1When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
3They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
4for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.
5Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
6He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him!
7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.’”
8They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.
Colossians 3.12-16 (Epistle)
12Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;
13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
14Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.
15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.
16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.
Luke 18.18-27 (Gospel)
18A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one: God.
20You know the commandments: ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ ‘Don’t murder,’ ‘Don’t steal,’ ‘Don’t give false testimony,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
21He said, “I have observed all these things from my youth up.”
22When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
23But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich.
24Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!
25For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”
26Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”
27But he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Commemorations
Veneration of Chains of Apostle Peter
The story of St Peter’s imprisonment and miraculous release by an Angel of God is told in Acts ch. 12. The chains which fell from his hands were collected by Christians and passed down through the generations as precious relics, finally coming to Constantinople and being placed in the Church of St Peter, where they worked many miracles and healings.
There is nothing superstitious about the veneration of clothing and other objects belonging to the Saints; the Acts of the Apostles describes how handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched the Apostle Paul would heal the sick (ch. 19), and that even the shadow of the Apostle Peter healed those on whom it fell (ch. 5). In the twentieth century, a shirt worn by St Nektarios on his death-bed healed a paralyzed man. The sanctity of those united to God extends not only to their bodies but at times to their garments.