First Reading: ACTS 2:36-41
Gospel: Jn 20:11-18
“The Joyous Message of the Risen Lord: ‘I have seen the Lord’, (Jn 20:18)”
In a war, when the two groups of army are
fighting and one of the leaders of these groups die, the rest of the army which
lost the battle, they surrender themselves. Because their leader, the strongest
of the group has died. But for the winners, they rejoice and keep the spirit of
fighting, and even those who were just hiding themselves, they will come out
cheering.
Dear brothers, it is almost the same thing
that happened to the disciples. Thus, in Jn 20:19 we read that “… the doors
were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews…”. perhaps they
feared the Jews by seeing what they have done with Jesus their master. Because
even we hear from the Passion Narrative of Jesus that those disciples who
followed Jesus to his sentence some were identified as his disciples, like
Peter. And all these may influence the disciples to fear the Jews.
On the one hand, in today’s First Reading, (Acts
2:36-41), we see the continuation of Peter’s Kerygmatic Speech of yesterday’s
First Reading, where he is moved by the power of the Holy Spirit and encouraged
by the Resurrection of the Lord, speaks with authority to the Jews, reminding
them that Jesus the Messiah who performed mighty deeds, wonders and signs in
your midst and whom you crucified, God raised him up from the dead. And after
all he calls them to repentance from their sins and to be baptized in Jesus’
name.
In the Jews society, women did not have
important role or she was untrustworthy. But however, in today’s Holy Gospel,
(Jn 20:11-18), Jesus exalts women through Mary Magdalene by giving her an
important task of announcing this Resurrection to the Disciples by telling that
she has seen the Lord, (Jn 20:18).
Pope
Francis in his Post-Synodal Exhortation “Christus
Vivit” (Christ is Alive) says: “Christ is alive! He is our hope. And
everything he touches becomes young, new and full of life. Christ is alive and
he wants you to be alive as well”. Therefore, we need to be touched be the
Risen Christ so that we may be full of life and be alive with him by announcing
the message this joy, like Peter and Mary Magdalene who proclaimed joyfully the
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear friends, we are called, to proclaim
the resurrection of Jesus through words and deeds, and we should be the
messengers and light of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ wherever we
go and to spread its flames of love to whomever we encounter in our life.
Antonio Lohoca Nungulu
II Year Theology
0 comments:
Post a Comment