20180407
INCREDULITY AND OBSTINACY TO FAITH IN THE
RESURRECTION
07 APRIL, 2018, Easter Saturday
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 4:13-21 ©
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We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and
heard
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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(118):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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Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News
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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.’
INCREDULITY AND OBSTINACY TO FAITH IN THE RESURRECTION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 4:13-21; PS 118:1,14-21; MARK 16:9-15 ]
Faith in the
resurrection of our Lord is central to the Christian Faith. Everything
about the Christian Faith stands or falls with belief in the resurrection of
Christ. If Christ were not resurrected, then we cannot proclaim Him as
Lord and we cannot accept His teachings without doubt and compromise.
Because He has been raised from the dead by the Father, we can believe all that
Jesus said, taught and did as coming from God.
However, this
central doctrine of the Church’s faith is always under challenge. If many cannot accept
the Christian Faith and Christ as the Son of God and their savior, it is
understandable because they have not yet encountered the Lord as risen in their
lives. Without faith in the resurrection, Jesus remains just a
prophet and a good teacher at most, but certainly not God to be worshipped and
be given full submission of faith. Yet, we can understand why many find the
resurrection of our Lord difficult to accept. In the first place, not all
have seen the Lord. St Paul wrote, “He appeared to Cephas, and then to the
Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and
sisters at the same time.” (1 Cor 15:4f)
Furthermore,
the resurrected Lord does not manifest Himself exactly the same way as the
Jesus of Nazareth because He is transformed. Indeed, the gospel said that He
showed Himself to His disciples in different forms. “After this, he
showed himself under another form to two of them as they were on their way into
the country.” It appears that the transfigured Lord could appear in
different ways. His resurrected body transcends human imagination and
space and time. He could walk through walls to the room where the
disciples were, appear and disappear at will when He was at Emmaus. So
the resurrected Lord is beyond conception.
But beyond
these reasonable doubts about the resurrection of our Lord, some have questions
about the resurrection, not because of intellectual doubt but because of
incredulity and obstinacy. Jesus “reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy,
because they had refused to believe those who had seen him after he had
risen.” The apostles, even though they had testimonies from the women and
the two disciples at Emmaus that Jesus was alive, refused to believe. What
could be the reasons? Perhaps, they really thought that Jesus was dead
because of their cowardice and betrayal. They could not come to
terms that they had killed the Lord, or they were afraid to meet their master
again because of shame. Their mental block was not of the intellect but
an emotional blockage. Indeed, we are told that they did not believe
until the Lord appeared to them and said to them, “Peace be with you” forgiving
them for their abandonment of Him to death.
For the
Jewish leaders, they too did not believe in Jesus because of obstinacy. They were not ready
to admit that they were wrong about Jesus and most of all, for causing His
death. They could not accept their responsibility for putting an innocent
man to death. They wanted to be seen right in the eyes of the
people. To admit that Jesus was the Christ would mean that they had to
compromise their position in society as well. They had too much to lose
in accepting Jesus as the Messiah. However, the preaching and claims of the apostles
embarrassed them and made them lose credibility with the people. Yet, at
the same time, they could not contradict the fact that the crippled man was
healed and according to the apostles, it was done so in the name of the man
they crucified and whom God raised from the dead. (cf Acts 4:8-10)
So they had to find ways to silence the truth and the apostles’
proclamation to preserve their self-interests. They were stubborn
in admitting their faults.
Furthermore,
they saw the transformation of the apostles. “The rulers, elders and
scribes were astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John, considering
they were uneducated laymen.” From weak, uneducated and fearful men, they
became self-assured and confident before the Sanhedrin, a group of educated
men. They were no longer timid or lacking self-confidence. They
spoke with conviction and without fear of anyone. That is why their
rejection of the message of the apostles went against reason. It was not
because the resurrection of our Lord was incredulous, but because they had too
much to lose. They could not give in to the apostles’ claim for fear of
being stripped of their powers and security. It was pure obstinacy, pride
and selfishness.
Indeed, they
were in a dilemma. “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.” Three
times they warned the disciples not to speak about Jesus. “So they
called them in and gave them a warning on no account to make statements or to
teach in the name of Jesus. 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.” Instead of recognizing
the truth, they silenced the truth. This is what the world is seeking to
do today.
Today, we can
no longer speak about our faith and our beliefs openly, because those who do
not believe in Christ will object to what we say, our claims and our beliefs. They will judge us to be
discriminating and lacking respect for others. We are now therefore
permitted only to say things and make claims that others agree with.
Otherwise, we would be accused of superiority and triumphalism. We have
to say that our religion is just like the others and no better than
theirs. We cannot claim Christ to be the unique savior of the world
because some might judge us to be making a sweeping statement and denigrating
their own beliefs. Could we say with the same conviction and courage that
the apostles made, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other
name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved”? (Acts 4:12)
Why was the
command of the Sanhedrin not able to deter the disciples from speaking about
Jesus?
“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.” Having encountered the Risen Lord and seeing Him at
work in their lives, they cannot but do what He did when He was on earth,
fulfilling His promise to His disciples that “whoever believes in me will do
the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these,
because I am going to the Father.” (Jn 14:12)
With such a deep experience of His power at work in their lives, it can only
prove that Jesus is truly alive in the Spirit.
This was
equally true of the women who encountered the Risen Lord and the two disciples
on their way to the countryside. When they saw the Lord in their own ways, they knew for
certain that was the Risen Lord. They were convicted and in turn went to
tell the rest. Eventually, when the Eleven also saw the Lord, they too
became His witnesses. The Lord said to them, “Go out to the whole world;
proclaim the Good News to all creation.” When we have a deep
encounter with the Risen Lord, nothing can hold us back. Not only are our
lives transformed but we will have a deep desire to announce Jesus as the Good
News, the Saviour of all humanity.
How, then,
can we encounter the Risen Lord and find the same strength and conviction? We are told that they
were “associates of Jesus.” We need to walk with Jesus like the apostles
before we could encounter Him in His resurrection. We need to know the
Jesus of Nazareth through our contemplation of His humanity in the gospels so
that we can recognize His Risen presence in our midst in the world today.
Spending time with Jesus in intimacy is the key.
Indeed, this
was the case of Mary of Magdala as well. She was so devoted to Jesus and so in
love with Him and therefore was rewarded with the grace to see the Risen Lord
before the apostles. She knew the Jesus of Nazareth and how He delivered
her from the seven devils. So, too, the disciples on their way to the
country. They were downcast because they had great hopes in the
Lord. Jesus, the Risen Lord, appears to those who want to see Him and are
receptive to His love. If we want to see the Lord, then we too must
be His constant companions and be His associates in prayer, in study and in
fellowship.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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