Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord (Year C) – 20th April 2025 “The Lord is truly risen, Alleluia!”

Quick Glance Summary

Theme: Victory of Life over Death

Key Message: Christ is risen — and through Him, we are invited to a new life of hope, transformation, and eternal joy. The resurrection changes everything at a deep level.

First Reading (Acts 10:34, 37–43): Peter gives witness to the core of the Gospel: Jesus lived, died, and rose.

Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 117:1–2, 16–17, 22–23): A jubilant psalm of thanksgiving — “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad!”

Second Reading (Colossians 3:1–4): We are reminded to seek the things above, where Christ is. Our true life is hidden with Him in God. He wants us to rise to meet it.

Gospel (John 20:1–9): Mary Magdalene finds the stone rolled away. Peter and the beloved disciple run to the tomb. They see the burial cloths and believe, even though they do not yet fully understand. Faith begins where absence ‘speaks’. It is the appearances of Jesus that confirm the resurrection. The Empty Tomb is the first sign. 

Gospel for Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord (Year C) – 20th April 2025

John 20:1–9

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.

Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Overview of the Gospel Passage

John’s Easter narrative is filled with wonder, movement, and silence. The empty tomb is not dramatic — there are no angels singing — but it is deeply mysterious. The beloved disciple sees and believes, even though full understanding has not yet dawned.

The Gospel invites us to trust the signs, to allow the emptiness of the tomb to stir up hope rather than fear. The resurrection is not merely about Jesus’ body missing — it is about His presence with us in a new, transformed way. His rising is the Father’s answer to sin and death. It is the great “yes” to humanity’s hope.

Connecting the Gospel to Cultural and Spiritual Life Today

Illustration: The Power of an Empty Space

In a world constantly seeking proof and visible results, the idea of believing without seeing can seem naive. Yet this is where the Gospel challenges us — not to blind faith, but to trust the signs. The empty tomb is not absence but invitation.

For many, Easter comes with its own “tombs”: loss, grief, disappointment. We peer into places where life seemed to end, and wonder what’s next. But the resurrection tells us that God works in silence. He works in the dark. He brings life where there was only death.

Consider the first light of dawn — soft, almost imperceptible, yet unstoppable. That is the resurrection: quiet but world-changing. This feast is not just about Jesus returning from the dead. It’s about Him opening the door to a whole new kind of life — not only after death, but now.

What These Readings Say About Our Life

Life is more than what we see. Resurrection is not just a metaphor—it’s a claim that something unseen is at work, deeper than death, deeper than disappointment.

We are not alone in the dark. Like Mary, like Peter, like the beloved disciple, we come with questions and grief. And faith does not erase the pain but gives it shape, gives it direction.

Our true life is hidden, but not lost. In a world that rewards performance and visibility, these texts whisper: your deepest life is safe in God. It will be revealed in its time.

This day was made by the Lord. Joy isn’t always a feeling—it’s a stance. A trust. A decision to say yes to the God who turns rejection into foundation, loss into life.

The Challenge Posed by Easter to Modern Life and Thinking

The supremacy of the visible and measurable: The Gospel suggests that belief often arises from absence, mystery, and intuition.

The myth of total autonomy: Peter's speech reminds us that we are part of a story not of our own making, and are called to witness beyond ourselves.

Avoidance of death and loss: The Christian claim is that only by facing death—our mortality, our limits—can we find true life.

Reflection Questions with Responses

1. Who or what groups might find these readings especially helpful?

• Those grieving a loss — The resurrection promises that death is not the end.
• Parishioners returning at Easter — This Gospel offers an entry point into faith: belief born not from certainty, but from trust.
• People struggling with doubt — The beloved disciple believes, though he doesn’t fully understand.
• Young adults discerning vocation or meaning — The call to “seek the things that are above” can provide clarity and peace.
• Missionaries and catechists — Peter’s proclamation in Acts reminds us of the core Christian message: Christ died and is risen.

2. What human weaknesses do they address, and what virtues do they aim to strengthen?

• Weaknesses: Fear of death, despair, disillusionment, passivity.
• Virtues: Hope, faith, courage, spiritual attentiveness. Easter strengthens the courage to trust again — not in ourselves, but in the risen Christ who renews all things.

3. What is the feeling tone of each reading?

• First Reading: Confident and joyful proclamation.
• Psalm: Jubilant thanksgiving.
• Second Reading: Uplifting and aspirational — focused on heavenly realities.
• Gospel: Gentle and mysterious — quiet awe and dawning belief.

4. Which saints or well-known figures exemplify the message of each reading?

• St. Mary Magdalene — First witness to the Resurrection; a model of devotion and love.
• St. Peter — Proclaims Christ boldly after experiencing both failure and forgiveness.
• St. Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) — Her life and martyrdom witness to hope in darkness.
• Bl. Carlo Acutis — A modern teen who lived out a deep trust in the risen Lord, particularly in the Eucharist.

5. What works of art, poems, or pieces of music provide insight into the message?

• Giotto’s Noli Me Tangere — captures the intimate awe of the Resurrection.
• “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today” — the quintessential Easter hymn of triumph.
• Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem “The Wreck of the Deutschland” — speaks of resurrection and divine encounter.
• Ola Gjeilo’s “Lux Aeterna” — music that evokes the light of the Resurrection.

6. Where has the message of these readings been true in my life or those close to me, and is there a story I can share about that? One priest shared that during a particularly dark season — illness, loss, and uncertainty — it was Easter that brought him unexpected peace. Not in loud celebration, but in the silent watching at the Vigil, when the first “Alleluia” rang out. He said, “It was like a stone rolled away in my heart.” Sometimes the Lord rises quietly — but always powerfully. Resurrection is real, and it changes us.

First Reading – Acts 10:34, 37–43

Peter began to speak: “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses… He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Second Reading – Colossians 3:1–4

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.