Lenten Reflection for 4/8
Easter Vigil
Daily Prayer
O God, from whom all good things come, grant that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection rise up in the light of life.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Scripture Readings
Genesis 1:1–2:2; Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 14:15–15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28; Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 28:1-10
(Click for today’s Readings.)
Scripture Quote
Romans 6:3-4
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.
Reflection
Today is a day of silence. It is a day of uncertainty and sadness, of reliving the fear and confusion the first followers of Jesus felt the morning after His crucifixion.
Did his disciples recall the words from Tuesday’s Gospel when Jesus said, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now”?
If someone is truly the Son of God, why would He be so easily killed on a Roman cross? Did they conclude then that Jesus was not truly the Messiah? Would His disciples have grasped the idea of a sacrificial death, even though Jesus had tried to prepare them for this moment? Could they imagine the Son of God would willingly die on a Roman cross to pay for the sins of the world?
On Holy Saturday we are indeed buried with Christ Jesus so that tomorrow, when Christ is raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.
Reflection Questions
- Do I see death as the end? Or as a beginning?
- How can I deepen my trust in God’s promises to me?
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.