First Mission of Good News of the Resurrection from the Empty Tomb – Monday of Paschal Octave

 Christ is risen! Halleluiah!

Now we are in Paschaltide.  It means that we continue to celebrate and rejoice over the Resurrection of the Lord for 50 days, concluding this festive season on the solemn feast of Pentecost.

The first 8 days of Paschaltide are known as Paschal Octave, and the Gospel Readings for these 8 days are as follows:

	First Reading	Gospel Reading
Paschal Sunday	Acts 10:34a, 37-43	John 20:1-9
Monday of Paschal Octave	Acts 2:14, 22-33	Matthew 28:8-15
Tuesday of Paschal Octave	Acts 2:36-41	John 20:11-18
Wednesday of Paschal Octave	Acts 3:1-10	Luke 24:13-35
Thursday of Paschal Octave	Acts 3:11-26	Luke 24:35-48
Friday of Paschal Octave	Acts 4:1-12	John 21:1-14
Saturday of Paschal Octave	Acts 4:13-21	Mark 16:9-15
Second Sunday of Paschaltide, Sunday of Divine Mercy	Acts 4:32-35	John 20:19-31

 During Paschal Octave, the first 8 days of the 50 days of Paschaltide, all first readings are drawn from the Acts of the Apostles and all Gospel Readings address how the disciples found and came to terms with the Resurrection and how the risen Christ appeared and interacted with the disciples.

Because Paschaltide points to Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples to form the one holy catholic apostolic Church, sending the disciples off on their respective missions, the First Readings are taken from the Acts of the Apostles.  Through these readings, we can see how the disciples changed as the apostles, upon Pentecost. In fact, these 50 days from Resurrection Sunday (Paschal Sunday) to Pentecost Sunday are the preparatory period for Pentecost – to be infused and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be send off to share our own experience with Christ, especially the risen Christ. 

As the Gospel Readings for the Paschal Octave  reflect how the world began to know the Resurrection, starting with the disciples, from their discovery of the empty tomb to experiencing with the risen Christ – and how their encounters with the risen Christ had transformed them.

We shall reflect the two-fold transformation of the disciples during Paschaltide through the Scripture Readings. First, how their experiences with the risen Christ had transformed them. Then, how Pentecost transformed them.

Today’s First Reading (Acts 2:14, 22-33) are drawn from Peter’s speech on Pentecost Day (Acts 2:14-40), through which about 3,000 people joined the Church (Acts 2:41).

Peter, in this speech, upon Pentecost, and after having personal encounters with the risen Christ, is certainly a new person. He has certainly crucified himself with Christ and had the risen Christ living in him – living to God (Romans 6:10; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3).  Peter boasted that he would even die with Jesus, even everyone else might abandon him (i.e. Matthew 26:35) but denied him three times out of fear (Matthew 26:69-75). To protect himself, Peter denied his association with Jesus, who was taken for the trial by the religious leaders. However, after having personal encounters with the risen Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, you can see new Peter, born anew.  As you can see from the speech, Peter was not afraid to speak of Jesus. In other words, Peter was not in fear to have his relationship with Jesus known. Rather, he was rather passionate to  speak about Jesus – what he knew about Jesus to people, who just witnessed how Peter had transformed by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

In fact, this is an excellent speech by Peter on Christ (Acts 2:14-40) has two parts: vv. 14-21 and vv. 22-36. In the first part (vv. 14-21), Peter links Jesus to the Holy Spirit. By reflecting Joel 3:1-5, Peter indicates that Christ was sent to us so that the Holy Spirit can be poured out upon us. Namely, this points to Pentecost. In other words, God the Father sent Christ, His only begotten Son, incarnating the Theos-Logos (John 1:1, 14) out of His love (John 3:16), conceiving in the womb of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35). And he came to die as the Lamb of God, who saves us from sin (John 1:29) and died on the Cross. Because of this, the Holy Spirit can be poured out on us and we can be saved at the time of time (Acts 2:17-21 cf. John 7:37-40; Romans 10:13; Revelation 14:12).

Today’s First Reading (Acts 2:14, 22-33) is drawn from the second part of Peter’s Pentecost speech (vv. 22-36).  In this, Peter highlights the death and the Resurrection of Jesus (vv. 23-24). It is noteworthy that Peter was not afraid to confront those who conspired the Roman governor to have Jesus killed (v.23). Peter was able to speak the truth without fear. In order to emphasize Christ’s resurrection, Peter cites David’s Psalm 16:8-11 in vv. 25-28, asserting that Christ cannot remain dead but has risen, as prophesized to David (vv.29-31) as the Davidic Messiah King to rise 2 Sam 7:12; Psalm 132:11).

Therefore, Peter said:

God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you see and hear (Acts 2:32-33).

Today’s Gospel Reading (Matthew 28:8-15) describes how Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were commissioned as messengers of the good news of the Resurrection by an angel of the Lord (vv.8-10) and how the evil of the chief priests persisted even after the Resurrection for bribing the soldiers to lie about why  the tomb of Jesus was empty (vv. 11-15). In today’s Gospel text, we see a stark contrast between the light of the truth, the Resurrection of Christ, who is the truth, as well, as the way and the life (John 14:6), and the darkness of evil (John 3:19-20) in the chief priests, who tried Jesus with false testimony (Matthew 26:59) , and conspired the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, to have Jesus killed (John 19:1-16).

“Fearful yet overjoyed”(Matthew 28:8) – this is how the post-Resurrection mission had already started with two women: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Peter was not the first one to tell this good news, as he was not at the empty tomb of Jesus first.

Nevertheless, Peter became a great evangelizer in speaking so passionately about Christ with great theological insight, which must have been brought to him by the Holy Spirit.

Let us remember that it was these two women’s mission to tell the rest of the disciples the good news of the Resurrection, sent out from the empty tomb in the morning of the Resurrection Sunday, that started transforming the disciples. Yes, it all came and started from the empty tomb, while the darkness of evil in the chief priests, falsely put a blame that the tomb was made empty because the disciples stole the corpse of Jesus.

Through today’s readings, we are called to look ahead in this post-Resurrection Paschaltide – look beyond when this joyful Paschaltide concludes: Pentecost. We are also reminded that we are called to confront the darkness of evil, which is reflected also in today’s Gospel, as Peter so boldly addressed the evil of those who arranged to have Jesus killed.

For the remaining days of Paschaltide, let us hear the good news: Christ is risen! and meet the risen Christ personally – so that we may be transformed further, growing ready for Pentecost. Let us remember, we can receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, because Jesus died for our sins and has been risen from the dead, as reflected in Peter’s Pentecost speech.