Easter Sunday: Scriptural Reflections from Lazarus Saturday to Easter Sunday

(Catholic Online) - Holy Week is upon us, the time we reach the pinnacle of our Lenten experience and walk the road that brought Jesus back to Jerusalem, a road that led ultimately to his death on the cross.

The reflections here begin on the day before Palm Sunday with the story of the raising of Lazarus, the last miracle of Jesus before his entry into Jerusalem. It was a miracle that dramatically showed his power over sin and death and prefigured his own resurrection -- as well as the possibility of our own rising to new life.

Each morning, we will lead with the meditation text for that day. The meditations for previous days will remain available at the bottom of the article.

These meditations are taken from Lenten Reflections: A Closer Walk, by Jeanne Conte, who holds the copyright to all text and photos. Her book can be purchased from Saints Peter and Paul Retreat Center by phone at (740) 928-4246 or by e-mail at lmuhoberac@colsdioc.org. The poetry by Christina Georgina Rossetti is in the popular domain.

EASTER SUNDAY

Matthew 28:1-6,18-20; John 20:19-22

He is risen! He is truly risen!

"After the Sabbath, at the dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightening, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear ... Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.'"

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"

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So after the deep darkness of pain and death and the tomb, after the days interred, the astounding happened.

He rose as He said He would. He sits at the right hand of God the Father, while the Holy Spirit descends like a dove to be our Comforter, as He promised.

He opened the door for us to Paradise.

Jesus lives! He rose from the dead! He paid our ransom while we were yet sinners. Praise be to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Prayer

Blessed Lord Jesus, thank You for being Love incarnate -- for being God-on-earth -- for ransoming us by Your most painful and agonizing death and resurrection. Help us to spend our days on earth in Your service, doing as You would have us do. Have mercy on us and bring us, cleanse us, and bring us safely home to dwell with You forever. Amen.

Poetry: Easter Day by Christina Georgina Rossetti

Words cannot utter
Christ His returning:
Mankind, keep jubilee,
Strip off your mourning,
Crown you with garlands,
Set your lamps burning.

Speech is left speechless,
Set you to singing,
Fling your hearts open wide,
Set your bells ringing:
Christ the Chief reaper
Comes, His sheaf bringing.

Earth wakes her song-birds,
Puts on her flowers,
Leads out her lambkins,
Builds up her bowers:
This is man's spousal day
, Christ's day and ours.

Words of the Risen Lord

"Greetings. ... Do not be afraid... ."

"Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? ... Mary! ... Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

"Peace be with you! ... As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. ... Because you have seen me, you believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed"

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

"All authority in heaven and in earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

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Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom,
Fourth-Century Patriarch of Constantinople

If anyone be devout and a lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful and radiant feast of feasts!

If anyone is a wise servant, let him rejoice and enter into the joy of his Lord.