Sunday readings in brief 2 Easter B
Acts 4:32-35; Psalms 117(118); 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31
The evidence of the resurrection
My dear friends today is the second Sunday of Easter. The liturgical calendar gives us 50 days to celebrate the Pascal Mystery, culminating with the feast of Pentecost. It is important to think about the events of last week keenly if we wish to understand the meaning of our Christian faith. Jesus came to the world to bring to us good news about the kingdom of heaven and how to get there. We can compare Jesus with the generous shepherd who after finding a place with plenty of pastures during the dry season goes back and tells all his village mates about us. Many of us would not share the good news with others but rather would secretly take our cattle there at night so that others may not know about the pastures. Many of us think that when we share, we lose, but on the contrary, sharing multiplies that which we share.
The first reading today from the book of Acts gives us the characteristics of a Christian community. It is a community where the members have one heart and one soul. All the believers surrendered their belongings for the good of all. The presence of God’s grace is evident in every member of the community. There are many refrains in different cultures that encourage the spirit of togetherness and sharing. In Swahili the refrain says, Umoja ni nguvu, utengano ni udhaifu (unity is strength, separation is weakness) How often do I utilize my time, wealth, knowledge, talents, etc., for the common good?
The psalmists remind us that God gave us an example to imitate. In his everlasting mercy, God gave us his only Son to save us from the slavery of sin. He continues to uplift us in our day-to-day struggles. He can turn things around and make the best out of every bad situation. The rejected ones he makes rulers and those downtrodden he lifts on high. God can transform our weaknesses into strength if we ask him. However, our collaboration is necessary because God is not a magician. Many want God to make things happen while they are not doing anything to that effect. Are you such a person?
John in his first letter tells us that we cannot fake that we love God. The only way to demonstrate that we love God and His Son Jesus is by simply keeping his commandments. God’s commandments are not burdens to punish us but weapons to defeat the world. To overcome the world is not easy without God’s help. We always need backup from God in all our situations. However, many are deceived into giving their money to the modern-day prophets who claim to have solutions for all problems.
In the Gospel, however, Jesus seems to conceal the evidence of his resurrection to all except to his close disciples. This is hard to understand. The mission to preach the risen Christ to the world has always been tedious because of the way Jesus chose to reveal himself. Why didn’t he go to the city center in Jerusalem and show all who participated in killing him that he was alive? If it were today, would Jesus post his resurrection on social media or be announced in global news outlets as breaking news?
Translate this text into Swahili: Jesus refused to show himself to everyone else except his own. He wanted the news of his resurrection to be told by credible people and not by the media most of the time bed the content to suit the commercial or political interest. It matters a lot whom we allow to tell the world about us. We are told that the Jewish leaders paid a lot of money to the guards so that they would tell lies about what happened on the resurrection day. It was a difficult and dangerous task for the disciples to preach the risen Lord to the very people who killed him. No one would believe them. The lies of the soldiers were more credible than their words. However, through the power of the Holy Spirit given to them, they were able to convert many. Maybe people are paying a lot to destroy your reputation or to lose your job, do not give in, trust in the Holy Spirit, they will not succeed. The evil one and his agents have no power to destroy us, they make us use our own weight to defeat us. They want us to push us to quit because they have no power over us. Stand firm in faith and see how they will fade away from your life.
Jesus continued to appear to his disciples to strengthen them when they were losing hope. Only Jesus can make himself known to those that he chooses. We would not recognize him if he did not want us to. When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus in the garden, thought it was the gardener. It is Jesus who revealed himself to her by calling her by name. When Jesus appeared to the two disciples returning to their village with grief and hopelessness, they only recognized him at the breaking of the bread. When Peter and his friends went back to their former occupation thinking all was over, Jesus revealed himself through the miraculous catch of fish. Today we read how he appeared to them and gave them the gift of peace to conquer the fear that had engulfed them.
Jesus returns one week later to reveal himself to Thomas who was not present when he first appeared. He dispels his doubts and strengthens him. This shows how much Jesus cared for Thomas and for all of us. He did not want his doubts to overwhelm him. Jesus will return many times to help us because he loves and cares for each one of his disciples. In our journey of faith, we are bound to experience many doubts. Let us not be discouraged because Jesus will not let his own be overcome by doubts.
Today dear friends, I invite us to look deeply into our lives and see if there is enough evidence that we are true followers of Christ. Do we really love Jesus for who he is, or do we only want him to fix our problems? We can make others believe that we are followers of Christ, but we cannot lie to our own conscience. Faith in the risen Lord is the true weapon to conquer the challenges of this world.
Have a fruitful Sunday
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 