Friday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
First Reading
1 Corinthians 15:12–20
Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself cannot have been raised, and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless; indeed, we are shown up as witnesses who have committed perjury before God, because we swore in evidence before God that he had raised Christ to life. For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people.
But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 16(17):1,6–8,15
I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.
Hear, O Lord, my justice:
attend to my supplication.
Give ear unto my prayer,
which proceedeth not from deceitful lips.
I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.
I have cried to thee,
for thou, O God, hast heard me:
O incline thy ear unto me,
and hear my words.
Shew forth thy wonderful mercies;
thou who savest them that trust in thee.
I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.
From them that resist thy right hand keep me,
as the apple of thy eye.
Protect me under the shadow of thy wings.
I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.
But as for me,
I will appear before thy sight in justice:
I shall be satisfied
when thy glory shall appear.
I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
Alleluia!
Gospel
Luke 8:1–3
Jesus made his way through towns and villages preaching, and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of God. With him went the Twelve, as well as certain women who had been cured of evil spirits and ailments: Mary surnamed the Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and several others who provided for them out of their own resources.
Reflection
Paul leaves no room for reducing Christianity to a useful philosophy or a programme for becoming nicer people. Everything rests upon a claim about what God has done: Christ has been raised from the dead. Without the Resurrection, preaching is empty, faith is futile and sin retains its power. With it, death has been breached from within and Christ has become “the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.”
The Resurrection is not an optional addition to the Gospel. It confirms Christ’s identity, completes his saving work and opens the promise of bodily resurrection to those who belong to him. The Catechism calls it the crowning truth of the Christian faith and teaches that Christ’s Resurrection is the principle and source of our own future resurrection (CCC 638; CCC 651–655; CCC 991–1004).
The psalm looks towards that fulfilment: “I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.” Its hope is not merely survival after death, but the sight of God. Christian hope reaches towards communion with him, when every hunger for truth, goodness and love will find its completion. The Church speaks of this final happiness as the beatific vision: seeing God face to face and sharing his life for ever (CCC 1023–1029).
Yet hope in the resurrection does not draw us away from ordinary life. It makes present faithfulness matter. Luke gives us a brief glimpse of the community travelling with Jesus. Alongside the Twelve are Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and several other women. They have received healing, and their gratitude becomes practical participation in Christ’s mission. They accompany him and support the work from their own resources.
These women are not background decoration. Luke names them because their discipleship matters. Each contributes according to what she has received and what she can offer. Within the Church there is genuine equality in dignity, even while gifts, ministries and responsibilities differ. Every baptised person shares responsibility for the Church’s mission (CCC 871–873).
Paul and Luke therefore hold together two dimensions of Christian life. We are people whose future has been changed by the risen Christ, and we are people called to place our present lives at his service. The Resurrection assures us that faithful work is not wasted. Like the women in the Gospel, we may serve without applause or prominence, trusting that what is offered to Christ participates in a kingdom stronger than death.
One line to carry today:
Because Christ has been raised, no faithful act of love is wasted.
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