Easter Day (Year B)

First Reading - Isaiah 25.6-9

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. On this holy mountain, the Lord God will prepare for all people a feast of rich food and fine wine. The Lord will take away the cloud of darkness that hangs over peoples and nations. The Lord God will bring to an end the humiliation of the people, will wipe away the tears from all faces, and will destroy the power of death for ever. And the people will say, ‘This is the day of the Lord our God. Let us rejoice, for we trusted in God, and the day of our salvation has come.’ This is the word of the Lord.

Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 15.1-10a

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians. Let me remind you again, my brothers and sisters, of the good news that you received, which is now your firm foundation, and in which you are saved: that Christ died for our sins, and was buried; and that he was raised on the third day - and all this in fulfilment of the scriptures. After he was raised from the dead, he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve, then to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time. Then he appeared to James; then to all the apostles. And last of all, he appeared also to me, as to one untimely born, unfit to be called even the least of the apostles, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And God’s grace towards me has not been in vain. This is the word of the Lord.

Gospel - John 20.1-18

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb, and saw that the stone had been removed. She hurried back to Simon Peter, and the disciple Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Peter and the other disciple set off running towards the tomb. The other disciple outran Peter, reaching the tomb first. Bending down to look in, he could see the linen wrappings, lying there, but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings; and he saw the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, rolled up separately, in a place by itself. Then the other disciple also went in, and saw, and believed; (for until this point, they had not understood the scripture, that he must rise from the dead). When these two disciples returned to their homes, Mary stayed, weeping, outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels, in white robes, sitting one at the head, and one at the feet, of where the body of Jesus had been. The angels said to Mary, ‘Why are you weeping?’ Mary said, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned around, and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus asked her, ‘Why are you weeping? Who is it that you are looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ Mary turned, and said to him, ‘Teacher!’ Jesus said, ‘Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go, and tell my brothers that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them the words the Lord had spoken to her. This is the Gospel of the Lord.