Frederick, Maryland,
United States - Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Saturday, 19 April 2014
- Catholic Meditations
Meditations: Matthew 28:
Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 Behold, there was a great
earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky, and came and
rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like
lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him, the guards shook,
and became like dead men. 5 The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for
I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for he
has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying. 7
Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and behold, he
goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told
you.”
8 They departed quickly
from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word. 9
As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!”
They came and took hold
of his feet, and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to
them, “Don’t be afraid. Go tell my brothers[a] that they should go into
Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 28:10 The
word for “brothers” here may be also correctly translated “brothers and
sisters” or “siblings.”
Holy Saturday / Easter
Vigil
Do not be afraid.
(Matthew 28:5)
A powerful earthquake
shook the ground. An angel, unearthly in electric might, caused tough Roman
soldiers to faint in terror. Sometimes, God acts and we are afraid: afraid of
his power, afraid of the upheaval it causes, or afraid because we simply can’t
comprehend his ways.
The resurrection was
like that. But what did the angel say? “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 28:5). Jesus
said it, too: “Do not be afraid” (28:10). God is always out for your good. And
so he tells you as well: “Do not be afraid!”
For the past forty days,
you have been pursuing a deeper relationship with the Lord. You have probably
prayed more and fasted or engaged in other kinds of self-denial intended to
bring you closer to him. The truth is, when you draw near to him, you can be
sure he will draw near to you, too. And so, if God has done something in your
life this Lent, don’t be afraid! If he has spoken to you or caused your heart to
pound over some Scripture passage you have read or some hymn you have sung or
some homily you have heard, don’t be afraid.
Maybe he has brought up
old hurts or patterns of sin. Maybe he has pointed out someone you need to
forgive or ask forgiveness of. Don’t be afraid. If the Holy Spirit has nudged
you in a new direction, to a new service or activity or away from an old one, don’t
be afraid. You may be longing for more of Jesus but feeling reluctant to move
out of your comfort zone. Or maybe you hesitate because you don’t know where
the Spirit will lead. Don’t be afraid. Join Jesus in stepping out of the tomb
and into the dawn of a new day!
Approach him. Embrace
him. Surrender your ideas and plans and activities to him. But don’t be afraid!
Come to him so that you can have life. He is near you right now, and as you
approach him, he will meet you on the way, just as he met Mary Magdalene. What
joy to hold onto as you celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! You have
nothing to be afraid of!
“Jesus, I cast aside all
fear in your presence. Take my hand, Lord, and lead me in the joy of new life.”
Amen.
Exodus 14: 15 Yahweh said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Speak
to the children of Israel, that they go forward. 16 Lift up your rod, and
stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel
shall go into the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 Behold, I myself will
harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them: and I will
get myself honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies, over his chariots, and
over his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have
gotten myself honor over Pharaoh, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.” 19
The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind
them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them, and stood behind them. 20
It came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the
cloud and the darkness, yet gave it light by night: and one didn’t come near
the other all night.
21 Moses stretched out
his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east
wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 The
children of Israel went into the middle of the sea on the dry ground, and the
waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left. 23 The
Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the middle of the sea: all of
Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 In the morning watch,
Yahweh looked out on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of cloud,
and confused the Egyptian army. 25 He took off their chariot wheels, and they
drove them heavily; so that the Egyptians said, “Let’s flee from the face of
Israel, for Yahweh fights for them against the Egyptians!”
26 Yahweh said to Moses,
“Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come again on the
Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out
his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning
appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it. Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in
the middle of the sea. 28 The waters returned, and covered the chariots and the
horsemen, even all Pharaoh’s army that went in after them into the sea. There
remained not so much as one of them. 29 But the children of Israel walked on
dry land in the middle of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their
right hand, and on their left. 30 Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the
hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31
Israel saw the great work which Yahweh did to the Egyptians, and the people
feared Yahweh; and they believed in Yahweh, and in his servant Moses.
15:1a Then Moses and the
children of Israel sang this song to Yahweh, and said,
Exodus 15:1b “I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed
gloriously.
The horse and his rider he has thrown into
the sea.
2 Yah is my strength and
song.
He has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I
will praise him;
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 Yahweh is a man of
war.
Yahweh is his name.
4 He has cast Pharaoh’s
chariots and his army into the sea.
His chosen captains are sunk in the Red
Sea.
5 The deeps cover them.
They went down into the depths like a
stone.
6 Your right hand,
Yahweh, is glorious in power.
Your right hand, Yahweh, dashes the enemy
in pieces.
17 You shall bring them in, and plant them in
the mountain of your inheritance,
the place, Yahweh, which you have made for
yourself to dwell in;
the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have
established.
18 Yahweh shall reign
forever and ever.”
Romans 6: 3 Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with
him through baptism to death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5
For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will
also be part of his resurrection; 6 knowing this, that our old man was
crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we
would no longer be in bondage to sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from
sin. 8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;
9 knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more
has dominion over him! 10 For the death that he died, he died to sin one time;
but the life that he lives, he lives to God. 11 Thus consider yourselves also
to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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