20260405 SEEKING AND ANNOUNCING THE RISEN ONE
05 April 2026, Easter Sunday
First reading |
Acts 10:34,37-43 |
'We have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection'
Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 117(118):1-2,16-17,22-23 |
This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love has no end.
Let the sons of Israel say:
‘His love has no end.’
This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
his right hand raised me up.
I shall not die, I shall live
and recount his deeds.
This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.
This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Second reading |
Colossians 3:1-4 |
Look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.
Sequence |
Victimae Paschali Laudes
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled,
hath sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended:
combat strangely ended!
Life’s own Champion, slain,
yet lives to reign.
Tell us, Mary:
say what thou didst see
upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen:
he goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen
from the dead we know.
Victorious king, thy mercy show!
Gospel Acclamation | 1Cor5:7-8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed:
let us celebrate the feast then, in the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 20:1-9 |
He must rise from the dead
It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
SEEKING AND ANNOUNCING THE RISEN ONE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 10:34.37-43; PS 118; COL 3:1-4 OR 1 COR 5:6-8; JN 20:1-9]
Today, we celebrate the most important day of the year for the Church: Easter Sunday. On this day, the Church proclaims that Christ is risen. He lives today in our lives, in the Church, in the sacraments, and in the history of humanity. But how can we say that He lives today when all we see is despair–innocent people dying from senseless wars where might is right; people starving because of climate change, natural disasters, and diseases; and yet, on the other hand, billions of dollars are spent on arms and weapons, while the wealthy minority squander their money, food, and resources? How, then, can we not feel that we are still in Good Friday?
Today, we can take comfort in knowing that faith in the Risen Lord did not come easily or immediately, even for the early disciples. It took them time to grasp the meaning of the empty tomb, the testimonies and stories they heard from those who had seen Him, and the message of the angels. Indeed, in the Gospel, the women went to the tomb not expecting to see the Risen Lord, but to anoint the body of Jesus. Mary thought that someone had taken His body away. Then Peter “went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over His head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.”
The evangelist remarked, “Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.” Indeed, the Easter stories speak of disbelief, confusion, and questions surrounding the death of their Master. They had no expectation that Jesus would rise. That is why the women went to the grave — not to look for the living, but for the dead. In Mark’s account, when the young man told them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; He is not here. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you,” the women “went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (Mk 16:6f). They encountered the Resurrection not with faith, but with fear.
It is the same with us. Faith in the Risen Christ does not come simply because we were baptised, especially for those of us who have heard the resurrection stories since childhood through catechism classes. These stories have been recounted to us countless times by our parents, catechists, and in homilies. But how many of us are truly convinced in our hearts that Christ is risen, or have personally encountered the Risen Lord in our lives? For many of us, it remains head knowledge. Deep within, we may still wonder: Is He truly risen? Could it be a lie, a fantasy, or the imagination of the disciples? This explains why, in times of crisis, we easily lose faith in the Christian life and in our Lord — because we lack a real, personal experience of the Risen Lord.
So what is the real reason we have not found the Risen Lord? Simply this: we are looking in the wrong places, like the women of Jerusalem. In Luke’s account, the two men in dazzling clothes said to the women, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (Lk 24:5). We cannot find the Risen Lord in the tomb, just as we cannot find Him merely by reading Scripture or studying theology alone. When we do so without faith, we are seeking the living among the dead. We will not find the Risen Lord among those who are nominal in their faith, who worship without joy or passion. We will not find Him among those who reduce the faith to mere religion — observing some practices, customs, and laws. Nor will we meet Him among communities divided, competing for position and honour in the Church. We will not encounter Him when faith in communities is routine, without a real and living relationship with Him.
Indeed, to meet the Risen Lord, we need to find a community that is alive in the faith — a community that worships from the heart and not merely with the lips; a community that takes a personal relationship with the Lord seriously by making time for both individual and communal worship, praying and reading the Scriptures together, and sharing not only food and daily concerns, but also matters of faith, life, and love. It is ironic that Catholics who are weak in faith sometimes seek understanding from the wrong sources, even turning to non-Catholic religions to understand their own faith. As the saying goes, the blind leading the blind — both will fall into a ditch. If we truly want to seek Christ, we must look for Him among those who have encountered Him, who have experienced the joy of meeting Him, and who manifest this encounter by living in the Spirit and bearing its fruits: love, joy, peace, generosity, kindness, patience, and self-giving.
Indeed, this was how the early Church came to faith — through witness. Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: “God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life. Now we are those witnesses — we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead.” We need people who have truly encountered the Risen Lord to testify to us.
Today, we are also called to learn from Peter, who was receptive to the women’s testimony. He was not prejudiced or dismissive, brushing it off as an idle tale like the rest of the apostles (Lk 24:11). Although he did not come to faith in the Risen Lord immediately, the sight of the empty tomb stirred his heart. He must have searched his heart to understand why there were doubts in his mind. Perhaps he was preoccupied with other things that troubled him, namely his disillusionment over his Master’s tragic death, his own flight when Jesus was arrested, and the deep shame of having denied the Lord three times. His guilt may have prevented him from recognising the Risen Lord.
Indeed, it is often in moments of mystery — when our hearts are stirred — that we begin to sense the presence of the Lord. Like Peter, we are invited to recall such moments in our lives, when unexpected events leave us in awe. Too often, we dismiss them because we are preoccupied with other concerns. Instead, we should take time to reflect and marvel at how the Lord works in mysterious and surprising ways. We may have overlooked His divine interventions and thus failed to respond with gratitude and wonder. We have also heard testimonies of how lives have been transformed through encounters with the Lord — sometimes through illness or near-death experiences. Hearing such stories can awaken hope within us, reminding us that Jesus is alive, transforming lives, and turning Good Friday into Easter.
So, as St Paul urges us, “let us celebrate the feast, then, by getting rid of all the old yeast of evil and wickedness, having only the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” He also exhorts us, “Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God.” In other words, we must not allow ourselves to remain imprisoned in the tombs of sin, unbelief, sadness, and despair. We must break open these sealed tombs and come out to meet the Risen Lord — in worship, in a faith-filled community, and in service to the poor and suffering. When we see people who care, who love, and who continue to hope even in a bleak and divided world, we know there is hope — we know that Christ lives in our hearts. We must bear witness to how Christ is at work in our lives and in our community. Sharing our faith stories will help fellow Catholics and those searching for Christ to grow in faith. Let us not keep the Good News of the Resurrection to ourselves, but go forth, as the Lord commands, to proclaim it to others.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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