Homily for April 15, 2018.
“Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to
them in the breaking of the bread. As they were saying this, Jesus himself
stood among them…. You are witnesses of
these things. Luke 24:35-36,48.
Two Sundays ago, we celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead and to this day, virtually all our readings have been centred around the
events that happened on that Easter Sunday Morning. Basically, we are still
celebrating Easter.
Last Sunday, we saw how Jesus Christ showed the depth of his mercy by
not only forgiving those who killed and betrayed him but even creating the
sacrament of confession thereby making it so easy for us to always obtain forgiveness
from God. If we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, we should rise from
unforgiveness, hatred, malice and the desire for revenge.
Today, being the third Sunday of Easter, we are reminded of our duty as
witnesses; called upon to share our own Easter experience with others. What is
the point watching a really good movie if you never get to talk about it with
someone? What is the point being the first person to hear a really good news if
you never get the honour of broadcasting it? What is the point experiencing the
greatest event that ever happened in all of human history if we never get to
share it with one another?
What is your personal experience of Easter? Since that day, what changes
have you noticed in your spiritual life in the course of your forty days Lenten
observance? Like Peter, have you tried to pray for anyone using the name of
Christ? What happened afterwards? Again, like the two disciples who met Jesus
on their way to Emmaus, have you had any personal encounter with Jesus recently?
Have you had any close experience that made you become even more convinced that
Jesus is God?
Today, Jesus is basically saying to us: “Do not keep it to yourself!” See
how today’s Gospel passage ends. Jesus said to the disciples as he is saying to
us today: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third
day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be
preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are
witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:46-48. Peter says the same thing in our
first reading: “To this, we are witnesses…”
As witnesses, what are we to say to the world? What precisely are we
witnessing to? Simply REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS OF SIN. Our primary message to
the world is the same message Peter proclaimed to the great assembly of people
who had gathered at the instance of the healing of the lame man who begged for
alms. The message is simple: “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins
may be blotted out.” Acts 3:19.
In proclaiming Christ’s resurrection, the singular response we must
demand from those who listen to our message is repentance from sin. Christ died
to obtain the forgiveness of my sins but by remaining in my sins, I nail Christ
again and again to the cross.
Nonetheless, our second reading today makes us understand that the best
form of witnessing for Jesus is by walking in his light; obeying his
commandments. In fact, as John puts it, it is only when we keep his
commandments that we can we sure that we even know God at all. If we claim to
know God with our lips while our actions proclaim a different Gospel, we are
simply deceiving ourselves.
How are we witness for Christ if we remain stuck in our sins? How are we
cure the world from the blindness of sin when we ourselves are also blind? If
the goal of witnessing for Jesus as Peter preached in our first reading is
repentance from sin, it will be a total contradiction that we who claim to be
witnessing for Jesus have not yet repented from our sins.
How can I tell people about heaven when I am living as though heaven
does not exist? Perhaps, this why Christianity is not spreading as much as it
did among the early Christians. The greatest challenge facing the Christian
faith today is that there are so many preachers but only few doers, there are
so many Churches but only few true worshippers, there are so many church-goers
but only few witnesses.
Be a witness today. Don’t just talk about Jesus, let your very life of
obedience to God and holiness become your speakers and amplifiers. Jesus will
surely be there to put the right words in your lips and to confirm your actions
with his signs. The two disciples had barely started narrating their experience
before Jesus himself came among them to confirm their message by eating real
food. Every time we share the Gospel with others, Jesus is right there with
us. “For where two or three are gathered
in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, fill me with all the graces, blessings and courage I need to
proclaim you to the world by my thoughts, words and deeds. Amen.
Happy Sunday. Happy Weekend. Be
Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Third
Sunday of Easter. Year B. Bible Study: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19, 1st John
2:1-5 and Luke 24:35-48).
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