April 1, 2013

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Monday in the Octave of Easter

Lectionary: 261

Reading 1 Acts 2:14, 22-33

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

Pentecost literally means 50.  It is celebrated 50 days after Passover or Easter.  On this day, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire.  It sounded like a mighty wind.  And the Apostles began to prophesy.  They were in Jerusalem during the Jewish celebration of the Pentecost and many people of many nations were there for the celebration.  And they could all understand the Apostles.

And St. Peter began speaking to them all.

“You who are children of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.

He addressed the Jews and indicted them for their crime of putting to death, Jesus, the Son of God.

But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:
I saw the Lord ever before me,with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.You have made known to me the paths of life;you will fill me with joy in your presence.

Then he began to do what we are doing today.  Teaching people how the Old Testament refers to Jesus.  There are, some say, over 500 prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament.

My brothers, one can confidently say to you
about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
and his tomb is in our midst to this day.

Many assumed that the verse about the holy one which did not see corruption was describing David.  But St. Peter clarifies, that this is about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit
that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.”

As he describes it, the Holy Spirit must have been visible and audible to all the people.  Because St. Peter says that is the sign of the promised Holy Spirit, which you both see and here.  The promise refers to Jesus saying:
John 14:15-17
King James Version (KJV)
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.  16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

Responsorial Psalm PS 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.  or:
R. Alleluia.Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; 

I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot. 

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.  or:
R. Alleluia.

I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. 

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.  or:
R. Alleluia.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. 

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.  or:
R. Alleluia.

You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever. 

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia. 

Without God, we are nothing.  Everything good comes from God and we should rejoice and be glad that He has chosen us to be His people.

Gospel Mt 28:8-15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.

Mary Magdalen and the other Mary have found the Tomb where Jesus was laid and it was empty.  Therefore, they are running to inform the brethren, the disciples of Jesus.

And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”

And the Risen Lord appeared to them.  They worshipped Him.  Then Jesus instructed them to go to the disciples and tell them to go to Galilee where He would meet with them.

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, “You are to say,
‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

When the women had left, the guards who had been watching the Tomb went to the Chief Priests of the Jews and reported that Jesus' body was missing and the Tomb was empty.  The Chief Priests of the Jews gave them money to keep quiet and to say that the body had been stolen by the disciples.  And this story circulated among the Jews for a long time.