3rd Sunday of Easter
They were startled and terrified. Although they had heard the story from others when Christ appeared before them, they were shaken. Why were they terrified? Was it fear of being accepted because they abandoned him? Were they uneasy because they did not know what was coming next?
His greeting is peace. They are assured that it is really their master and friend by his eating with them. And they are told you are the witnesses of these things. They are transformed by this encounter with the Risen Lord—moving from fear to being witnesses, as we hear in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
We may ask ourselves: what has been our encounter with the Risen Lord during this Easter season? Have I been startled by encountering Christ in new and challenging places? Christ comes to us in those most in need of our love and care. He comes in the poor, the lonely, the outcasts of society. Do I see his face in theirs? Do I hear his call to reach out in love?
We eat with him and one another every time we come together to celebrate the Eucharist. We are assured that we have been forgiven for the many times we have walked away without responding. And still, we may be terrified of what he is asking us to do as individuals and as a community. You are the witnesses. Just as the wonders and message of the first Easter would have been lost without the early disciples, so too for us; if we do not speak out with hope and conviction in our words and actions, the message will not be heard, and the Easter transformation will not take place.
Am I a convincing witness? Are we, as a Church, a convincing witness?
Let us pray:
Good and gracious Lord, we give you thanks and praise for the gift of the Resurrection. We ask that you send your Spirit into our hearts to empower us to be your hands, eyes, voice, feet, and heart in today’s world. May your message of life and love thrive through our willingness to respond to your call to witness life to others. Amen.
