(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
May the strength of God pilot us.
May the power of God preserve us.
May the wisdom of God instruct us.
May the hand of God protect us.
May the way of God direct us.
May the shield of God defend us.
May the host of God
guard us against the snares of evil
and the temptations of the world.
May Christ be with us,
Christ before us,
Christ in us,
Christ over us.
May your salvation, O Lord, be always ours,
this day and for evermore. Amen.
Part of the ‘Breastplate’ of St Patrick, 389-461
(Sourced from A Treasury of Prayers in Uniting in Worship, copyright 1988 Uniting Church in Australia)
Read:
Matthew 28:1-10, 15-20. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:1-10, 15-20 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
Galilee? In all the excitement it may have been overlooked that the disciples kept receiving directions to go to Galilee. Is there some significance to Galilee? Why not Jerusalem? Isn’t that where all the big events happen in God’s plan?
Galilee is important in a symbolic way. Galilee was where Jesus did nearly all his ministry of bringing in the new Kingdom of God. When they are told to Galilee, Jesus is really telling them that he is going back to work. Easter means that the work continues because the King of the Kingdom of God is not dead but is alive. The disciples were unemployed for 3 days but it is back to work with the risen Jesus in the lead.
Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
With the joy of Resurrection still glowing brightly, we enter into the sacred Easter time which leads us all the way to Pentecost.
During this time, we will focus on “Practising Resurrection”, a series of sermons that invites us to recognise Jesus and respond with trust and commitment.
For this series, we follow the lead of an old joyous German tradition that allocates themes to the Sundays of Easter. Each Sunday has its own (Latin) name:
2nd Sunday of Easter: quasimodo geniti “Like the newborn children” (1 Peter 2:2)
3rd Sunday of Easter: misericordia domini “The earth is filled with the lovingkindness of God”
4th Sunday of Easter: jubilate “Rejoice!” (Psalm 89:2)
5th Sunday of Easter: cantate “Sing!” (Psalm 98)
6th Sunday of Easter: rogate “Pray!” (Psalm 66:20)
7th Sunday of Easter: exaudi ”Hear me, Lord!” (Psalm 27)
Many churches use the colours white or gold in decorations or clothing to symbolise Joy, glory and light. A beautiful way for us, as people of faith, to witness to Jesus’ Resurrection!
How do you want to practise resurrection?
May this time of celebration be filled with goodness, trust, creativity and renewed commitment to God.
Ellen Grabner | Minister
Lord, let me be a Mary.
Not Martha’s sister, who sat at your feet, although I find most days I’d much rather be there than in the kitchen.
Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:42)
Not the mother of our Lord, whose greatest honour brought forth her greatest suffering.
A sword pierced her own soul just as Simeon prophesied. (Luke 2:35)
Let me be a Mary Magdalene, forever and always the first eyewitness to see an empty tomb.
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. (John 20:1)
Let this news move my feet. Every Resurrection Sunday, from sunrise to sunset let me proclaim your holy name to those who deny you and those whom you call beloved.
He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. (Matthew 28:6)
And in our private moments of intimacy, let me recognize your voice the instant you say my name.
“Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). (John 20:16)
Let me remember the desperate times in my past only so much as they show me my very real need for you.
For only in our great need do we come to appreciate a Resurrection Sunday.
After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. (Mark 16:9)
By: Traci Rhoades
Ref: Lord, Let Me Be A Mary - A Poem (Traces Of Faith {Traci Rhoades})
Three significant truths rooted in the Resurrection open a window and highlight some of the reasons for our joy.
First, the Resurrection is a proclamation that Jesus is alive and present with us. In the Resurrection appearances, the disciples experienced Jesus in their midst. The same Jesus who had walked with them now again touched their lives and spoke and ate with them. But Jesus was radically changed. Clearly, Jesus had not simply come back to life like Lazarus did. Jesus now lived the glorious life beyond death, but he was again with them. The Resurrection proclaims that Jesus is with us as well. Luke’s story of the Ascension is not a declaration of Jesus’ absence. Luke is announcing that Jesus is now present in every space and time. We encounter Jesus in the Scripture, in the sacraments, and in our brothers and sisters. As we recall the stories of the Resurrection appearances, Christ is once again with us, forgiving, feeding, and consoling.
Second, death has been conquered. Death opens the way to eternal life. Jesus gives witness to God’s faithfulness even in death. We need not be afraid of death since it is not the end, but the beginning of eternal life. Jesus’ Resurrection gives meaning to suffering and death as a way to salvation.
Third, Jesus’ Resurrection affirms the value of the human person and the world in which we live. Jesus was raised as a whole person—body and soul. Jesus did not take on human flesh and then discard it. Jesus retained his whole humanity. Along with the doctrines of the Incarnation and the Eucharist, the Resurrection assures us that God has identified with matter. God has embraced the human condition. A profound unity forever exists between God and the world, between spirit and matter. As Christians, we do not believe simply in the immortality of the soul. We believe in the immortality of the human person. Jesus’ Resurrection and ours speak of continuity between this life and the next. Jesus’ Resurrection also acknowledges the value of creation.
This world is a gift of an all-loving God. Our faith in the Resurrection assures us that everything of beauty and love and creativity lasts forever. The Resurrection is the foundation of a holistic view of the human person and an incarnational and sacramental view of life.
Jesus is with us, death has been destroyed, and human life and activity have lasting value. These are all reasons to rejoice.
Ref: Gerald M. Fagin, SJ
The Resurrection Brings Joy -
IgnatianSpirituality.com
From Putting on the Heart of Christ: How the Spiritual Exercises Invite Us to a Virtuous Life