Monday in the Octave of Easter

“Noli Me Tangere”
by Marco Pino, 1550s

 
Readings for Monday in the Octave of Easter [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Acts 2:14, 22-33
 
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
"You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
 
"You who are children of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:
 
I saw the Lord ever before me,
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;
my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.
 
My brothers, one can confidently say to you
about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit
that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear."
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Commentary on Acts 2:14, 22-33
 
This is the first of the six professions (“kerygma” or proclamations) in Acts about the resurrection set immediately following the Pentecost event. In this proclamation, Peter, speaking to the Jews in Jerusalem (many of whom would have been in the crowd that saw Jesus crucified), first tells them: “This man (Jesus)” demonstrated, through “signs and wonders,” that he was the Christ. He then makes the accusation: “you killed,” and concludes with, “but God raised him up.” He reminds them that David had been promised an eternal dynasty (quoting Psalm 16:8-11), and that promise had been fulfilled in the resurrected Messiah, Jesus.
 
CCC: Acts 2:22 547; Acts 2:23 597, 599
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
 
R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
 
Psalm 16 is a song of thanksgiving that has become prophetic. It speaks clearly of the resurrection accomplished in Christ. It is a hymn of trust in God. Each strophe ends with an affirmation of faithfulness. Key, in the context of the Easter season, is the idea of trust in God who has conquered death and offers the same gift. ("Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.") The psalmist prays that God will shield the faithful from harm, and expresses confidence in the Lord’s salvation, closing the passage with praise for God’s loving mercy.
 
CCC: Ps 16:9-10 627
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Gospel: Matthew 28:8-15
 
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me."
 
While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, "You are to say,
'His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.'
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.
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Commentary on Mt 28:8-15
 
From Matthew’s Gospel we are told of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Christ as she returned from the empty tomb. In this account, Mary is described as actually touching him. This differs from the description in the Gospel of St. John (John 20:17), where Jesus asks Mary not to hold on to him because he has not yet ascended to the Father. This Scripture also tells us something we would expect of those who did not want to believe, the rumor that it was the disciples of Jesus who took the body, rather than letting the truth get out. What was not disputed was that the tomb was empty.
 
“The women have searched for Jesus and set out on their way to the disciples, obeying the angel’s directions. But for the gift of joy to be truly a divine gift unequivocally deriving from the Heart of God, it is Jesus who must set out to find the women and, in this encounter, admit them personally to the experience of his love.” [4]
 
CCC: Mt 28:9-10 641; Mt 28:9 645; Mt 28:10 654; Mt 28:11-15 640
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Reflection:
 
The Gospel story from Matthew is dripping with irony.  At the time the events of this story take place, the disciples probably didn’t fully understand what had happened.  Certainly, those who first discover the empty tomb are likely to be thinking it was the Romans that came to take the body of Jesus away or perhaps someone hired by the Sanhedrin.  Here, St. Matthew describes the reaction of the Jewish leadership to the empty tomb.  It appears they understood, better than Jesus’ friends, what had taken place in the Resurrection.
 
The reaction of the Jews is one of dismay.  All of the Law and the Prophets is predicated upon the one who comes from God to establish his kingdom, and now they find that they were the instruments of his death.  Is it any wonder they initiate the biggest cover-up in the history of the world?  But it is not God’s will.  That is where they have gone wrong from the beginning.  They have been trying to have God behave as they wanted, instead of trying to understand what God was telling them through His Son.
 
Our faith in the truth of the empty tomb must caution us not fall into the same trap, accepting only our limited view of what God wants us to do and be.  The resurrection of Christ changes everything.  It changes the meaning of victory.  If victory for the Christian was expressed in human terms, our crucified Savior would seem a defeat.  The resurrection changes the meaning of life!  If life were defined simply in physical terms, Christians would be nothing but the dust of death.  Yet Christ shows us his risen body, and life with him moves to the eternal plane.
 
We see the irony of St. Matthew, and like all great truths, the logic fits impeccably.  But the Sanhedrin is too late. As the old saying goes, “The cat is out of the bag.”  The Lord has risen as he promised, and with that promise fulfilled, we rejoice in the knowledge that all we have come to know about Him is true as well.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture today is “Noli Me Tangere” by Marco Pino, 1550s.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume IV, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2021 p. 760.