Acts 3:13-15.17-19; Psalms 4; 1 John 2:1-5; Luke 24:35-48
He opened their mind
Dear friends, today we begin the third week of Easter. The lengthy Easter Season, which is 7 weeks, helps us to understand the meaning of the resurrection and why it is fundamental for us Christians. The readings in every season in the liturgical calendar are designed to enlighten us about God’s salvation plan for humanity whose climax was the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
In the Gospel today, Jesus opened the minds of his disciples so that they would understand the Scriptures and the events that had taken place. Then he sent them to preach these things to all nations. Those who receive the Gospel are required to repent their sins and be baptized.
In the first reading, filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter takes up the stage and announces the good news of resurrection with amazing conviction and zeal. He is not afraid to tell the Jews how wrong they were to crucify the author of life himself. Through their ignorance, God fulfilled his plan to bring lasting salvation to all the nations. We are also many times like the Jews, we are incited to commit evil against innocent neighbors because of ignorance. However, God turns our evil into blessings for them. How often have I been incited to hate, speak ill, or hurt another person?
In the second reading, St. John reminds us Christ is our permanent intercessor before God. This is being preached to us every day so that we may become righteous and attain eternal life. If we commit sin, we need not despair because Christ intercedes for us to the Father. All we need to do is repent and confess our sins. The only credible evidence is that we know God is observing his commandments. Do I observe God’s commandments?
Educating means opening someone’s mind making him or her able to think critically and understand things. Jesus opened the minds of his disciples to understand the scriptures and in turn, sent them to open the minds of all people. One cannot open the minds of others if his or her own mind has not been opened. Proper catechesis is the only sure way to open our minds to understand the ways of the kingdom of God. However, today many want to be baptized and receive other sacraments but are not ready to undergo catechetical instructions. The results of this are many baptized but few true conversions.
The mandate given to a missionary is to open the minds of the people grasp well the tenets of faith and be convinced by them to transform their lives accordingly. It is not an easy task, especially when people are afraid to abandon their traditions. If someone must abandon the old ways, he or she needs to be convinced that the new way is the right way. With this conviction, the person will be willing to withstand the consequences such as being separated from friends and family. Embracing the Gospel means stripping ourselves of the old ways of doing things and wearing new ones. We are to remove the last garment on us. Stripping may make us feel uneasy and afraid that our nakedness will be seen. Some refuse to let go of the old garment in the form of customs, traditions, beliefs, and behaviors. This leads to syncretism – the amalgamation of different faiths, cultures, or schools of thought. You will see baptized people being at the same time ardent defenders of values directly opposed to Gospel values.
Others have tried to create shortcuts by preaching instant salvation for instant prosperity, but if anyone is keen to interrogate this has never worked for anyone. If anything, these deceptive successes last only for a short while. Jesus told Nicodemus that one must be born again. We cannot cover our old garments with the new ones. Jesus warned us to put new wine into old wineskins or a new patch on an old garment. We must shed our old skin if we want to be reborn in Christ. It is not an easy task, but it is the only sure way to attain the fruits of our redemption. Do I seek easy and instant prosperity without having to work for it? Did I get a proper catechesis of the things I believe? In what do I think I need to educate myself more?
Dear friend, the Gospel is all about transformation. If we do not abandon the old garments which are the things that are opposed to God’s commandments, then we are just faking our belief in God. All values bad or good are learned. To transform we must unlearn the bad values and learn the good values that Jesus is teaching us. Let no one tell you there is a shortcut to attain God’s graces. The only way is to know and live the Gospel values.
Have a blessed Sunday.
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 