Sunday, April 21, 2019

Easter Sunday
Reflection
“Happy Easter, brothers and sisters! We have journeyed through Lent and Holy Week together and today we celebrate the central mystery, the ultimate good news of our Christian faith. Christ is risen!” (Jason Moore, Daily Lenten Reflections 2013, Saint Michael’s College).

“Our God is not dead, He is alive! Jesus, who sacrificed and allowed men to nail him to a tree, has risen from the dead! He has completely triumphed over death, sin, the devil and all of this world’s evil.  Jesus is the ultimate ‘agape,’ the sacrificial and true love you demonstrate when you lay down your life for another” (Sarah Spencer, Creighton University, Daily Reflection).

These opening comments are the reflections of two young adults, one (at the time) a campus minister and the other a nursing student. It is surely refreshing to read these manifestations of their sincere faith in the risen Christ, especially at a time when it seems that many young people are “turned off” by the Church and religion, if not by Christ Himself. Perhaps Pope Francis with his sincere active love for the poor and his simplicity of lifestyle, will attract youths back to the Church and religious faith.

In a Palm Sunday homily, addressed directly to young people who came to hear the Pope, he said: “Dear young people, you bring us the joy of faith, and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart, always a young heart, even at 70 or 80! With Christ, the heart never grows old! The young people must say to the world that it is good to follow Jesus, it is good to go with Jesus, Jesus’ message is good. It is good to go out of yourself to the ends of the earth to bring Jesus!” The Pope expressed great confidence in those young people and challenged them to live their faith in Christ.  Easter “is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!”

Prayer
That all of us, particularly young people, may have faith and hope in the risen Jesus, and share our faith and hope with others.

Fr. Ray Doherty, S.S.E. 51, Campus Minister

Scripture
First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
Gospel: John 20:1-9, Luke 24:1-12, or Luke 24:13-35

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

No comments: