You have redeemed us, Lord, by your blood, from every race, language, people and nation, and you have made us a kingdom and priests to our God, hallelujah (Rev 5:9s).

Life is marked by difficult moments and suffering. Strengthened by the words of the Master, the Christian gains courage to walk amidst the contradictions of this world, which hinder the steps of those who seek to practice justice and truth. Let us celebrate the Lord's Easter, invoking his Spirit of strength and wisdom.

First Reading: Acts 18:9-18

Reading from the Acts of the Apostles – While Paul was in Corinth, 9one night the Lord said to him in a vision: “Do not be afraid; Keep talking and don't be silent, 10because I am with you. No one will lay a hand on you to harm you. In this city there are a large number of people who belong to me.” 11So Paul stayed among them for a year and a half, teaching them the Word of God. 12At the time when Galião was proconsul in Achaia, the Jews rose up en masse against Paul and took him to court, 13saying: “This man induces the people to worship God contrary to the Law.” 14Paul was about to speak when Galião spoke to the Jews, saying: “Jews, if it were because of a crime or a criminal action, it would be fair for me to respond to your complaint. 15But as it is a matter of words, names and your Law, deal with it yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge on these things.” 16And Galião ordered them to leave the court. 17Then they all grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him before the court. And Galião didn't even bother with it. 18Paul remained in Corinth for several days. Saying goodbye to his brothers, he embarked for Syria, in the company of Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea, Paul shaved his head because he had made a promise. - Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 46(47)

The Lord is the great king of all the earth.

1. All people of the universe, clap your hands, / shout joyful acclamations to God! / For the Lord is sublime, the most high God, / the sovereign who dominates the whole earth. – R.

2. The peoples subjected us to our yoke / and placed many nations at our feet. / It was he who chose our inheritance, / the glory of Jacob, his beloved. – R.

3. Amidst acclamations God rose, / the Lord ascended at the sound of the trumpet. / Sing to our God with the sound of the harp, / Sing, with the sound of the harp, to our king! – R.

Gospel: John 16,20-23

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

It was necessary for Christ to suffer and rise from the dead, / to enter into his glory (Lc 24,46.26). – R.

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John – At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: 20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. 21A woman, when she must give birth, is distressed because her time has come; but, after the child was born, he no longer remembers the sufferings, because of the joy of a man having come into the world. 22You too now feel sorrow, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will be able to take your joy away from you. 23On that day you will ask me no more.” – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

Jesus returns to the subject of the dense cloud of sadness and anguish that will invade the hearts of the disciples. The reason is that Jesus will give them a horrible “spectacle”, that of dying in front of them, as if he were a failure, as if he had deceived a crowd of followers. It is true that the unjust society will rejoice, thinking it has destroyed the Author of life. However, the resurrection of Jesus and his appearances to his friends reorganize reality: joy for the disciples, because “they were happy because they had seen the Lord” (John 20:20). Disappointment for opponents. With the resurrection, Jesus' disciples came to understand that pain is a source of life. They no longer need to ask questions: everything became clearer, because they believed in the Scriptures and the words of Jesus.