IT CHANGED EVERYTHING
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Love Changes Everything! These are not just words from a song but a truth of our world. Love does change everything. What we celebrate today, on Easter Sunday, is just this: love—God’s love manifested in his Son—which has changed everything.
We pray that his love and the Resurrection may change us and our lives.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times our Easter celebration has not had any impact on us, we ask the Lord to pardon us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life in the Spirit:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you bring light to those in darkness:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd, leading us into everlasting life:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: Lord God,
through the triumph of your Son
you have shattered the gates of death
and opened the way to everlasting life.
Grant, we beseech you,
that we who celebrate the festival of the Lord’s resurrection
may rise to a new and glorious life
through the power of your Spirit.
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.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Psalm Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Response This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or: Alleluia.
Reading 2 Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed;
let us then feast with joy in the Lord.
Gospel John 20:1-9
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Put yourself in the stead of one of the characters of the Easter story: Mary of Magdala, Peter, the beloved disciple. Reflect on your thoughts and feelings when you find the tomb empty.
Sunday Snippets
Origins: The Journey of Humankind showcases the major discoveries and events that have changed us. Each episode in the eight-part series features one factor that transformed human civilization: fire, medicine, money, communication, war, shelter, exploration, and transportation. The first episode Spark of Civilization avers that the discovery of fire led to countless more milestones. The ability to harness and control fire gave humans the power to create, transform, and destroy; transformed us from nomadic tribes to a species which can undertake space voyages. It changed everything.
The series does not feature one important event: Jesus’ Resurrection! The Resurrection changed everything!
If Jesus had stayed dead, nobody would have given his crucifixion any significance. There were several revolutionaries who ended up on Roman crosses; Jesus would have been yet another failed revolutionary. Jesus’ crucifixion has significance because he is risen.
Further, all that was obscure about his life, teaching, works, identity became clear. Jesus told his disciples: “You do not understand now but later you will understand.” That “later” is after the Resurrection.
The Resurrection marks the launch of God’s kingdom on earth: he has defeated the powers of evil and oppression; an oppressed people are free to live a new life.
It changes the physical world: death no longer has the last word. Since Christ has been raised, we can tell those looking into the casket of their loved ones that this is not the end of the story.
It changes the moral world: a wandering preacher, labelled a heretic and criminal, is the one through whom God speaks to us and through whom God makes all things new.
It changed the disciples’ understanding of Jesus: they will affirm him as Lord and God.
It changed their attitude and behaviour: timid and afraid earlier, they became bold and full of joy. In the words of Paul in the Second Reading, they became “a fresh batch of dough”: a small group of frightened people will multiply such that one out of every three people on the planet identify themselves as Christian.
The Resurrection changed everything. Has it changed me, my life, my ethics, my perspective? If not, why not?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Peter proclaims: “We are witnesses of all that he did…” What has the Lord done in my life? How do I witness to what he has done for me?
Reading 2: Paul challenges the Colossians: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above.” Do I seek what is above or do I yearn for “what is on earth”? Have I used the Lenten season to “clear out the old yeast”?
Gospel: The beloved disciple saw and believed. What leads me to believe that Jesus is alive, that he is present in our midst (despite the trials that we face) and raises us to new life?
What people, events, or books have helped me to believe more fervently? What blocks me from believing in the Lord?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: To God our Father, who has raised his Son, Jesus, from the dead, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may radiate the light of Christ each day and confidently live as daughters and sons of God, we pray…
R: For our world: that God may bring forth a springtime of peace in our cities, our nation, and among nations so that all people may live in safety and with dignity, we pray…
R: For all who find themselves walking in darkness or doubting their faith: that they may encounter the Risen Lord who brings light to their journey and peace to their hearts, we pray…
R: For the sick: that God may heal them and give strength to those facing an extended recovery, we pray…
R: For all who have died: that Christ may welcome them into the eternal light and joy of God’s presence and
For all who are grieving: that God may give them peace and hope as they hear the Good News of Christ’s resurrection, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that the Lord may pour out the Spirit upon us to transform us and enable us to continue the mission of bringing hope, meaning, and love to our society, we pray…
L: Our God and Father, you call us your sons and daughters and that is what we really are. Make us gratefully cooperate with you in the works of your creating and serving love, so as to look forward in hope to joy without end. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
The boulder upheaved;
the burial head cloth rolled up;
an empty tomb.
Women running to tell disciples;
the disciples racing to see for themselves.
He was not there!
The one who loved us into wholeness
is alive and with us now… in a new way.
Lord,
your resurrection transformed your disciples:
Peter, who, in fear, could not admit he knew you,
now fearless, proclaimed you boldly.
Thomas, who wanted to touch your hands and your side,
affirmed his faith.
Lord,
change me:
let me seek what is above;
make me a fresh batch of dough;
let me put on love,
and find ways to transform my world.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God of life and of love,
we rejoice that Jesus is risen
and that he has begun
to raise us up with him in baptism.
Continue in us the work of the resurrection,
lift us above our faults and our mediocrity,
to joy and unselfish love
as we serve you in one another. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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