20240414 IGNORANCE OF CHRIST AND THE GOSPEL OF LIFE IS OVERCOME BY AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE RISEN LORD
14 April 2024, Sunday, 3rd Week of Eastertide
First reading |
Acts 3:13-15,17-19 © |
You killed the prince of life: God, however, raised him from the dead
Peter said to the people: ‘You are Israelites, and it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant Jesus, the same Jesus you handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate after Pilate had decided to release him. It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer while you killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are the witnesses.
‘Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing; this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer. Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 4:2,4,7,9 © |
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
When I call, answer me, O God of justice;
from anguish you released me, have mercy and hear me!
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who grants favours to those whom he loves;
the Lord hears me whenever I call him.
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
‘What can bring us happiness?’ many say.
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once
for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading | 1 John 2:1-5 © |
Jesus Christ is the sacrifice that takes our sins away, and the world's
I am writing this, my children,
to stop you sinning;
but if anyone should sin,
we have our advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ, who is just;
he is the sacrifice that takes our sins away,
and not only ours,
but the whole world’s.
We can be sure that we know God
only by keeping his commandments.
Anyone who says, ‘I know him’,
and does not keep his commandments,
is a liar,
refusing to admit the truth.
But when anyone does obey what he has said,
God’s love comes to perfection in him.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk24:32 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Lord Jesus, explain the Scriptures to us.
Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 24:35-48 © |
It is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead
The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread.
They were still talking about all this when Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’ In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’ And as he said this he showed them his hands and feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.
Then he told them, ‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms has to be fulfilled.’ He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.’
IGNORANCE OF CHRIST AND THE GOSPEL OF LIFE IS OVERCOME BY AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE RISEN LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 3:13-15, 17-19; 1 JOHN 2:1-5; LUKE 24:35-48]
Christianity is more than 2000 years old. Since the outset of the primitive Church and through the years, the Church and her teachings have been misunderstood, both from within and without. Whilst the world is happy to receive humanitarian aids, social, educational and medical services from the Church, Christ is still not believed or accepted, and the Church continues to be persecuted for being true to the teaching of Christ. So much so, many Catholics, including Church leaders, are apologetic for their beliefs and seek to compromise their faith by accommodating the values of the world.
As Christians, we can be magnanimous like our Lord who from the cross said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk 23:34). Indeed, this was what Peter said to the people, “Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing.” Truly, we can say this to the world today, when they see Christianity as a threat to their individualistic and worldly lifestyle. Yet, the truth is that Christ came to give us life abundantly. So, as Christians, we seek to give life to the world. We have no intention of curbing the freedom of man. On the contrary, we seek true freedom in Christ. This freedom is to be free from oneself so that we can be free for God and for others. The world seeks a selfish, individualistic freedom – it wants to be free to do what the individual wants. The world seeks freedom from the truth; which it justifies from a moral relativism viewpoint. Freedom, to them, is about pandering to one’s emotions, desires and preferences. Freedom is not exercised for the common good of society, the rights of others, the vulnerable and the weak, or protecting innocent civilians from the scourges of war, the life of the unborn child, the good of the family or the sanctity of marriage.
So why are they not receptive to the gospel message? When it comes to truth, there are many things we cannot understand in this life. Life itself and the universe are mysteries beyond our comprehension. Science might be able to explain the how of nature, but science cannot explain the what and why of nature – what is the purpose of life; why do we have to suffer; is there an afterlife; where did we come from and where will we be after death? In matters dealing with the spiritual world, science has no answers. This is why we need divine revelation to tell us the things of the spiritual world we cannot understand or comprehend. We remember how many of Jesus’ disciples left Him because they could not accept His teaching on the Eucharist, saying “This teaching is difficult, who can accept it? How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:51f,60). Jesus said, “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (Jn 6:63) And when Peter confessed Jesus as the “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” at Caesarea Philippi, and the Lord replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” (Mt 16:17)
If people find it difficult to accept the gospel and the scriptures, it is because they lack a personal encounter with the Risen Lord. Surely, the religious leaders and the Jews during the time of Christ would have known the scriptures. Yet they rejected our Lord. Peter and the disciples of our Lord were upbraided “for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.” (Mk 16:14) Unless we encounter the Risen Lord, we will find the scriptures incomprehensible and the teachings odd and unrealistic. We want our doubts to be clarified through reason alone. We fail to realize that truth is more than mere logical arguments alone or empirical proofs. Otherwise, why should anyone fall in love or get married because it is absurd or illogical to prove that the one we love will always be faithful to us in love, or that the person is worthy of our love. Love knows the reason that reason does not know. Love is an event, a personal encounter. Pope Benedict in his first encyclical, “God is love” said, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. Saint John’s Gospel describes that event in these words: ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should … have eternal life’ (3:16).” (Deus Caritas Est, 1)
So, faith and grace are necessary for us to understand. Reason alone cannot come to that conclusion. We need a personal encounter with the Risen Lord. Once we know that He is Lord and Saviour, then we will be able to accept His word, His teaching and His truth even when we do not understand. After many of His disciples left the Lord, the Lord asked the Twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:67-69). But this confession of faith took time to mature. So, too, is our encounter with the Risen Lord! The gospel recounts how the disciples gradually came to believe in Him.
Easter is a celebration of authentic life in the Risen Lord. Easter is a celebration of the life of God given to us in anticipation of our final goal in life, which is to share the life of God. Today, we are called to encounter the Risen Lord so that we can be His witnesses. We must have a personal relationship with Him. A witness is one who has seen the reality and was personally involved in the event. Only a personal encounter in that event can help us to be truly convinced of what we are saying. Only those who have been there can properly reconstruct the event and share their personal experience. A witness, therefore, is not one who has studied the scriptures alone but whose life has been transformed and changed by the encounter with Jesus. Otherwise, our witnessing will be unconvincing because we will speak in an indifferent, cold and detached manner. We would not have grasped the profound meaning of the encounter and that is why our life has not changed. Only those who have had a profound experience of Him in prayer, in the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation or in worship, in the love of the Christian community, or in a prayerful reading and contemplation of the Scriptures will be convicted.
But what do we witness? The content of witnessing is not some ideology or theory about God. It is not primarily about morality even; basically, it is a message of Good News, of New Life, of salvation, of a person, namely Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord and Saviour of all. It is about the unconditional love of God in Jesus. It is about His mercy and forgiveness for all. It is about the power of God to heal us. God is giving us a new life and a new start. As Peter said, the condition is repentance from our sins. Faith in Jesus as the Lord is primary; a moral life in accordance with the scriptures is the corollary of faith in Jesus as the Way, the truth and the life. This is what St John wrote, “Anyone who says, ‘I know him’, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, refusing to admit the truth. But when anyone does obey what he has said, God’s love comes to perfection in him.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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