20220423 BRINGING THE INCREDULOUS TO FAITH
23 April, 2022, Easter Saturday
First reading | Acts 4:13-21 © |
We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard
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.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 117(118):1,14-21 © |
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!
Sequence |
Victimae Paschali Laudes
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled,
hath sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended:
combat strangely ended!
Life’s own Champion, slain,
yet lives to reign.
Tell us, Mary:
say what thou didst see
upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen:
he goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen
from the dead we know.
Victorious king, thy mercy show!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps117:24 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by the Lord:
we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 16:9-15 © |
Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News
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 sceptical 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 scepticism 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 had taken the command of the Risen Lord seriously when He said, “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.
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 can still 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 opened 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 minds 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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