What is Monday in Easter Week in the 1928 BCP?

Monday in Easter Week is the second day of the Easter Octave, continuing the celebration of the Resurrection. The Prayer Book appoints distinct Epistle and Gospel readings while the Easter Collect, said throughout the week, binds the octave into one sustained proclamation of new life.

What is the Road to Emmaus and why is it appointed for this day?

The Road to Emmaus, from Saint Luke chapter twenty-four, recounts how the Risen Christ joined two disciples on the road without being recognised, expounded the Scriptures to them, and was made known to them in the breaking of bread. It is appointed for Monday in Easter Week because it shows that the Resurrection is not only an event to be believed but a presence to be encountered in Word and Sacrament.

What does Saint Peter's sermon in Acts teach about the Resurrection?

In Acts chapter ten, Saint Peter proclaims before the household of Cornelius — Gentiles — that God is no respecter of persons and that Jesus Christ, who was slain, was raised by God on the third day. The Resurrection thus breaks every boundary: it is news for all nations, not for Israel alone.

Monday in Easter Week – 1928 Book of Common Prayer - Saint Paul's Anglican Church

Theological Note

Monday in Easter Week continues the octave of the Resurrection with its own appointed Epistle and Gospel, while the Easter Collect — said daily throughout the week — binds the days together as a single prolonged proclamation. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer treats Easter not as a single day's celebration but as a week of immersion in the mystery of new life; each day within the octave deepens the initial proclamation by approaching it from a different angle of Scripture.

The appointed Epistle is drawn from the tenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where Saint Peter stands before the household of Cornelius and declares that God is no respecter of persons: in every nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. Peter then recounts the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, whom God raised up the third day. This sermon to Gentiles in Caesarea marks a decisive moment in the spread of the Gospel beyond the boundaries of Israel, and it is rooted in the fact of the Resurrection. The empty tomb is the ground on which all distinctions of people and nation give way before one Lord of all.

The appointed Gospel from Saint Luke gives the Church the beloved story of the Road to Emmaus: two disciples walking in grief and perplexity, met by a stranger who expounds the Scriptures to them, and at last recognised in the breaking of bread — whereupon he vanished from their sight and they turned at once back to Jerusalem to tell what they had seen. The Emmaus narrative becomes a pattern for Christian worship itself: Scripture opened, the Lord made known at the table, the community sent back into the world with burning hearts.

Collect

ALMIGHTY God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee that, as by thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Epistle

Acts 10:34

Gospel

Luke 24:13

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Monday in Easter Week in the 1928 BCP?: Monday in Easter Week is the second day of the Easter Octave, continuing the celebration of the Resurrection. The Prayer Book appoints distinct Epistle and Gospel readings while the Easter Collect, said throughout the week, binds the octave into one sustained proclamation of new life.
What is the Road to Emmaus and why is it appointed for this day?: The Road to Emmaus, from Saint Luke chapter twenty-four, recounts how the Risen Christ joined two disciples on the road without being recognised, expounded the Scriptures to them, and was made known to them in the breaking of bread. It is appointed for Monday in Easter Week because it shows that the Resurrection is not only an event to be believed but a presence to be encountered in Word and Sacrament.
What does Saint Peter's sermon in Acts teach about the Resurrection?: In Acts chapter ten, Saint Peter proclaims before the household of Cornelius — Gentiles — that God is no respecter of persons and that Jesus Christ, who was slain, was raised by God on the third day. The Resurrection thus breaks every boundary: it is news for all nations, not for Israel alone.