"Light of Christ, rising in glory," scattering the "Darkness of our hearts and minds."

'Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you'”

Alleluia! Alleluia! The Lord is risen! Alleluia! This is the night when life has triumphed over death.

 

1ST Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:2 (or Genesis 1:1, 26-31a)

Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35 (or Psalm 33:4-5, 6-7, 12-13, 20-22)

 

2ND Reading: Genesis 22:1-18 (or Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18)

Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

 

3RD Reading: Exodus 14:15-15:1

Exodus 15:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18

 

4TH Reading: Isaiah 54:5-14

Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

 

5TH Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11

Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6

 

6TH Reading: Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4

Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11

 

7TH Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28

Psalm 42:3, 5; 43:3, 4 (or Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6 or Psalm 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19)

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

Romans 6:3-11

Don't you know

That in baptism, which unites us to Christ, we are all baptized and plunged into his death? By this baptism in his death,

we were buried with Christ and, as Christ was raised from among the dead by the glory of the Father,

we begin walking in a new life. If we have been joined to him by dying a death like his, so shall we be, by a resurrection like his.

 

We know that our old self was crucified with Christ so as to destroy what of us was sin,

so that we may no longer serve sin if we are dead, we are no longer in debt to sin. But,

if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. We know that Christ, once risen from the dead,

will not die again, and death has no more dominion over him. For, by dying, he is dead to sin, once and for all, and, now, the life that he lives, is life with God.

So you, too, must consider yourselves dead to sin, and alive to God, in Christ Jesus.

 

Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊       Luke 24:1-12

On the Sabbath the women rested according to the commandment, but the first day of the week, at dawn,

the women went to the tomb with the perfumes and ointments they had prepared.

Seeing the stone rolled away from the opening of the tomb, they entered,

and were amazed to find that the body of the Lord Jesus was not there.

 

As they stood there wondering about this, two men in dazzling garments suddenly stood before them.

In fright the women bowed to the ground. But the men said, "Why look for the living among the dead?

You won't find him here. He is risen. Remember what he told you in Galilee,

that the Son of Man had to be given into the hands of sinners, to be crucified,

and to rise on the third day." And they remembered Jesus' words.

 

Returning from the tomb, they told the Eleven and all the others about these things.

Among the women who brought the news were Mary Magdalene, Joanna,

and Mary the mother of James. But however much they insisted,

those who heard did not believe the seemingly nonsensical story.

Then Peter got up and ran to the tomb. All he saw when he bent down

and looked into the tomb were the linen cloths, laid by themselves. He went home wondering.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"The balsam of life."

Christ is our life; Christ is our hope. It is he who transforms the trials and sorrows of this life into steps towards our glorious life with God.

Holy Week and Easter deepen our awareness of our dying and rising to new life with Christ.

Let's not forget our intimate union with him through our Baptism –  a sharing in the power of his cross and resurrection.

At the Easter Vigil, in the Light of the Risen Lord, we renew our baptismal promises.

We affirm our rejection of evil and renew our faith in God and his Church. We make afresh our commitment to Christ – to stay with him;

 

to walk in his light. Let us deepen our relationship with the Lord Jesus so that we can touch our wounded world with his joy,

his peace and his love. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux called the knowledge of the mystery of Christ through faith the "balsam of life,"

which alleviates our earthly state. May our prayer this Easter be heavily perfumed with the "balsam of life."

May it heal our wounds and may its perfume of hope pour from our hearts into the lives of those around us.