April 6, 2026 Monday in the Octave of Easter Gospel: Matthew 28:8-15
Today is the Monday of the Easter Octave. The passage from Saint Matthew’s Gospel recounts the narrative of the risen Lord Jesus Christ meeting Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, who loved Jesus deeply, went to His Holy Sepulchre after His death to recall the days they had spent with Him. This resembles what we do today when we visit cemeteries to remember our departed loved ones. The angel said to them:”You are not to be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” (cf. Mt 28:5-7)
Filled with awe and joy, they ran to report this to the disciples—and on their way, Jesus met them again, inviting them to proclaim the good news to the Apostles: “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (cf. Mt 28:10)
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord! For these two women who loved Jesus dearly, what they experienced that morning was destined to be unforgettable throughout their lives. They were more blessed than the disciples of Jesus, for the risen Lord first appeared to them and commissioned them to announce to the Apostles and the Church the joyful news of His glorious resurrection.
We, having received Christian Baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are called like those women to share the mission of proclaiming to the world the resurrection of the Savior. Let us therefore join in prayer to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, that we may worthily fulfil this mission:
O God, who give constant increase to your Church by new offspring, grant that your servants may hold fast in their lives to the Sacrament they have received in faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
April 5, 2026 The Resurrection of the Lord Gospel: John 20:1-9; Matthew 28:1-10; Luke 24:13-35
Today is the Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. In accordance with the tradition of the Church, from this day forward, the Church enters into the Octave of Easter. The traditional Gospel reading for the daytime Mass of the Resurrection is taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle. Of course, the recently revised Lectionary also offers two alternative options: one may choose the Gospel of the Resurrection Vigil Mass (Matthew 28:1-10) or the account by St. Luke of the risen Lord’s encounter with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). I wish to take this opportunity to share some reflections.
St. John tells us: Mary Magdalene came to Jesus’ tomb and, finding it empty, ran to report to the Apostles, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they have put Him” (cf. Jn 20:2). Then Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved came to the empty tomb. Peter entered first, followed by the disciple whom Jesus loved (cf. Jn 20:1-9). This is precisely a true reflection of how we Christians come to embrace the view of life Jesus taught—for we too once regarded the tomb as the end of life. When St. Peter entered that empty tomb, he immediately believed. This shows that he no longer saw the tomb as the end of each person’ss life, but as the starting point of our journey to new life.
St. Matthew and St. Luke tell us of the risen Jesus’ encounters with people. St. Matthew recounts that after His Resurrection, Jesus met with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. St. Luke tells us that Jesus met with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. He did not rebuke them; rather, He gave them peace, enlightened their words and actions, and inspired them to announce the good news of His Resurrection to the Apostles. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, along with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, obeying the inspiration of the Lord, reported to the community of the Apostles all they had seen and their experience of meeting the risen Lord, thus setting an example for us.
Today, the risen Lord also invites us to proclaim to the world the good news of His Resurrection. Let us now together offer our prayer to the risen Lord:
O God, who on this day, through your Only Begotten Son, have conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity, grant, we pray, that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection may, through the renewal brought by your Spirit, rise up in the light of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
April 4, 2026 Holy Saturday: The Easter Vigil Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord Gospel: Matthew 28:1-10
Today is Holy Saturday. In accordance with the tradition of the Church, this evening the Church will read seven scriptural passages, an epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle, and the narrative from Saint Matthew’s Gospel describing Jesus’ encounter with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary after His resurrection. I wish to offer some reflections here. Today, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, following Jesus’ death, mourned Him in a way they deemed appropriate (cf. Mt 28:1-4). For they desired more time to accompany Jesus and keep watch over Him at His tomb. This is similar to what we do: often, when grieving the death of loved ones, we go to their graves afterward to pay tribute in a manner we find fitting, recalling fragments of our life shared with them. For like them, we too view life and death according to the world’s perspective on existence. Saint Matthew tells us that the angel said to the women who came early to Jesus’ tomb: “Come and see the place where He was laid. Go quickly and tell His disciples: ‘He has been raised from the dead, and He has gone before you to Galilee; there you will see Him.’ Behold, I have told you” (Mt 28:7). These words are also spoken to each one of us. We who have received the baptism of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the full communion of the Most Holy Trinity are called to proclaim the peace and joy of the Gospel to all who do not yet know Christ—to those living under the shadow of darkness and death due to sin. May they, like us, receive forgiveness of original sin through the same baptism and the same Holy Spirit, share in Christ’s kingship, priesthood, and prophetic office, and jointly inherit the kingdom of heaven. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Tomorrow, we will enter into the Octave of the Resurrection of the Lord. Let us therefore offer a prayer to God together:
O God, who make this most sacred night radiant with the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, stir up in your Church a spirit of adoption, so that, renewed in body and mind, we may render you undivided service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
April 3, 2026 Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion Gospel: John 18:1–19:42
Today is Good Friday, when the Church commemorates the Lord’s Passion. The narrative from St. John’s Gospel presents a panoramic view of Jesus’ passion. I would like to offer some reflections.
Our Lord, God, Jesus Christ, on the night of His arrest, revealed to the officers who came to seize Him, and to all present—His disciples and the crowd—that He is the Christ they seek (cf. Jn 18:1-11). This sets an example for each of us baptized into Christ, cleansed of original sin in the waters of His side. Due to human weakness, we sometimes fear to profess our faith publicly, as Simon Peter did (cf. Jn 18:15-27). Outwardly, we may appear devout, but when called to testify to what we believe, we shrink back, fearing the world might treat us as the chief priests and Pharisees who arrested Jesus, seeking to deprive us of what is ours. In truth, by Baptism, we are reborn in Christ, beginning a new life in Him. Thus, the things of this world do not hinder our path to holiness.
Our Lord, God, Jesus Christ, even in the face of an unjust trial, boldly testified to the truth, that the world might know the reality of the Kingdom through His witness (cf. Jn 18:28-40). When we suffer injustice, especially for our faith—like Christ, mocked by others (cf. Jn 19:1-7)—we must imitate Him, testifying to the truth so that others may see in us the wondrous work of God. As Jesus said to Pilate, “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you bears a greater sin” (Jn 19:11). This means that if we fail to use God’s graces as He wills, to do His holy will in all things, we will face the judgment written in Scripture when we stand before God, and our end will be perdition.
Our Lord, God, Jesus Christ, with steadfastness, gave a sublime testimony to the Gospel. Rejected by His own people, He still trusted in the One who sent Him (cf. Jn 19:12-15). The One who sent Him is the Father, Creator and Ruler of all, who gave His Son as a ransom for all our sins to free us from sin and death. As He carried the Cross to Golgotha, tradition teaches He fell many times, yet He pressed on courageously to His death, that by His death, we might gain eternal life.
Our Lord, God, Jesus Christ, in His infinite love, gave Himself completely to us, nourishing us richly in the Eucharistic sacrifice, where we receive His Body and Blood. Nailed to the Cross, He was stripped of all, His clothes divided by the soldiers (cf. Jn 19:23-25), teaching us that the things of this world cannot give us eternal life. When we face death, as Jesus did, worldly goods will not prolong our lives. St. Paul bore witness: “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (cf. Rom 8:5-6). Thus, if we follow the desires of the flesh, we end in death; if we desire what the Holy Spirit desires, we end in eternal life. Our Lord, God, Jesus Christ, in His infinite love, gave us His Mother as our Mediatrix. From the Cross, He said to His mother standing below, “Woman, behold, your son,” and to the disciple, “Behold, your mother” (cf. Jn 19:25-27). What a great gift! We, who deserved no mercy for our sins, for which He suffered the Cross, received His Mother, that through her intercession, we might obtain abundant graces.
Our Lord, God, Jesus Christ, nailed to the Cross, said, “I thirst,” to fulfill all that was written of Him. After tasting the vinegar, He said, “It is finished,” and bowed His head, giving up His spirit (cf. Jn 19:28-30). Thus, He conquered death, and by His death, He won victory over death for us, that we might be freed from the death brought by sin through the blood and water flowing from His side (cf. Jn 19:31-35), and reborn in Him by water and the Holy Spirit.
O God, who by the Passion of Christ your Son, our Lord, abolished the death inherited from ancient sin by every succeeding generation, grant that just as, being conformed to him, we have borne by the law of nature the image of the man of earth, so by the sanctification of grace we may bear the image of the Man of heaven.Through Christ our Lord.
全属于祢 
您必须登录才能发表评论。