+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Prayer
Our God and Father, your Son Jesus lived among us, flesh of our flesh, blood of our blood. He died for our sake and you raised him back to life. May we experience his love and his presence to such an extent that we can never stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard, and that people may give glory to you, our God. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
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Reading: Mark 16:9-15 (NLT)
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. She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone….”
__________
Reflection & Prayer:
Lord God: the message of Easter is joyously loud and clear –
“Christ the Lord is risen from the dead!”
“I’ve seen him!”
And yet, this life-changing Good News was met by skepticism and disbelief, even by those who were closest to him. And so it is today, we are not prepared to receive this message until we have personally experienced his love and his presence.
Lord Jesus: you call me to be a personal witness of the Good News of Easter.
+ Transform my life by your saving power, that I may credibly say: “I have seen the Lord!”
+ Fill me with your peace and joy, that I may rejoice in your victory over sin and death.
+ Strengthen my faith that I may persevere as your witness in the face obstinacy and disbelief.
Holy Spirit: help me to live as a child of the light, among my friends and neighbors.
+ Show me how to serve the poor and powerless, and the lost and lonely.
+ Show me how to heal those who feel unworthy, those who feel empty.
+ Show me how to love those who feel content, and self-satisfied.
Lord God: make me a credible witness of your saving power. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Soli Deo gloria!
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“All the Poor and Powerless” – All Sons & Daughters
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Concluding Prayer
May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere.– Psalm 67:1-2 (NLT)
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Sentence
Christ has risen: he is the light of his people, whom he has redeemed with his blood. Alleluia.
Morning Reading: Mark 16:9-15 (NLT)
9 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. 10 She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. 11 But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
12 Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. 13 They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
14 Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.
15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.
Prayer
Lord God, you increase and multiply your faithful by your abundant gift of grace. Look now on your chosen people, and clothe forever in the garment of eternal life all those who have been reborn by water and the Spirit. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Campagneverslag Musoma Tanzania – David de Vos – Go and Tell
Closing Sentence
You are the peace and joy of all who believe in you; help us to live as children of light, rejoicing in your victory.
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence and prayer:
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
_____
Lord God, You increase and multiply Your faithful by Your abundant gift of grace. Look now on Your chosen people, and clothe forever in the garment of eternal life all those who have been reborn in baptism. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
__________
A Reading from Acts: Acts 4:13-21 (NLT)
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.
“What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God….
__________
Alleluia. The Lord has risen, as He promised. Alleluia.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 16:9-15 (NLT)
Appearence Behind Locked Doors Duccio Di Buoninsegna, 1308-11 Museo Dell’Opera Del Duomo, Siena, Italy
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. She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.
__________
__________
Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing:
May the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Let all creation give thanks to the Risen Lord. Give thanks to the Risen Lord!
Filled with His praises, give thanks to the Risen Lord. Give thanks to the Risen Lord!
Stepping out boldly, we claim resurrection. Give thanks to the Risen Lord!
Morning reading
John 20:11-18 ESV
Magdalena Gheorghe Tattarescu (1820-1894) Muzeul Municipiului Bucureşti, Română
Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”
Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” — and that he had said these things to her.
Reflections:
heavenly messengers
John picks up the story with Mary at the tomb; the emphasis is on her crying. Her great love is poured out in her grief. She thinks she is alone, though “like other sorrowful disciples since” (H. C. G. Moule), she actually has angels in front of her and the Lord behind her. When she bends down to look in the tomb she sees the angels. Such heavenly messengers appear at many of the significant points in salvation history. Like the grave clothes, their presence witnesses “that the powers of heaven have been at work here” (Beasley-Murray).
There is no indication that Mary recognizes the messengers as angels, presumably due to the depth of her grief. The angels speak to her with great compassion: “Woman, why are you crying?”. In the face of this grief the angels do not bombard her with good news but rather ask the question that can lead to the healing word.
Jesus’ appearance
Jesus comes to Mary with great love and gentleness. The good news is not just that Jesus arose but that the character of God is revealed in Jesus. He is life, and he is also love. When Jesus calls her name she knows his voice. Mary naturally assumes that their relationship could pick up where it left off and continue on as before. Jesus’ response, however, lets her know there has been a radical change in him and consequently in his relationship with his followers.
Jesus says he is still on the move, and he also sets Mary in motion to bear the news to the disciples. She has just found him, and now she is sent away, but she is sent with a commission. As the ancient church put it, she becomes an apostle to the apostles.
new family
The new community Jesus founded during his ministry became a new family at the cross, and now the disciples are to enter into this new form of relationship. Jesus’ returning to the Father is also good news for the disciples, not just because they share in his joy, but also for their own condition. For when Jesus returns to the Father he will send the Paraclete, who will teach them all things and complete their union with the Father and the Son. The Father is the Father of the disciples in this new intimacy precisely because he is Jesus’ Father, for the disciples are now Jesus’ brothers.
new witness
Mary Magdalene goes off and announces to the disciples what she has seen and heard. John does not mention the poor reception that was given to her message (Mk 16:11; Lk 24:11), though the fearful, doubting state of the disciples in the next section implies as much. All a witness can do is share what he or she knows to be true. Christian witness should not attempt to share an experience; it should direct people to Jesus so people can encounter him for themselves. Mary’s message could alert the disciples to the fact that Jesus was alive, but they had to come to faith for themselves. Jesus met Mary in a way that was best for her. Now he will do the same for the disciples as a group.
Christ, as a light… illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield… overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________
Peanut Gallery: A brief word of explanation – the general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) The Scripture readings are primarily from the Gospel of John, with the intent to complete the reading by Easter. Other Scriptures which illuminate the Gospel of John will be included along the way.
Reflections from various saints will be included as their memorial days occur during the calendar year.
On Sundays, I’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world.
Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.
But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Women Arriving at the Tomb by He Qi
As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground.
Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”
Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.
However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
Prayer: Lord Jesus – You’re alive… and your Spirit has been poured out on all of us. Give us the courage and boldness to tell everyone what we have seen and heard – whether people believe it or not. And may you receive all the glory. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 