HAIL….

Acts 2:14,22-33

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know–23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
24 But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope.
27 For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption. 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.’
29 “Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.
32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear.

Matthew 28:8-15

8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Hail!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place.
12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sum of money to the soldiers
13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed; and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.  

MEDITATION

THE FIRST READING: Post the ascension of Christ, Peter adress a predominantly Jewish audience, reflecting on the words of David, a King and a prophet (vv 25-28,31) who foreknew that the Messiah would not abandon His people, but through “works and wonders” they would be justified by God’s sanctifying grace, a free gift that was poured out upon the people on Pentecost Sunday. 

Catec 2024 Sanctifying grace makes us “pleasing to God.” Charisms, special graces of the Holy Spirit, are oriented to sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. God also acts through many actual graces, to be distinguished from habitual grace which is permanent in us.

THE GOSPEL READING: To give a dignified burial to a stranger was said to be akin to feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.Tob 1:17-18 Mary the mother of James the Apostle is joined by Mary Magdalene “a woman of the city” (Lk 7:37-38), who previously anointed Jesus in the house of Simon the leper, approached the tomb of Christ to complete the Jewish burial prescripts, that made it possible for loved ones to spend time in prayer next to the deceased, inside the tomb for about eleven months. 

The two woman and the guards who were stationed at the tomb experienced an earthshattering event that caused them to flee. The appearance of an angelic form of Christ whose greeting with the word “Hail,” which literally denotes “be glad,” comforted the women who went to share the good news of the ressurection of Christ with the apostles. Conversely, the temple leaders bribed the gaurds to make it known that the apostles stole the body of Christ! Christs ressurection opened for us the door to enter into His brightness and place our hope and trust in Him.May we be filled with gladness and experience the fulness of Christ whilst we joyfully proclaim the gospel truth to those who have been captivated by lies. 

LET US PRAY: Psalms 16:1-2,5,7-11
Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge. 2 I say to the LORD, “Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee.”
5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot. 7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure.
10 For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.11 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for ever more.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.