March 31, 2024 - One Bread, One Body

March 31, Easter Sunday

Cycle B Readings:
1) Romans 6:3-11 (Vigil Readings)
Mark 16:1-7
Acts 10:34, 37-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
2) Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
John 20:1-9

The Easter offensive

“Through baptism into His death we were buried with Him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life.” —Romans 6:4

Alleluia! Jesus is risen! The stone is rolled away! The tomb is empty!

The Lord of Life has decided to destroy Satan’s culture of death right now on this Easter Sunday, in this Easter season. Our risen Lord has had it with abortion, racism, war, starvation, contraception, and other injustices. He has decided to get several hundred million Catholic Christians in hundreds of thousands of locations throughout the world to stand up to Satan and publicly reject Him and all his works and promises in this culture of death. This massive mobilization of Catholic Christians to launch a major offensive against Satan is called the renewal of baptismal promises.

Many of you may doubt that this is what happens when we renew our baptismal promises. We renewed them last year and in previous years, and nothing seemed to happen on a grand scale. Yet how many Catholics actually knew what they were doing in renewing their baptismal promises? How many took this seriously? Maybe there’s much more power in the renewal of baptismal promises than we have ever experienced or imagined. Let us renew our baptismal promises not in “corruption and wickedness” but in “sincerity and truth” (1 Cor 5:8).

Prayer: Father, make me an extremely effective witness for the risen Christ (see Acts 10:41).

Promise: Father, make me an extremely effective witness for the risen Christ (see Acts 10:41).

Praise: “He is not here; He has been raised up” (Lk 24:6). Alleluia!

Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Imprimatur ("Permission to Publish") for One Bread, One Body covering the period from February 1, 2024, through March 31, 2024. †Most Reverend Steve J. Angi,  Chancellor, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 7, 2023."

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.