First Reading

Reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Acts 2:14, 22-33

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven before the crowd, and raising his voice, he said: «Fellow Israelites, listen to me. Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. In accordance with the determined plan and foreknowledge of God, you handed him over, and using the Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross.

But God raised him up, breaking the bonds of death, because it was impossible for death to keep him under its power. Indeed, David says of him: I saw the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.

Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him with an oath that one of his descendants would sit on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, who was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.»

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew

Matthew 28:8-15

After hearing the words of the angel, the women hurried away from the tomb, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. «Greetings,» he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, «Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.»

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, «You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.» So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.