Sunday 21st
April 2019. Read Acts
10:34-43, Psalm 118, Colossians 3:1-4 and John 20:1-9
_*“And he
commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify he is the one ordained
by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42)*_
With every
sense of joy and excitement, I say a big Happy Easter to you all. Now that lent
is over, the question on our minds is “What next?” This is where our readings today
come in. As soon as Jesus rose from the dead, he immediately gave instructions to
Mary Magdalene that the news of his resurrection should be spread to others. “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended
to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my
Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17).
Indeed,
our Easter celebration would not be complete if we do not proclaim to the world
what we have seen and heard. This is exactly what Mary Magdalene did in our
Gospel passage today. She became an apostle to the apostles. Also, in our first
reading, we see Peter proclaiming boldly a summary of the life of Jesus to a
group of Gentiles. Luke tells us that Peter was still speaking when the Holy
Spirit descended upon all who were listening.
Do you
consider the resurrection of Christ as Good News? Then, do not keep it to
yourself, do not assume everyone already knows. Do not keep silent except if you
are not convinced that Christ has truly risen. Indeed, the best proof we have
to show that we have celebrated Easter is by letting our actions speak of the resurrection
of Jesus. Our lives must now begin to reflect more than ever that we have
encountered Jesus who is no longer dead but alive.
The way we
decide to live, the choices we make, the way we relate with others, the kind of
words we use, our dressing, our sincerity, our willingness to help and forgive
and so on goes to show whether we have risen with Christ Jesus. As St. Paul
admonishes in our second reading: “If you have been raised with Christ, set
your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians
3:1-2).
St. Paul
goes on to mention how must set our minds on things that are above: “Put to
death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil
desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of
God is coming. In these, you once walked,
when you lived in them. But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice,
slander, and foul talk from your mouth. Do
not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its
practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge
after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:5-10).
In a recent encyclical letter, Christus Vivit, Pope Francis addressing the youths
and the Church in general talks about the need for us to become more conscious
of the fact that Christ is fully alive. Jesus is not some historical figure who
lived many years ago like you speak of philosophers or inventors, Jesus is
alive here and now. However, many Christians today live as though Jesus belongs
to the past. Dear friends, I ask you today: Do you really believe that Jesus is
alive? Then let your very life proclaim your answer.
Do you
notice that the way you speak of someone when he or she right there with you in
the room is always different from the way you speak about the person when he or
she is not there? When we continue living in sin, we disgrace and betray Jesus,
we live as though we still belong to the darkness, as though Jesus is still in
the grave. When we are unable to defend our faith and stand by what we profess,
we act like Peter who was too afraid to own up to his identity, we behave as though
Jesus is still on trial before the Roman court.
As you go
about your daily activities from today, have a Jesus-is-alive consciousness.
Remind yourself constantly of His presence within and around you, put away the
works of darkness, take your minds from earthly pursuits and seek the things
that are above. Let your life proclaim that Jesus is Alive.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, may I rise
just like you from death and use me to spread the Good News. Amen.
*Happy
Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God
bless you. (Easter Sunday. Year C. Bible
Study: Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118, Colossians 3:1-4 and John 20:1-9).
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