[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, April 20, 2025, Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord. This week's episode is entitled: Death Has No Victory and, in these readings, will rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus and celebrate his victory over death.
[00:00:35] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following: we made it through the 40-days of Lent, the sacred three-days of the Paschal Triduum, and now celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus with great joy. Jesus’ Resurrection gives us hope for our own resurrection, but there is much to do before then. The Easter season reminds us of the work done in the early Church, certainly, but also that more still needs to be accomplished. That is the mission Jesus entrusts to each of us, let us undertake it gladly!
[00:01:14] Before we jump into the readings, I want to remind everyone that beginning on Easter Sunday and continuing throughout the Easter season, our First Reading comes not from the Old Testament, but from the Acts of the Apostles, as we learn how the Apostles continued the mission to which Jesus appointed them and worked to establish and nurture the early church.
[00:01:36] So let's begin: In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for your Son's victory over death which unlocked the path to eternity for us. May we who celebrate the joys of Easter dwell within the light of Christ, our Savior, in this life and attain unending happiness in the next. We ask this through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:02:13] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures.
One other quick note… there are two different Gospels for Easter, one for Mass during the day and a second for Mass in the afternoon (when parishes do celebrate an afternoon Mass). We will explore both, beginning with the Gospel for Mass during the day, which is from John 20: 1-9.
[00:02:41] “[O]n the first day of the week, Mary Mag’dalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”
[00:03:43] The Catholic Church actually uses the same readings each year on Easter… mostly. The Gospels are always the same: John's account of the Resurrection during the day and Luke's account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus in the afternoon. These Gospels are chosen because they provide vital details about the mystery of Christ's Resurrection that are found nowhere else in Scripture. Then, as I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, our First Reading comes from the Acts of the Apostles, specifically Acts 10.
[00:04:18] Our Psalm is always Psalm 118 which - because of its Messianic overtones - became one of the first Psalms recognized as referring specifically to Jesus by the early church.
[00:04:32] The church, however, provides parishes with a choice for the Second Reading… that's why I say they're mostly the same, so churches can use either Colossians or 1 Corinthians for the Second Reading. One final item included in the Easter Sunday liturgy is the Easter Sequence, and I will explore that after I conclude the Gospels.
[00:04:59] So let's break open John's account of the Resurrection…
“[O]n the first day of the week,”
Meaning Sunday, the day after the Jewish Sabbath.
“Mary Mag’dalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark,”
Now, the word dark can have two meanings for us. The first is literal darkness, meaning that Mary was so anxious to return to Jesus and attend to his body that she couldn't wait for full light and arrived when it was still technically night. The second meaning is emotional darkness, meaning that Mary was trapped within the darkness of profound grief. My guess is that both are actually appropriate here.
“and [Mary] saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”
The obstacle that would have blocked Mary from ministering to Jesus was gone.
“So she ran,”
[00:06:03] Convinced that Jesus' Body was stolen, Mary ran to the only people she thought would care about that as much as she did.
“and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved,”
Mary reports to Simon Peter first, as he has primacy among the disciples. Then the Gospel mentions the disciple whom Jesus loved. Now we know that it is John's custom to refer to himself in that way. But by not using his given name, John is inviting each one of us to enter into the narrative and become part of the story… to experience the actions, the feelings that the people that are part of the story, to experience those same things that they experienced.
“[Mary] said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
There's a lot in that short sentence! First, Mary begins with the nebulous “they” - she believes that some unknown actors have robbed Jesus' tomb. Then she says “we” - suggesting that Mary was not alone in her haste to minister to Jesus, but was accompanied by other women. John doesn't mention them, but that's what the word “we” suggests. The Synoptic Gospels tell us that that is the case, but we can only assume it from John's account. And, notice that Mary did not enter the tomb to investigate, but simply assumed that the tomb had been robbed. From her perspective, that was a logical guess, because grave robbery was not uncommon.
“Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb.”
So, the men go to investigate… the big strong guys go to investigate the situation.
“They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.”
John, we are told, is more fleet of foot and arrives first. Remember, he was the youngest of the Apostles, but he was also the only Apostle that was with Jesus, at the foot of the Cross, during the Crucifixion.
[00:08:30] John respects Peter's primacy as leader of the Apostles and does not enter the tomb, even though he arrives first. But, notice he can't resist at least a quick peek. So, we are told, he now has some of the story, but certainly not all of it.
“Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb;”
Peter arrives after John. Of course, Peter was older than John, and age would certainly have slowed him down. But, Peter also denied Jesus three times before his Crucifixion and was likely weighed down not just by age, but by grief and guilt as well. On his arrival, Peter enters the open tomb. And what does he see?
“he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.”
What Peter saw in the empty tomb provides us with crucial details about the event that took place there! If, as Mary Magdalene assumed, grave robbers had been at work, the tomb would have looked quite different. Grave robbers didn't typically take bodies with them - the expensive linens would have been stolen, but the body would have been left behind. Instead, we hear that Jesus’ Body was gone, but the expensive linen burial cloths remained… and not in a haphazard way, as if they were simply discarded, but in a very deliberate manner. The burial cloths are in one place and the head cloth is rolled up and left in a separate place.
[00:10:24] This is not the work of grave robbers, something different has occurred.
[00:10:31] No one broke into this tomb, someone broke out!
[00:10:37] “Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in,”
John followed Peter's lead.
“and he saw and believed;”
John, who does not bear the weight of guilt and remorse as Peter does, finds it easier to believe - or at least begin to believe - in the Resurrection.
“for as yet they did not know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”
The word KNOW used here in the RSV is actually translated as UNDERSTAND in the NAB, they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
[00:11:15] There are a couple of things I want to point out here before we go on to the afternoon Gospel. First, I want to point out that the empty tomb is an indisputable fact of Easter morning, but it is not irrefutable proof of the Resurrection. That requires faith, not fact.
[00:11:39] So now that I've covered the fact, I'd like to explore a couple points of faith. And I'll start with Mary Magdalene. When Mary arrives in the darkness, the tomb is already empty (we hear that at the beginning of this passage). Mary was unwilling to wait for full light to reach Jesus, but Jesus (who is the Light of the World) also could not wait for the sun to appear above the horizon. The sun (s-u-n, sun) had not yet risen, but the Son of God rose as he promised.
[00:12:23] Mary sees that the tomb is already empty because God has already acted there. That's our first point of faith. Then we have the Apostles. They spent three years with Jesus - we need to keep that in mind - three years… they saw his miracles, they heard his teachings, Jesus explained his parables directly to them.
[00:12:52] So they should have been quicker to accept the Resurrection… but still they hesitated. And while Jesus's absence from the tomb is initial evidence of his Resurrection for his followers, Jesus himself will soon provide many proofs of his very real, Resurrected, Transformed presence. That will be our second item of faith. Not only will Jesus give the Apostles proof of his Resurrected existence, but he will also give them the task to continue his mission in the world.
[00:13:35] And that's where we come in. That message is for all of Jesus’ followers… that means us folks! We're included!
[00:13:44] Now let's explore one of those proofs of Jesus' Resurrection in our afternoon Gospel, which is from Luke 24: 13-35.
[00:13:56] “That very day, [the first day of the week,] two of [Jesus' disciples] were going to a village named Emma’us, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?’ And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cle’opas, answered him, ‘Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?’ And he said to them, ‘What things?’ And they said to him, ‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see.’ And he said to them, ‘O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, ‘Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?’ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”
[00:16:50] That is one of my absolute favorite passages in all of Scripture. John is my favorite Gospel, but Luke's passage of the disciples on the road to Emmaus is one of my favorite passages.
[00:17:02] In the first 12 verses of chapter 24, Luke records his version of the discovery of the empty tomb. Because we join into this narrative on verse 13, right? He tells us that the women (not just Mary, as John does, but the women) went to the tomb - with the spices they had prepared - and found it empty and that two angels appeared to them. The women, in turn, report all this to the Apostles. Peter goes to see the tomb but, we're told, he goes home wondering what happened. So, Peter's 0 for 2 at this point.
[00:17:44] Then we catch up with these two disciples who are heading out of town.
“That very day, [the first day of the week,]”
Luke sets this at the same time that John sets his account. It was Sunday, the day after the Jewish Sabbath.
“two of [Jesus' disciples] were going to a village named Emma’us, about seven miles from Jerusalem,”
Numbers, remember, are never insignificant in Scripture. Seven is a perfect number - we know that, right? We hear that all the time. And these disciples were perfectly dejected.
[00:18:24] They left all their hopes and dreams in the tomb with Jesus. He did not turn out to be the Messiah they wanted or expected, so they just left.
[00:18:38] Now, despite the fact that a number of places claim to be the biblical village of Emmaus, we do not know the exact location of that village today. So, we just know that it was supposed to be about seven miles from Jerusalem. And remember, that number seven - that's a perfect number, as I said. They are perfectly getting out of town.
“[the disciples were] talking with each other about all the things that had happened.”
That happens to us all the time, doesn't it? Whenever something momentous happens, we talk about it… a lot.
[00:19:13] Think of momentous events in recent history - I'm reminded of like the Apollo 11 moon landing… that may be too early for some of you, or last year's total solar eclipse, right? Big events happen, a lot of conversation surrounds them.
[00:19:31] And for those two disciples, what they experienced was a really big event.
[00:19:39] “While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”
This extra traveler on the road just kind of catches up and walks along with his two disciples, and it turns out to be Jesus in his Transformed Body, but they don't recognize him… they can't see that it is him. That seems like such a strange and unlikely detail to us, right? They spent so much time with Jesus, they traveled with him, they ate and drank with him… how could they not recognize him? That's because there's a divine purpose at work. The eyes of these two disciples will only recognize Jesus through faith, not through physical sight alone. And they just aren't ready yet.
[00:20:34] That gives Jesus the opportunity to slowly and gradually reveal his identity to them in a way that they can comprehend and accept.
[00:20:50] “And [Jesus] said to them, ‘What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?’ And they stood still, looking sad.”
[00:20:59] Sad has got to be a tremendous understatement, doesn't it? Miserable is probably a better description.
“Then one of them, named Cle’opas,”
[00:21:10] Now, early Christian tradition identifies Cleopas as the brother of Jesus' foster father, Joseph. This is a man, if tradition is correct, this is a man who would have known Jesus for his entire life, but even he is unable to recognize him.
“Cle’opas answered him, ‘Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?’ And he said to them, ‘What things?’”
[00:21:46] Notice, Jesus does not berate these disciples for their lack of faith. Instead, he asks them a question and then lets them pour out their disappointment, their sadness, and their pain.
“And they said to him, ‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,’”
They're going on and on, right? They're just getting worked up. And notice how they refer to Jesus - as a prophet. Their faith has really been shaken! And remember, Moses was also described as mighty in word and deed… Jesus was supposed to be that new prophet promised by Moses, he was supposed to be the new Moses.
“and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”
That sentence alone tells us that they were still, on some level, holding on to the hope that the Messiah would be a conquering hero that defeated the Romans and liberated Israel once and for all. But of course, their hopes were dashed. Jesus told them - throughout his ministry - that that was not the Messiah he was going to be. But clearly that hope was still hanging about.
[00:23:25] “Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body;”
Remember, Luke tells us that a group of women reported the empty tomb to the Apostles. The problem with that is that women, in biblical times, were considered to be unreliable witnesses.
“[The women] came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.”
[00:23:55] Now we don't hear that in either of these passages… but what the angels asked the women specifically was, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen.” The angels told them that specifically! And again, we should be hearing an echo of the angels from Jesus' birth when they proclaimed glory to God in the highest, right?
“Some of those who were with us went to the tomb,”
We know that means Peter and John, right?
“and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see.”
These disciples are still stuck in the empty tomb, unable to really understand its meaning. Remember I said the empty tomb is an indisputable fact of Easter morning, but it's not proof of the Resurrection. They are stuck in the empty tomb.
“And he said to them, ‘O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!’”
That is reminiscent of Jesus' words to the disciples when he calmed the sea in Matthew 8, right? “O you of little faith.” Then Jesus reminds them of the promises made by the Old Testament prophets, including Isaiah's Suffering Servant Songs, right? Those describe the type of Messiah that Jesus was - from the get go.
“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
And, of course, that is exactly what Jesus told them, right?
[00:25:43] Throughout his public ministry, and most especially on that last journey to Jerusalem, they just didn't listen.
“And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
That is, in essence, the Liturgy of the Word in the Mass, right? Remember Saint Augustine said that the New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is revealed in the New. That's why we hear, except during the Easter season, an Old Testament reading, a Psalm and a New Testament reading in addition to a Gospel. And then the process of explaining Scripture, and making connections, is exactly what should happen during a good homily in every Mass. That doesn't always happen, right? We all know that not every homily is good… not every priest is a good homilist… but that is, nevertheless, the ideal… that's what should happen.
“So they drew near to the village to which they were going.”
In other words, they hadn't yet reached Emmaus - they were close, but not quite there. They weren't yet seven perfect miles… perfect separation… so, there was still room for Jesus to work on them.
“He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, ‘Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.’”
[00:27:18] Remember, in biblical times, hospitality was of prime importance. The disciples are intrigued by this stranger, so they offer him their hospitality.
“So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them.”
Jesus turns their hospitality upside down - the guest becomes the host! And those actions should be incredibly familiar to every Catholic. Those are the actions of the priest celebrant in the Mass during the Eucharist - take, bless, break, give.
[00:28:10] That is the Eucharistic prayer and Holy Communion.
“And their eyes were opened”
Meaning that they can now see with the eyes of faith! They are properly prepared to recognize Jesus now. And by the way, those words: “their eyes were opened” - those are the same words used in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge: “their eyes were opened.” The food that Jesus offers, however, brings life, not death!
[00:28:50] “and they recognized him;”
And that is how we recognize Jesus today, right? It's in the Eucharist!
“and he vanished out of their sight.”
New body, new rules! In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way: Jesus’ authentic, real body possesses new properties of a glorified body - he is no longer limited by time and space or confined to earth - he can appear where and when he wishes and in whatever form he desires.
“They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?’”
There is so much excitement and wonder in those questions, in that statement. They have been rejuvenated! Their energy and enthusiasm have been restored!
“And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem;”
That is a hugely dangerous undertaking! They would be traveling at night, dealing with the threats of wild animals and bandits… no amenities, no street lamps, no gas stations, no travel plazas… okay, that's looking at it from our modern perspective, but you get the idea. It would have been a dangerous thing to do.
“and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them,”
Now, the eleven, of course, are the Apostles minus Judas Iscariot, while those who were with them would have been other disciples, other followers of Jesus.
“who said, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
Luke and Paul both mention that Jesus appeared to Simon. Whatever that appearance may have been, it is not recorded anywhere.
[00:30:56] I suspect that is because it would have been too poignant, too personal, to be recorded anywhere.
“Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”
The breaking of the bread is how the early church referred to the Mass, and the Mass is precisely how we encounter Jesus today, in word and in sacrament… in the words of Scripture and the Sacrament of the Altar, Holy Communion. These post-Resurrection accounts demonstrate how the Apostles and the disciples were transformed and energized when they encountered Jesus. We, too, can be transformed and energized when we encounter Jesus in the Scriptures, in the Sacraments, in the celebration of the Mass. We are transformed and energized to accomplish whatever work Jesus entrusts to us. And remember, Jesus has a mission for each and every one of us… we just have to do it, we just have to live the way he taught us to live, and he will do his work through us.
[00:32:28] Before we go on to our other readings, I want to cover the Easter Sequence, but let me start by explaining what Sequences are and where they originated. Sequences were medieval compositions, originally written in Latin, that proliferated between the 9th and the 16th centuries until nearly every Sunday and Feast Day had its own Sequence - except those in Penitential Seasons. Sequences were originally instituted to accompany a sometimes-lengthy Gospel procession, and so were sung after the Alleluia. In 1570, following the work of the Council of Trent, Pope Pius V restricted the use of Sequences to just four: the Easter Sequence, the Pentecost Sequence, the Corpus Christi Sequence, and the Requiem Sequence (which is used on the Feast of All Souls and at Funeral Masses). Now there is a lengthy and convoluted history surrounding the use of a fifth sequence - the Stabat Mater (which dates from back in the 13th century) and its complex relationship to the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary - which is now simply titled the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Suffice it to say that Pope Benedict XII restored the use of the Stabat Mater in 1727. In 1970, following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI removed the Requiem Sequence from general usage (although it is still sung in churches where the Extraordinary Form of the Liturgy, the Tridentine Mass, is celebrated).
[00:34:23] Then in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI declared that the Sequences are optional, except for Easter and Pentecost, and that they be sung before the Alleluia instead of afterwards. So, in the Church today, we have four Sequences for general use; two that are optional (the Corpus Christi Sequence and the Stabat Mater).
For those of you that are familiar with my parish, we typically sing the Stabat Mater when we do Stations of the Cross during Lent. So, it starts with: “At the cross her station keeping,” right? Most of us that have done Stations at my parish are familiar with that.
So those two sequences are optional. And then we have two that are obligatory: the Easter Sequence and the Pentecost Sequence. The Easter Sequence, also known as Victimae Paschali Laudes, dates back to the 11th century and was most likely composed by a man by the name of Wipo of Burgundy, and he was the chaplain of the Holy Roman Emperor, Conrad II. So, with that background, and keeping in mind that the original rhyme scheme was in Latin, let's go through the rather imperfect English translation of the Easter Sequence.
Christians, praise the Paschal Victim! Offer thankful sacrifice!
Christ the lamb has saved the sheep, Christ the just one paid the price, Reconciling sinners to the Father.
Death and life fought bitterly for this wondrous victory; the Lord of life who died reigns glorified!
O Mary, come and say what you saw at break of day. “The empty tomb of my living Lord. I saw Christ Jesus risen and adored!”
Bright angels testified, shroud and grave clothes side by side! “Yes, Christ my hope rose gloriously. He goes before you into Galilee.”
Share the good news, sing joyfully: His death is victory! Lord Jesus, Victor King, Show us mercy.
You can hear some of the rhyming in there… I'm not going to read the Latin version. The Latin rhyming is much more apparent. If you want to look it up, I would strongly suggest it. But while it's easy to see the rhyme scheme in Latin, it's not equally easy to pronounce for those of us that no longer speak a dead language.
[00:37:04] Okay, so that takes us to our First Reading, which is from, as I said, Acts 10: 34a, 37-43.
“Peter opened his mouth and said, ‘[You know what] was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest; not to all people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’”
Luke's purpose in writing the Acts of the Apostles was to assemble an accurate account of the development of the early Church… these stories tell us how the Apostles continued the mission for which Jesus had prepared them by assuming the mantle of leadership in the Church which Jesus himself established. In this reading, Peter has been sent to baptize Cornelius, a Roman centurion and a Gentile, who lived in the city of Caesarea Maritima, a port on the Mediterranean Sea, built by Herod the Great and dedicated to Caesar Augustus.
[00:39:01] We visited Caesarea Maritima when we were in Israel… it's now a National Park. So, I will include some pictures of what it looks like now on my Instagram this week. What we don't hear, in this passage, is what led up to all of this. So, let me put this a bit in perspective… let me give you some background.
[00:39:20] To do that, we have to start with Cornelius. We hear that Cornelius, and his household, are God fearing, devout, prayerful, and generous. Certainly, an auspicious start for anyone. But Cornelius then has a vision of an angel from God that tells him he, Cornelius, is to have a man named Peter brought to his house. And he's supposed to listen to what Peter has to say. So, Cornelius sends men to fetch Peter immediately.
[00:39:53] Now Peter is feeling a bit peckish when he falls into a trance and has his own vision. Peter's vision, however, is quite disturbing… to say the least. Remember, I said he was a bit hungry and thinking about grabbing a snack when - in his vision - a huge sheet of cloth comes down from the sky filled with all sorts of creatures Jews would consider to be both clean and unclean. Of course, Jews don't eat unclean animals. But the voice, in the vision, instructs Peter to kill and eat everything! Peter is absolutely, of course, appalled and argues that he's never eaten anything unclean… he's a good, faithful Jew. The voice tells him that God has cleansed them, so he shouldn't be concerned at all.
[00:40:53] And this doesn't happen just once. Oh, no, no, no! It happens three times. Now, whenever a number is mentioned we know it's important, right? In this case, it means Peter's vision was absolutely authentic and its message was - there are no unclean animals. When the men from Cornelius arrive, Peter has no qualms about accompanying them to Caesarea Maritima. We enter the narrative with the speech Peter makes after his arrival.
“Peter opened his mouth and said, ‘[You know what] was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:’”
That's the inflection point, right? The transition point… John serves as the end of the Old Covenant promises by heralding the coming of Jesus. He is a prophet with a foot in both the Old Testament and the New.
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power;”
And what Peter means here is at Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan, when God confirmed Jesus' identity as divine Son… “This is my son… my chosen… my beloved, listen to him” right? That's what God says.
“how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
Peter just condensed Jesus’ three years of public ministry down into a single phrase. Hard to believe, but that's what he did.
“And we are all witnesses to all that he did in both the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.”
That sounds a bit strange to us, too, doesn't it? We think of all Israel as the country of the Jews and we don't typically separate out Jerusalem from that. But the purpose there is to show that Jesus’ ministry was both in the countryside and in the capital city where the temple is located. And Peter is assuring his audience that the disciples really did accompany Jesus throughout those three years, serving as simple, honest witnesses to everything that took place.
[00:43:21] “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;”
Peter, of course, means the Crucifixion - hanging him on a tree is a stylized way of saying he was Crucified.
[00:43:31] “but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest;”
The Resurrection, right? That's what he's talking about. The event we celebrate this Sunday.
[00:43:41] “not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses,”
Jesus' public ministry was just that - public. His post-Resurrection appearances were intended primarily for those who knew him best.
[00:44:00] For the Apostles…
“who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”
Meaning Jesus was no ghost, he wasn't an apparition or a vision… he was real! He ate food and drank liquid… he was real.
“And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.”
That is the mission Jesus entrusted to his Apostles.
“To him all the prophets bear witness”
That's exactly what was explained to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, right? That's what Jesus explained about himself.
“that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
That, too, was part of the mission entrusted to the Apostles by Jesus. In the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Jesus told the Apostles to baptize all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit - and we know that the waters of Baptism wash away sin. And in Matthew 16 and John 20, Jesus gave his Apostles the authority to forgive or retain, bind or loose sins. That, of course, is beneficial for those who are already Baptized, but remember, Baptism comes first! As Peter concludes this speech, the Holy Spirit descends upon Cornelius' household. We don't hear that - that happens in the verses that follow this passage - but we also hear that an amazed Peter then declares that anyone who receives the Holy Spirit is also deserving of the waters of Baptism. So, he orders that the entire household be Baptized. This account illustrates that Jesus intends for both Jews and Gentiles to be accepted equally into his Church.
[00:46:10] In a verse that the Church decided not to include in this passage, Peter says: “I see that God shows no partiality” meaning that salvation is a gift offered to all people, regardless of their origin. Jesus’ message is universal and all are welcome in the Church.
[00:46:34] That is our ongoing mission as members of the Church, right? That is part of the work still to be accomplished. We are to continue spreading the Gospel message… as the Apostles did in the early church, as Saint Paul did in the early Church. And we are to invite people to share in the mercy and love of Jesus… gently, patiently. Just as Jesus extended his care and concern to those dejected Apostles on the road to Emmaus, we are to invite people gently and patiently to the mercy and love of Jesus.
[00:47:21] Our Responsorial Psalm this week is Psalm 118 (actually this week and next week). And the refrain is:
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
And here are the verses:
“O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his mercy endures for ever! Let Israel say, ‘His mercy endures for ever.’ ‘The right hand of the LORD does valiantly, the right hand of the LORD is exalted!’ I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD. The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”
This is an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving - and it is the last of the Hallel Psalms (those are Psalms 113-118). Psalms that would have been sung during Jewish feasts, particularly the feast of Passover. When the Psalmist says: “the LORD's mercy endures forever” that's a reminder that God's faithfulness to the Covenant is a lasting commitment and precisely why God is to be praised. Now, when the Psalmist talks about “the stone rejected by the builders” he could have meant a number of things… he could have been referring to one of Israel's kings (most likely Zerubbabel, who was king of Judah at the time this Psalm was composed), he could have meant the people of Israel (some of whom were still being held captive in Babylon at the time), or he could be referring to himself. There's a lot of room for interpretation there. However, there is no question whatsoever that early Christians saw Jesus as the cornerstone rejected by the builders. And by builders, we consider that to be the Jewish authorities.
[00:49:25] And in the words: “I shall not die, but I shall live” we hear an echo of Christ's Resurrection, which, of course, brought glory to God his Father.
[00:49:38] That leads us to our Second Reading, and as I mentioned, there is a choice of Second Reading on Easter Sunday. Since they are both fairly brief, I will explain both, although my home parish, will be using Colossians this year.
So, let's begin with the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians 3: 1-4.
“[Brothers and Sisters:] If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
[00:50:24] Colossians occupies a unique position in the entirety of Paul's writings. Some scholars don't believe that Paul was the author, despite his being identified as such in both the beginning and the end of the text. Others believe that he was, at the very least, a contributor though probably not the primary author and that it was composed during one of Paul's many imprisonments. Whether Paul was the author or not, whether it was written during his lifetime or not, is simply fuel for the arguments of theologians. What is undeniable, however, is that this letter serves as a sort of bridge, if you will, between Paul and those who continued his ministry after he was executed. It is also unique in that it can be classified as both a Captivity Letter (because if it was written during his lifetime, it was written while he was in prison - likely either in Rome or in Ephesus) and it's also an Occasional Letter since it was written to address specific issues of false teachings and false doctrine. So, while there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding this letter, the message is nevertheless crystal clear! Christ is preeminent over all things, and all people find their ultimate fulfillment through Christ in Baptism. So, let's explore what this passage has to say…
“[Brothers and Sisters:] If then you have been raised with Christ,
Through the sacrament of Baptism.
“seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
The author means seek the kingdom of heaven where Jesus dwells now and for all eternity, seated at God's right hand. That is exactly what we profess in the Creed, right?
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
We should hear, in those words, echoes of the First Sunday of Lent, when we heard the story of the temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness. The story reminds us that we are all subject to the temptations of this world, so we need to actively tune them out and devote our time and effort to listening to the message of Scripture: things from above rather than things of earth.
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
That's a common theme for Paul, right? That we die with Christ in the waters of Baptism.
[00:53:06] So, just as Jesus is now hidden from the world (meaning he does not appear to us physically, bodily, in his glory), once we are Baptized the glory of our inner life (meaning our newly cleansed souls), that glory is hidden from a corrupt and sinful world.
[00:53:31] “When Christ who is our life appears,”
At the Second Coming - at the end of time.
“then you also will appear with him in glory.”
The bodies of the righteous will be transformed and will radiate the glory of God, just as Jesus' Transformed, Resurrected Body radiates his glory.
[00:53:56] That is a promise made to all the Baptized. But it's not unconditional, right? We must live our Baptismal promises during this life. Eternity is offered to us, but we can turn our backs on it. That's why we focus on the things above rather than the things of earth.
That takes us to the second option for our Second Reading, which is the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 5: 6b-8.
[00:54:28] “[Brothers and Sisters:] Do you not know that a little leaven leavens all the dough? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be new dough as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Told you, they were both short readings… that's the end of that reading!
While there is uncertainty surrounding Colossians, there is no uncertainty regarding 1 Corinthians - 1 or 2 Corinthians - Paul is universally regarded as the author of both. And 1 Corinthians is an Occasional Letter written to address not a specific occasion, but a number of problems in the Christian community in Corinth. This particular passage, believe it or not, has to do with a very specific and very blatant case of incest in the community, which Paul sees as corrupting not just the people directly involved, but which is spreading out and corrupting the entire community.
[00:55:48] Paul compares the spread of that corruption (from that very specific sin - throughout the community) to the way yeast spreads through bread dough.
[00:56:01] That may seem like a strange comparison to us, but it makes perfect sense to his Jewish mind. Every year, Jews were instructed to discard all yeast in their houses. That comes from Exodus 12, right? They're to discard all the yeast in their houses before the feast of Passover. Yeast is seen as a - in this case - corrupting influence. And because the Jews are to start Passover out with only unleavened bread, there can be no yeast present in the house because any yeast would spread throughout the dough, right? Its influence would extend throughout all of the dough. So, it needs to be tossed out. And many modern Jews still keep to that tradition.
So, let's explore what Paul has to say…
“[Brothers and Sisters:] Do you not know that a little leaven leavens all the dough?”
I think it's unfortunate that the RSV uses leaven rather than yeast; the NAB says yeast. It really does confuse the text. So, let's hear that again… as a little yeast leavens all the dough. And if you've ever made bread from scratch, you can easily attest to the truth of that statement.
“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be new dough, as you really are unleavened.”
So, “cleanse out the old yeast,” just as Jews throw out old yeast before Passover, Paul is saying root out the corruption in your midst, get rid of that corrupting influence, specifically - in this instance - do not tolerate the incest taking place within your community. Because Paul says, “you really are unleavened,” your community is pure and uncontaminated, so do not allow contamination to take root and grow. Good advice for us today, too. Some of the contamination that's present in our communities is so insidious that we may not even see it… prejudice, divisiveness, hatred, greed, envy. Those are things we have to root out - not just from our community, but from our hearts and from our minds, right?
“For Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has been sacrificed.”
Jesus is the Lamb of God, who was slain. Just as lambs are sacrificed for Passover, so Jesus was sacrificed for our sake in a new Passover, the Christian Passover, when Jesus passes over from death to life.
[00:58:44] “Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival,”
So, start fresh… be holy… remain holy when we come together to celebrate Mass.
“not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil,”
What Paul is talking about here is the corruption that comes from sin and works of darkness.
“but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Sincerity and truth - those are characteristics of a pure Christian community. They should be characteristics of every one of our Christian communities… every church, every parish, every Christian gathering, anywhere. What Paul is really saying here is don't tolerate sin in your midst - root it out, cleanse yourselves and your community, so that you - and it - can again become pure, full of sincerity and truth.
[00:59:53] And Paul's greater message is that evil really is seductive, right?
[01:00:00] It's easy, so easy to fall prey to its corrupting influence.
[01:00:09] So, the Corinthians have to be doubly aware and doubly cautious. Paul's basic message is: if they can't handle such a clear-cut decision and choose to act in the best interest of the community when the difference between right and wrong is so easy to discern (as it is in a case of incest) then how will they ever be able to handle those instances that are less clear cut? How will they ever be able to handle ambiguous or murky situations, if they aren't able to discern what is really good from what is evil?
And again, that is a stark and stern warning to us as well. There is so much ambiguity in our world, right? There are a lot of instances when we have to make choices that aren't always obvious or clear cut. Sometimes they are… sometimes they're easy, but not always.
[01:01:17] So we have to be particularly careful. There's an old saying, often attributed to Saint Augustine: hate the sin, love the sinner. That seems like eminently sensible advice, because let's face it, we are all sinners, each and every one of us.
So, rather than being corrupted by the evil in the world, let's take Paul's advice and root out evil… but let's start with ourselves.
Let's take Augustine's advice and hate the sin, but love the sinner… and let's start with ourselves.
[01:02:06] Remember, in Luke 6, Jesus told us to take the plank out of our own eye before we try to remove the speck from our neighbor's eye. That, too, is part of the mission Jesus entrusts to us… a mission which we should live out in sincerity and truth, each and every day.
[01:02:29] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain and may he hold you, safe and secure, in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening. Have a Happy Easter and God Bless.
