Nel Vangelo di oggi Maria si trova all'esterno del sepolcro, piangendo per la perdita del suo Signore. Non riconosce immediatamente Gesù risorto, ma quando lui la chiama per nome, "Maria", il suo cuore si apre alla verità e riconosce il Maestro. Questo gesto sottolinea l'intimità della relazione tra Gesù e ciascuno di noi: egli ci conosce per nome e ci chiama a seguirlo.

The Book of Baruch reveals part of the Lord's relationship with his people. The exile was necessary to teach Israel to trust in him (2:5). The nation acknowledges its sin and spiritually returns to the Lord by seeking his wisdom and law.

Lamentations articulates the pain experienced in the collapse of Judah and Jerusalem, in 586 B.C.E. Third-person narration both describes and explains the suffering, but the book insistently moves toward direct, first-person articulation of the unbearable pain and devastation and God's responsibility for it.

Because Jeremiah prophesied in the final years of Judah before God's people were exiled to Babylon, it makes sense that the book's overarching theme is judgment. Indeed, the first forty-five chapters focus primarily on the judgment coming to Judah because of its disbelief and disobedience.

The book of Isaiah is filled with sobering accounts of Israel's sin and rebellion and warnings of their coming judgement. But along with warnings, Isaiah also offers a message of hope—a suffering servant, a coming Messiah, who would come to establish God's Kingdom on Earth and create a new Jerusalem.

The book of Sirach praises the study of the law, the wisdom of the men of old and their prophecies. Its author is well-read and rearticulates traditional Jewish wisdom for his generation, centering it on fear of the Lord, and clearly asserting that wisdom is a gift from God.

The main message of Ecclesiastes is that life is fleeting and meaningless without God's gift of wisdom and eternal perspective. The pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasure is futile and ultimately unsatisfying, while the fear of God and obedience to his commandments lead to true happiness and fulfillment.

The Book of Proverbs assumes that divine revelation is communicated to individuals through careful and correct thinking, as well as through prophetic inspiration. This conception leads to the view that the wise man lives in harmony with the divine will; the fool brings disaster upon himself.