READINGS: ACTS 3:13-15,17-19; PSA 4:2,4,7,9; 1 JOHN 2:1-5; LK 24:35-48
THEME: WE ARE THE WITNESSES
Dear friends in Christ, we celebrate the third Sunday of Easter. The readings present us the days immediately following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, and in what lies the life of the disciples especially as regards the Goodnews of the resurrected Christ.
a. WE ARE THE WITNESSES OF WHAT THE CHRIST SUFFERED IN YOUR HANDS.
The first reading is Peter’s address to the people who gathered around them in astonishment because of the lame man whom they (Peter and John) prayed for, and he received his healing (cf Acts 3:1-12). Peter therefore ceased the opportunity to address the people. In his address, Peter was not afraid to tell the people their fault in the way they treated Christ. He told them, “You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you” (Acts 3:14 NRS).
The aim of Peter and John was to make the people acknowledge that they did the wrong thing. They were leading the people to go through examination of their consciences and see how their actions and decisions were motivated by envy and hatred. This is important because without examination of conscience and acknowledgement of one’s fault, there cannot be repentance.
It is interesting to see how Peter describes what the people did to Jesus. Their sin is not just about the crucifixion, but about their choice. They chose a murderer over a Holy One. Every sin we commit always centres on our choices. Every day of our lives, at each point, we have the task of choosing between options. The question is, “what motivates our choices?”.
The people’s choice was guided by envy and bias, and that was why they were ready to canonise the worst criminal of their society then, declared him holy, innocent, and patriotic, just for them to put to death an innocent man. My dear friends, what Jesus suffered in the hands of the Jews was not just the crucifixion, but the denial and rejection, exchanging his identity with that of a murderer, just to have him put to death.
We have to ask ourselves: “in what
consist of my choices?” “Do I allow the envy in me to tarnish the good deeds and images of others?” “Do I override the truth and canonise wickedness and falsehood, just because of my envy and hatred for another person?” “Do I have the courage, just like Peter and John, to tell people of their mistakes even when it seems difficult?”
b. WE ARE WITNESSES OF WHAT GOD DID TO THE CHRIST.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus came to his disciples, in order to give them the Goodnews of what God has done in and for him. He therefore charges the disciples to be witnesses of his Resurrection. The gospel message of Christ’s disciples is therefore to have the Resurrection of Christ as its guide and central focus.
Resurrection of Christ is a consolation that wickedness
and envy are not the last words. It is a consolation and encouragement that no matter how long the night might be, morning sun will rise. The Son of God was sentenced to death by envy and hatred but love and graciousness rose him from dead. He was buried and rose on the third day. For the Jews, after three days of someone’s burial, his body begins to decay.
Hence, the third day is the last day of hope for the dead. It was on this very last day of hope, on the third day of his death and burial, that the long nights of Christ suffering were brought to an end by the glorious early morning sun of the Resurrection. The disciples are to be witness of this resurrection. Yes, Christ is risen, he is no more in the tomb, and in that way too, his disciples must not be caged in the tomb of fear and sin but rise from it, abandoning the nights and their darkness, in order to embrace the day and its Sun, Christ Jesus.
Resurrection now becomes a new story that replaces the evil deeds of the people. Through his resurrection Christ gives us hope that no matter how long our night of betrayal and denial may be, no matter how much our suffering days might be, there will be morning of Resurrection.
c. WE ARE THE WITNESSES OF WHAT CHRIST IS NOW CALLING US TO
All the examination of conscience and the acknowledgement of mistakes, all the exaltation of the Resurrection of Christ, aim at one thing: A CALL TO REPENTANCE. Peter, after relating to the people their mistakes, and how God’s justice and love overthrew their wickedness, now calls them to repentance.
Repentance means, acknowledging my wrong past, and forsaking all about it, in order to embrace and live the present in love and faithfulness. Peter told the people, “Look, you people did awful things because of your choice, but it is fine now. Your past does not matter anymore, you have new opportunity to make right of your wrong past.” Resurrection
of Christ calls us to a new life, a life of faithfulness and love, a life of freedom from sin and darkness, a life of openness to God’s grace and love, a life of peace and reconciliation both with God and with our fellow people. Christ commands his disciples to preach this repentance which stems from his resurrection.
The way we can show that we are truly repentant is by our love for the commandment of God. In the second reading, St. John reminds us that as sons and daughters of the Resurrection, we are called to live out the commandment of God in joy and love. We show that we are sons and daughters of the Resurrection by changing the energy of the persecuting Saul in us, into the doggedness and evangelical spirit of Paul which the Spirit of God has already given birth in us during our baptism and continues to renew is us.
May God give us the grace to be the witnesses of the resurrection of Christ by the way we live our lives. May people no longer need to ask “Did the Christ actually rise from the dead” because seeing the way we live, and the joy, love, and peace we spread around us, they will be convinced that we are the children of the Victory of love against hatred, the Victory of Light against
darkness, Victory of Forgiveness against condemnation. Amen
Rev.Fr. Nnamah Ezugo
Catholic Priest of Aguleri Diocese