Easter Sunday

 

Acts 1O:34,37-43

 

Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘You know what happened all over Judaea, how Jesus of Nazareth began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now we are witnesses to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet on the third day God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses that God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses—we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead—and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to bear witness that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’

 

 

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

 

Do you not realise that only a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Throw out the old yeast so that you can be the fresh dough, unleavened as you are. For our Passover has been sacrificed, that is, Christ; let us keep the feast, then, with none of the old yeast and no leavening of evil and wickedness, but only the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

 

 

John 20:1-9

 

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,’ she said, ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’ So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. Till this moment they had still not understood the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

 

 

Reflection

 

 

Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved went into the tomb but did not see the body of Jesus. He is risen as he had promised. The resurrection of Jesus, first of all, reveals that true love never dies. Jesus who is the embodiment of love, who taught nothing but to love could not be held slave by death. Mary Magdalene too reveals that selfless love never ends because the death and the physical separation of Jesus did not diminish her love for him, True love never ends, and true lovers continue to exist long after their death in the hearts of those whom they loved. The resurrection of Jesus, secondly, manifests the power of truth. The Jewish authorities used treachery to condemn him, falsely accused him to charge him, bribed to silence the truth about the resurrection. But the truth prevailed. Even after two thousand years, the truth of Jesus’ resurrection is proclaimed and is believed. The resurrection of Jesus, thirdly, proclaims that good will ultimately triumph over tvil. Jesus was tempted, criticised for being a friend of The poor and the sinners, and condemned to death for blasphemy. The crucifixion and the death of Jesus seemed to assert the triumph of evil over good, but the resurrection proclaims emphatically that the ultimate winners are goodness, truth, faithfulness and selfless love,