Our Sabbath Scripture Stories – Easter – Cycle A

Read or listen to this Sunday’s Mass readings here.

  • Acts 10:34a, 37-43
  • Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
  • John 20:1-9

“It’s Easter!  It’s Easter!” 4-year-old Hillary shouted.  Little Hillary was the first one down the stairs this sunny morning.  Soon the rest of the family was right behind her with smiles blooming from ear-to-ear.

Somehow, overnight, the house had become transformed.  Everyone had gotten to bed a little later yesterday after the Easter Vigil at church.  But somehow, someone overnight had put out colorful baskets and eggs, laid out new shirts and dresses, and arranged blooming flowers throughout the house.

“It looks glorious!” Lucy declared.

“Well, this is the most festive celebration of the entire Church year!” Mom exclaimed.  “Jesus has risen from the dead!  To quote a familiar Christmas saying, “Jesus is the reason for the season … not the bunny!”

“Not the bunny!  Not the bunny!”  Baby Ben repeated joyfully, over and over again.  Everyone laughed.

Then Dad said, “Well, let’s read our Gospel for this morning!  It is the passage when Peter and John are told by Mary Magdalene that the tomb is empty.”

Dad opened his Bible and read John 20:1-9.  It recounts how Mary Magdalene tells Peter and John that the stone is rolled away from the tomb of Jesus.  She fears that someone has stolen Jesus’ body.  In their concern that the body has been removed, yet joy that Jesus has indeed risen as He foretold, Peter and John start running towards the tomb.  Being younger, John outruns Peter and gets there first. 

“This is one of the fascinating parts, Kids,” Dad said.  “Immediately, when Peter and John saw the empty tomb, they believed.  The burial cloths of Jesus were laid out and rolled up in a neat and orderly fashion.  Robbers and thieves would have left the tomb in disarray.  It says that they ‘saw and believed!’ “ (John 20:8b)

“That’s right!” Mom added.  “Jesus was not there!  This Gospel of John makes a point of telling us how the tomb was found … that the head cloth was rolled up neatly in a place by itself.  I’m sure that it took their breath away!”

“So to celebrate this most holy, sacred, and joyous day, we will get all dressed up in our finest clothes, eat only the finest foods, and spend the day with the finest family!” Dad said.

“And I have a special menu item for your breakfast … ” Mom said, as she went towards the refrigerator.

Soon she came back carrying a tray with eight plates.  On each plate was a Hostess Sno-Ball arranged nicely.  Standing next to each Sno-Ball was an angel she had fashioned out of a clothespin.  Crushed pretzels made the path around each Sno-ball, and jellybeans were used as stones and rocks.  

Vincent was the first to take one of the plates off the tray.  He looked at it with a question mark on his face.  “But Mom!” he protested.  “Someone scooped out all the chocolate cake from the inside!  Only the white shell is left!”

Mom could hardly keep from laughing!  “That’s right, Vincent!” she said.  “These are edible tombs!  And guess what?  There’s nothing inside, because the tombs are empty!”

Vincent looked at her for a second and then started to smile.  “Oh, I get it!  The tomb is empty!  Jesus is not there!”

And before their eyes, Vincent took all eight Sno-balls and devoured them one-by-one.  No one in the Pauline family thought he could eat them all.  But they saw, and believed!

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Who in your family can proclaim the loudest,
HE IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!?

Would you prefer a print a copy of this story?

Cycle A, 1 Easter, SSSDownload

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