them,


"The Lord has been taken
from the tomb!


We don't know
where they have put him!"


At that,


Peter
and the other disciple
started out on their way
toward the tomb.


They were running side by side,
but then
the other disciple
outran Peter
and reached the tomb first.


He did not enter
but bent down
to peer in,
and saw the wrappings
lying on the ground.


Presently,
Simon Peter came along behind him
and entered the tomb.


He observed the wrappings on the ground
and saw the piece of cloth
which had covered the head
not lying with the wrappings,


but


rolled up in a place
by itself.


Then
the disciple
who had arrived first at the tomb


went in.


He saw


and believed.


(Remember,


as yet
they did not understand
the Scripture


that Jesus
had to rise
from the dead.)


Points for reflection and prayer:
"They killed Him..."hanging Him on a tree", only to have God raise
Him up on the third day." (Acts 10)
"The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." (Psalm 118)
"You have been raised up in company with Christ...set your heart on what
pertains to higher realms." (Colossians 3)

Passion Sunday (C)

Inspire in Us the Practice of Good (2011-2013):

Sunday Reflections for Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)


Passion Sunday (C), March 24, 2013


Liturgical readings
Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm 22
Philippians 2:6-11
Luke 22:14 - 23:56

"Do this as a remembrance of me."




When the hour arrived,
Jesus took his place at table,
and the apostles with him.

He said to them:

"I have greatly desired
to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer.

I tell you,
I will not eat again
until it is fulfilled
in the kingdom of God."

Then
taking a cup
he offered a blessing in thanks
and said:

"Take this
and divide it among you;
I tell you,
from now on
I will not drink of the fruit of the vine
until the coming of the reign of God."

Then
taking bread and giving thanks,
he broke it and gave it to them,
saying:

"This is my body
to be given for you.
Do this as a remembrance of me."

He did the same with the cup
after eating, saying as he did so:

"This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
which will be shed for you."

...
...
...


Then he went out
and made his way,
as was his custom,
to the Mount of Olives;
his disciples accompanied him.


...
...
...


a crowd came,
led by the man named Judas,
one of the Twelve.


...
...
...


They led him away under arrest


...
...
...


At daybreak the council,
which was made up of the
elders of the people,
the chief priests,
and the scribes,
assembled


...
...
...


Then the entire assembly rose up
and led him before Pilate


...
...
...


The whole crowd cried out...
"Crucify him, crucify him!"


...
...
...


Pilate then decreed
that what they demanded
should be done...
he delivered Jesus up to their wishes

...
...
...


Two others who were criminals
were led along with him to be crucified.

...
...
...


Darkness came over the whole land until midafternoon
with an eclipse of the sun.
The curtain in the sanctuary was torn in two.
Jesus uttered a loud cry and said,


"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."


After he said this, he expired.


Points for reflection and prayer:
"Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear." (Isaiah 50)
"They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones." (Psalm 22)
"He emptied himself and took the form of a slave." (Philippians 2)