RE: 03.22.10~Readings for Easter Sunday April 4th-2010

Saint Max Bible Study Meets each Friday 9AM-10AM in the Mother Cabrini Room at the back of the church… Please join us!

April 4, 2010
Easter Sunday
The Resurrection of the Lord
The Mass of Easter Day

Reading 1
Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Peter proceeded to speak and said:

“You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.

We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.

To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Col 3:1-4 or I Cor 5:6b-8

Reading 2

Brothers and sisters:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.



or

I Cor 5:6b-8

Brothers and sisters:


Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast,
so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Lk 24: 13-35

Gospel

For afternoon or evening Mass


That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.

One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.

But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.

Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”

Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.

As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.

With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.

Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.


Responsorial Psalm

R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:

R. Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”

R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:

R. Alleluia.

“The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.”
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

or:
R. Alleluia.

The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:

R. Alleluia.

http://www.usccb.org/nab/040410.shtml


USCCB News Release


10-046
March 17, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

USCCB Marks Refugee Act Thirtieth Anniversary, Catholic Church Commitment To Refugees
WASHINGTON—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the largest resettlement organization in the United States, on March 17, marked the thirtieth anniversary of the 1980 U.S. Refugee Act.

Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration explained the impact the landmark legislation.

“The 1980 Refugee Act reinforced the U. S.’ commitment to those fleeing persecution by offering them an opportunity to start their lives anew and enabled the United States to serve millions in need,” he said. “USCCB Migration and Refugee Services is proud of this history and our long-standing commitment to serve refugees.”

The United States has long been a safe haven for the oppressed of the world. Millions of refugees and other vulnerable populations look to the U.S. as their last hope when fleeing persecution. The United States has responded with humanitarian intervention. The 1980 Refugee Act codified this commitment to the protection of refugees by allowing the admission of refugees on a systematic basis for humanitarian relief and by standardizing the resettlement services for all refugees admitted to the U.S., with the goal of facilitating their achievement of economic self-sufficiency as quickly as possible.

Prior to its enactment, the United States admitted refugees and other immigrants seeking a safe haven but there was no systematic admissions policy or service coordination. The Refugee Act of 1980 established a standard for the admission and resettlement of refugees, including the adoption of the United Nations definition of “refugee,” establishment of admissions criteria, processes and structures, the designation of refugee as an immigration status, conferring unique benefits and status, and federal fiscal support and domestic resettlement programming. It also established the U.S. asylum program.

The Catholic Church also has a long history of commitment to those seeking a safe haven from persecution. Since the beginning days of this country, the Catholic Church in the United States has assisted immigrants and refugees, and continues to do so by helping newcomers resettle and start a new life. This commitment is rooted in the Gospel mandate that every person is to be welcomed as if he or she were Christ Himself and in the right of every human person to a life with dignity.

USCCB/MRS responds to the plight of refugees from around the world and actively advocates for and coordinates their resettlement in conjunction with the local Church. In partnership with over one hundred local Catholic Charities organizations and dioceses across the country, USCCB resettles well over a quarter of the refugees admitted into the country each year. Since the passage of the 1980 Refugee Act, the U.S. has admitted over 2.5 million refugees from all over the world. During these 30 years the Catholic Church has resettled over 800,000 of them, or 32 percent.

MRS will continue to advocate to improve our nation's refugee protection regime and response to refugees worldwide. Anastasia Brown, director of Resettlement Services for MRS said: "While we have come a long way in 30 years, there remain millions of refugees who live in danger and deserve stronger protection. As a leader in humanitarian relief, the United States must continue to take the lead in this global effort."

For more information on refugee resettlement, the Church’s role and other MRS programs, visit http://www.usccb.org/mrs/index.shtml.
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Keywords: U.S. Refugee Act, refugees, immigrants, Bishop John C. Wester, Anastasia Brown, Migration and Refugee Services, MRS, USCCB, Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities