20160402 BRINGING THE INCREDULOUS TO FAITH
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 4:13-21 ©
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The rulers, elders
and scribes were astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John,
considering they were uneducated laymen; and they recognised them as associates
of Jesus; but when they saw the man who had been cured standing by their side,
they could find no answer. So they ordered them to stand outside while the
Sanhedrin had a private discussion. ‘What are we going to do with these men?’
they asked. ‘It is obvious to everybody in Jerusalem that a miracle has been
worked through them in public, and we cannot deny it. But to stop the whole
thing spreading any further among the people, let us caution them never to
speak to anyone in this name again.’
So they
called them in and gave them a warning on no account to make statements or to
teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John retorted, ‘You must judge
whether in God’s eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God. We cannot
promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard.’ The court repeated
the warnings and then released them; they could not think of any way to punish
them, since all the people were giving glory to God for what had happened.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
117:1,14-21 ©
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I will thank you,
Lord, for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the
Lord for he is good,
for his
love has no end.
The Lord is my
strength and my song;
he was my
saviour.
There are shouts of
joy and victory
in the
tents of the just.
I will thank you,
Lord, for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord’s right hand
has triumphed;
his right
hand raised me up.
I shall not die, I
shall live
and
recount his deeds.
I was punished, I was
punished by the Lord,
but not
doomed to die.
I will thank you,
Lord, for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
Open to me the gates
of holiness:
I will
enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord’s
own gate
where the
just may enter.
I will thank you for
you have answered
and you
are my saviour.
I will thank you,
Lord, for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps117:24
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Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by
the Lord:
we rejoice and are
glad.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 16:9-15 ©
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Having risen in the
morning on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary of Magdala
from whom he had cast out seven devils. She then went to those who had been his
companions, and who were mourning and in tears, and told them. But they did not
believe her when they heard her say that he was alive and that she had seen
him.
After
this, he showed himself under another form to two of them as they were on their
way into the country. These went back and told the others, who did not believe
them either.
Lastly,
he showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table. He
reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused
to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, ‘Go
out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.’
BRINGING
THE INCREDULOUS TO FAITH
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [
ACTS 4:13-21; MK 16:9-15 ]
In both
scripture readings today, we have a common reaction to the resurrection of
our Lord. The immediate reaction was one of disbelief. When
Mary of Magdala shared the good news with the disciples “that he was alive and
that she had seen him”, they did not believe. If they were skeptical of
the testimony of Mary of Magdala, it is understandable. But even the two
men whom the Lord appeared to on their way to Emmaus were not believed by the
other disciples either. And among the Eleven, St Thomas was slow to
believe in the resurrection. Today, after 2000 years, this same doubt and
skepticism of Jesus’ resurrection persists. Many non-believers listen to our
claims of Jesus’ resurrection with disbelief. They remain suspicious and
unconvinced of the claims of Christianity that Jesus has risen.
What
is the crux of the difficulty in convincing the doubters and unbelievers? It has to do with the
resurrection appearances. The truth is that the Risen Lord does not
appear in the same way as a ghost, an apparition or an earthly human
being. The Risen Lord comes in His transfigured body, the body which we
will have at the resurrection. This resurrected body is described
in different terms but it is surely not an ordinary body. The resurrected
Lord could walk through doors and walls. He could appear and disappear in
a moment. He came in different forms and hence unrecognizable
initially. Mary of Magdala took a while to recognize the Risen Lord when
He appeared to her. So too, the disciples at Emmaus, because the Lord
“showed himself under another form.” Then we read, “he showed himself to
the Eleven themselves while they were at table.” It is important to take
note the words used, “appeared and showed.” These are different terms to
describe an out-of-this-world experienced.
So
what have we got to convince someone who does not subscribe to the resurrection
of our Lord? The way to the Easter faith unfortunately is through the
faith testimony of those who have seen Him. To find the Easter Faith, we need to
depend on the witnessing of the disciples of our Lord who had seen Him.
Only those who had encountered the Risen Lord could pass on their testimony to
us.
But
how can we be sure that their testimony was not concocted or staged? We
therefore need to rely on external evidence.
Firstly,
we consider whether they are credible witnesses. The fact that they were not expecting
Jesus to be alive and were reluctant to accept the testimony of those who saw
Him demonstrates that they were not prone to having visions. They too had
no intention to lie because it was against their interest. If their
master, a miracle worker, could not accomplish His mission to restore the
Kingdom of Israel, how could they, uneducated and ordinary people?
Indeed, they were not credulous and naïve.
Secondly,
we see the transformation of their lives, from being cowards to courageous
witnesses. Before
then, they were fearful of the soldiers and fled when their master was
arrested. They had seen how Jesus was flogged, scourged and
crucified. Would they want to follow the same path that Jesus
took? Could they take the pain and shame for nothing? That after
encountering the Risen Lord they lost all their fears and overcame especially
the fear of death and suffering could only mean that they had seen the Lord and
therefore were clear of their destiny. Hence, they were not even
afraid of death.
Thirdly,
we see the indisputable fact of the healing of the crippled man. “The rulers, elders and scribes
were astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John, considering they were
uneducated laymen; and they recognised them as associates of Jesus; but when
they saw the man who had been cured standing by their side, they could find no
answer.” Something wonderful and miraculous had happened. Instead
of admitting the fact and finding an answer to the mystery, they denied the
truth and sought to extinguish the fact. They said, “It is obvious to
everybody in Jerusalem that a miracle has been worked through them in public,
and we cannot deny it. But to stop the whole thing spreading any further among
the people, let us caution them never to speak to anyone in this name again.”
Fourthly,
we see the apostles’ total obedience to God without fear of men. “Peter
and John retorted, ‘You must judge whether in God’s eyes it is right to listen
to you and not to God. We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen
and heard.’” Only if we have truly encountered the Risen Lord would we be ready
to stand up for Jesus and even die for Him. That the apostles remained
undaunted by the threats implied that they knew that the Lord who was now alive
could do even more in and through them than He did before His death and
resurrection. Indeed, it must be because they have taken the command of the
Risen Lord seriously when He said, “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the
Good News to all creation.
But
does it mean that we cannot see the Lord for ourselves but simply depend on
their testimony alone? Whilst we might not be able to see the Risen Lord
in the way He appeared to them, we still can see Him, just like them, with the
eyes of faith. Mary
of Magdala could see Jesus because of her intense love and devotion for
Him. Contemplation and fervent prayers enable us to connect with the Lord
once again. When we are in love, we see and feel the presence of the
person in a special way. This too was the case for St John, the beloved
disciple of the Lord, who immediately intuited that it was the Lord when they
were out fishing in the sea.
The
disciples at Emmaus had their eyes open only after hearing the scriptures and
at the breaking of bread. For some, seeing the Risen Lord becomes a reality when they read
the Word of God because their eyes are opened. And more so when the
Word is read, heard and contemplated during the Eucharistic celebration.
Indeed, there is no better place to encounter the Risen Lord than during the
Eucharistic celebration. For in a par excellence manner, the Lord is
present in the bread and wine personally, body, soul and spirit.
Finally,
we meet the Lord especially when we are in the fellowship of the Christian
community. When Jesus
reproached the apostles “for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had
refused to believe those who had seen him after he had risen”, we think of St
Thomas who could not see the Risen Lord because he was not with the rest.
If we were to see the Risen Lord, it would often be in the context of a
believing community. In our fellowship with the rest of our fellow
brothers and sisters, we will encounter the Lord in a special way. In
truth, our faith is also a given and a shared faith. Faith is caught and
passed on rather than taught. So if we want to see the Risen Lord, we
must see with the eyes of faith. And often, we need the faith of others,
as in the case of the paralyzed man who was healed by the faith of his friends.
So
let us not make the same mistake of the incredulous disciples of the Lord or,
worse still, the members of the Sanhedrin whose mind were already made up in spite of the evidence
before them. Let us remember the words of St Thomas who said, “We never
know everything all at once but we must believe first in faith; and then having
mastered the evidences we can then show that it is true.” Believe and you
will see and understand!
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
© All Rights Reserved
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