Then God said,
“Let there be light,” and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”
Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day.

Genesis 1: 3-5

I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your fathers;
you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36: 26-28

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were puzzling over this, behold,
two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to them,
“Why do you seek the living one among the dead?

Luke 24: 2-5

Here are the complete readings for Saturday, April 19, 2025.

(“Creation Story” mural-Nungalinya College https://www.nungalinya.edu.au/creation-story)

Can one describe the feeling when they have created a work of art? Art, even something that reflects something sad or painful, can radiate beauty, sometimes enough to stop a person in their tracks. Art is subjective, appealing to some tastes more than others. Art, even something that presents as self-evident, has an aura of mystery about it. That is because, be it music, dance, literature, theatre or painting, the art has its origins in a creator, who are themselves a mystery. A part of the artist exists in the art. How is this possible? We humans seem to have a natural inclination for self-transcendence, or to seek some kind of spiritual connection beyond our senses. In the Christian tradition, our rituals reflect God’s creative power present to us. We are God’s creation, God’s works of art. Like the artist and the art, we reflect God’s image and likeness by our very existence. These days of the Triduum reflect great sacrifice and pain, but point the way to the joy of resurrection and rebirth that surpasses description.

 
You were created by the God of love
in God’s image and according to God’s likeness,
to be a unique expression of that love.
It is through you
that God desires to manifest Love
to the peoples of the world in these times,
and to offer them the freedom
of the children of God. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, when we feel we are forsaken and in darkness, give us the hope in the dawn that lays ahead. Like the women at the tomb, may we believe in you even if we do not understand what we have witnessed. We trust that you point us towards the living, and welcome us as companions on this path to new and abundant life.

Amen

(“Women at the Tomb” by He Qi)