Second Sunday of Easter 2025

This year I am not offering an original reflection of the readings for the Sunday after (or Second Sunday of) Easter, but am re-sending commentary both on reading Acts and on the Gospel from the last two years, as well as some recent homiletic material.

This is one Sunday when the Gospel does not vary across the three years of the cycle, so for commentary on the story of Thomas and the resurrection, see last year’s reflection here.

While the reading from Acts varies, my thoughts two years ago about reading Acts during the Easter season have become a bit more current again, because of continuing discussion by the folk at the Consultation on Common Texts who produce the Revised Common lectionary. You can find my reflections here, but note that in this year of the cycle we are reading from Acts 5. Nevertheless the question of anti-Judaism is also very timely.

My last week was spent preaching through Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter Day, at St Thomas’ Church, Fifth Ave, New York. This is the main reason I don’t have new material for next Sunday, and hope you’ll forgive me!

The set of these sermons, both as written texts and on video from St Thomas’, is available on my older, occasional blog, Saint Ronan Street Diary, at this link. The St Thomas’ YouTube channel also has the full versions of their well-crafted liturgies for Holy Week and the Triduum.

Among these, most relevant now or still is the sermon for Easter Day which is also linked directly here.

Alleluia, Christ is risen!