April 11, 2004 - Easter Sunday (C)
The Resurrection of the Lord
The Mass of Easter Day

SOLEMNITY OF EASTER

A. Called to Life with Christ
B. New Life, New People

Readings:
Acts 10:34, 37-43; Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Col 3:1-4; Jn 20:1-9

Alternative Readings:
1 Cor 5:6b-8 (2nd Rdg); Lk 11:27-28 (Encounter); Lk 24:13-35 (Evening Mass)

Commentaries / Gospel Reflections from:
Sunday's Into Silence • Daily Gospel

Salubong (Encuentro)

This is a rite for the dawn Mass on Easter Sunday. It is proper to the Philippines and is integrated with the Mass. A procession with the statue of Mary meets the statue of the Risen Christ at the church door and they greet each other. The Gloria may be sung in the meantime. When the people have assembled again in the church the priest says the Opening Prayer, omitting all other introductory rites in this dawn Mass with the Salubong. Also the Sequence is omitted, to avoid confusion between the Blessed Virgin and Mary of Magdala.

The presidential prayers special to this dawn Mass with the Salubong include also a reference to Mary; the gospel proper to this Mass is also a Marian text. Other Masses except the dawn Mass have the usual structure and contents.

The Congregation for Divine Worship approved the integration of the Salubong within the dawn Mass of Easter in 1971.

Greeting

Christ is risen, alleluia!
With Christians all over the world
we shout this cry of joy today
as we thank our Father in heaven
for raising Jesus from the dead.
May the peace and joy of the Risen Lord
be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. Called to Life with Christ

Today we celebrate life: the life of Jesus, as he rose from the dead; our life that is now stronger than death, stronger than all suffering and pain. Life makes sense and is worthwhile. It is very precious, and we have to bring life to one another and to our world: it must be a risen world in which there is joy, not fear, where justice and love triumph. Let us pray to the risen Lord here among us that we and our world may rise with him.

B. New Life, New People

Easter! Today is Easter! The Lord Jesus is risen from the dead. Where there was death there is now life. Where there was sorrow there is now joy. Where there was fear there is now trust. Where there was sin there is now forgiveness. Where everything was old there is now youth and new life. Is there new life among us now and is there joy and confidence? When Jesus rose from the dead he did not return to his former form of life. He began a new, risen life. He wants to begin with us that new risen life. Have we cast off the old one during Lent and are we ready for this new life? Let us ask the Lord Jesus to begin now with us this life of joy and love.

Penitential Act

It is time to cast off sin
and to rise with Jesus our Lord.
We acclaim him as our liberator from sin.
                   (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you have changed our mourning
into joy and life and freedom:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you have buried our sins;
you call us out of our tombs with you:
Christ have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you have opened to all people
the gate to life;
you are the hope and light and life of all:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
undo our past of sin
and make us rise with you.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray that the risen Christ
may fill our lives with love and joy
                   (PAUSE)
Lord God, loving Father,
we acclaim Jesus your Son as our risen Lord.
We thank you that in him
a new, risen life has begun for us
and a new dawn has come for the world.
We pray you on this day of joy:
Pour out his Holy Spirit on us too,
that we may become new,
free in heart and spirit,
and break for each other the bread of love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

For the Dawn Mass with the Salubong

Let us pray

that like the Blessed Virgin we may experience
the presence of the risen Savior in our lives
                   (PAUSE)
God our Father, creator of all,
today is the day of Easter joy.
This is the morning on which our risen Lord
appeared to his disciples.
We rejoice with Mary, the Mother of your Son,
for he whom she merited to bear in her womb
has truly risen.
Through her prayer
help us to live always in the light of the resurrection
your Son has won for us.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Scripture Readings

First Reading Introduction: Witnesses to the Resurrection
      Jesus is alive. He showed himself, we have seen him. We have eaten with him. This is the witness of the apostles.

First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Peter then spoke to the people, "Truly, I realize that God does not show partiality. No doubt you have heard of the event that occurred throughout the whole country of the Jews, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism John preached. You know how God anointed Jesus the Nazarean with Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all who were under the devil's power, because God was with him; we are witnesses of all that he did throughout the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem itself. Yet they put him to death by hanging him on a wooden cross.

But God raised him to life on the third day and let him manifest himself, not to all the people, but to the witnesses that were chosen beforehand by God - to us who ate and drank with him after his resurrection from death. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to bear witness that he is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. All the prophets say of him, that everyone who believes in him has forgiveness of sins through his Name."

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.

"The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD."
R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.

The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.

(1) Second Reading Introduction: Risen with Christ
      Christ's resurrection has already begun in us, says St Paul. We must continue to rise with him by letting him free us more and more, so as to share one day in his full risen glory.

(1) Second Reading: Col 3:1-4

If you are risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on earthly things. For you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, reveals himself, you also will be revealed with him in Glory.

(2) Alternative Second Reading Introduction: New in the Risen Christ
      We should not let evil ferment in us, but rather let the new life in Christ be the ferment that transforms us and the world.

(2) Alternative Second Reading: 1 Cor 5:6b-8

Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast,
so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Gospel I (For the Mass with Salubong): Happy the Womb That Bore You!
      Mary had not only given birth to Jesus but was his great disciple who rejoiced at his resurrection.

Gospel I: Lk 11:27-28

Gospel II (Day Masses): John Saw and He Believed
      Mary Magdalene and the apostles were upset to find the tomb empty. But first John, then the others, realized that Jesus was risen from the dead. Thus they strengthen our faith in the risen Lord.

Gospel II: Jn 20:1-9

On the first day after the Sabbath, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark and she saw that the stone blocking the tomb had been moved away. She ran to Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved. And she said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have laid him."

Peter then set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down and saw the linen cloths lying flat, but he did not enter.
Then Simon Peter came following him and entered the tomb; he, too, saw the linen cloths lying flat. The napkin, which had been around his head was not lying flat like the other linen cloths but lay rolled up in its place. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and believed. Scripture clearly said that he must rise from the dead, but they had not yet understood that.

Commentary

THE Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the essential Christian proclamation. "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins," wrote St. Paul (1Cor 15:17). The gospels are unanimous in making Mary Magdalene and the other women the first to proclaim the distinctive Christian Good News. Tradition has called her "apostola apostolorum": the apostle of the apostles. She was the first Christian preacher. She is a patroness of the Dominican Order, which is called the Order of Preachers, and many Dominican houses are called "St. Magdalene's". She could also be seen as the patroness of all the women who have preached the Gospel in countless ways throughout the Christian centuries.

Read also Sundays Into Silence: Real Life Resurrection

Gospel III (Optional for Evening Masses): They Recognized the Lord at the Breaking of Bread
      Every Christian goes the road of Emmaus with the risen Lord; we grope to understand his word, his presence is hidden and recognizable only by faith, he nourishes us with the eucharist. Are we eager to proclaim his good news?

Gospel III: Lk 24:13-35

That very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?"

And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place.

Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see."

And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer 8 these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!" Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Renewal of baptismal promises

In Easter Sunday Masses which are celebrated with a congregation, the rite of the renewal of baptismal promises is repeated after the homily. It replaces the usual profession of faith (Credo). The renunciations reject all that is against the covenant of love between God and his people; positively, the promises renew our fidelity to that covenant.

The priest speaks to the people in these or similar words:

Dear friends, on this feast of Easter we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By dying he destroyed our death, by rising he raised us to new life. In baptism we have all died with him to sin and risen to his new life. Let us now renew the promises made in baptism: We reject again all that harms the covenant of love between God and us, his new people; we promise again to serve God faithfully in the community of his holy Catholic Church. And so:

Priest: Do you reject sin,
so as to live in the freedom of God's children?
All: I do.
Priest: Do you reject the glamour of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?
All: I do.
Priest:Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?
All: I do.
Then the priest continues:
Priest: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?
All:I do.
Priest:Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?
All: I do.
Priest:Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
All: I do.

The priest concludes: God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and has forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Chris for ever and ever.

All: Amen.

The priest sprinkles the people with holy water, while a fitting baptismal song is sung.

General Intercessions

On this day of our Lord's resurrection we celebrate his and our new, risen life. Let us pray to the Lord of life and say: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.

- Risen Lord, fill your Church to the brim with a deep faith in your resurrection, that all of your people may be alive with the joy of seeing how rich and meaningful their life now is, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.

- Risen Lord, for all the newly baptized, that the new life they have received on Easter may keep growing in them and inspiring others, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.

- Risen Lord, for those who rarely come to church and for those who have lost the way to the church, that this feast of Easter may be an invitation to them to renew their faith and their life in you, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.

- Risen Lord, for all people who are persecuted, for those who suffer from injustice and illness, that you hear their cries for liberation and raise them up from their sorrows, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.

- Risen Lord, for all our faithful departed, that they may now share in the life and the joy that you have promised to all who believe in you, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your life.

Note: (In Masses with Salubong, add:)

- Lord, for all of us, that the joy the Blessed Virgin Mary experienced at the sight of her risen Son may deepen our faith in the resurrection and fill our lives with the peace that Easter brings, we pray: R/ Lord, renew us in you life.

Risen Lord, in you life and love were stronger than death. Let your life in us bring us light, forgiveness and joy, now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

1. God of our happiness,
the seed of the wheat died in the earth
to let life sprout again,
and the grain was crushed
to give us tasty, nourishing bread.
Let this bread and wine now become your Son among us
and enrich us with his risen life.
Let him make us all new
and empower us to build up his kingdom
of love and peace and integrity.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

2. In the dawn Mass with Salubong
Lord,
may the power of your Spirit,
which sanctified Mary, the Mother of your risen Son,
make holy the Easter gifts we place upon this altar.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

With great gratitude and joy let us give thanks to the Father, for he has saved us and made us new by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Introduction to the Lord's Prayer

Jesus makes us share in his victory
and in his prayer to the Father
whose sons and daughters we are.
And so we say: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us in our day
the peace which our Lord Jesus brought
to the apostles in the evening of Easter.
To make us into your new people,
keep us free from sin
and strengthen us in the trials of life.
Already in this life we wait for the happiness
of those risen with your Son
and we are certain of the coming in glory
of your living Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

Happy are we if we can recognize
in this broken bread and shared cup
the risen Lord himself.
For this is the Lamb of God
who died to give us life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

1. Lord God, we have celebrated
the passing of your Son from death to life
and we have renewed our baptismal promises.
We want to follow Jesus
on his way from death to life.
Bring us together,
make us of one heart and one of mind.
Keep us in this Easter joy,
that people may discover in us
the joy of being risen to life with Christ.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

2. In the dawn Mass with Salubong
Lord,
may this sacrament strengthen the faith in our hearts.
May Mary's Son, Jesus Christ,
whom we proclaim to be God and man,
bring us to eternal life
by the saving power of his resurrection.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

Christ has made us all new
by rising from the dead.
May we live like risen people
who have encountered the Lord
in his Word, at his table,
in one another.
May we bring his life and hope
to all those around us.
May almighty God bless you all
with his strength, his compassion,
and his self-giving love:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go and share the love and joy of Christ with one another.
R/ Thanks be to God.

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Additional Resource Material for this Easter Sunday

Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today"s gospel.

A Familiar Laughter
(Jn 20:1-9)

(taken from the book A Certain Jesus, Vol. 3)
Click here for other Readings --> Index of A Certain Jesus