God was always active: Easter Sunday

                                                     God was always active

Easter Sunday

April 17, 2022

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Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56

 

          Peter’s statement in Acts retells succinctly the whole story of Jesus of Nazareth who became our Christ of faith because of his obedience. Peter makes clear that Jesus was a man who lived a good life and was led by God’s spirit, and was therefore raised from the dead as God approved of his entire life. He came to know he was God through his death and at the Resurrection when he was vindicated from the selfishness of human nature and human judgment. 

 

          In the fourth Gospel, when Mary and the two disciples went to the tomb, they were met with confusion and doubt, and we build our faith upon the faith of others. For John, the disciple who entered the tomb first, the empty tomb was proof enough that God had raised Jesus from the dead. Because of John’s belief, Peter believed, and then Mary’s thoughts were confirmed. They realized the truth that God was always active in the life of Jesus, and by extension, ours. God remains active, even when it is imperceptible. 

 

          The Holy Week we have just finished has been filled with enough drama as the evil spirit lurks in our lives. The Passion of Jesus reminds us of the ugly, bad things we do to one another in our human condition. All we have to do is to read social media or tune into our news channels to see evidence of the capabilities of the human heart, and we are often not proud, and yet Easter often doesn’t change how we behave. Perhaps we need to stay in the tomb longer, so that we can understand what God is doing for us and that God is always active. When Jesus was dying and God seemed remote, God was quite active, even though we broke God’s heart.

 

          We have to realize that God is doing the same for us, that God remains constantly active in our lives even when we do not think that God even exists or has the desire to love us. When there is so much hurt and pain and life is quite a challenge, we need a symbol like the empty tomb to give us hope. We need to cling to hope when we cannot experience God’s presence. Easter unfolds for us as it did the first disciples, first with confusion, then mild belief, then a sharing of experiences, until Jesus manifests himself to us so he can take away our confusion and doubt. As our faith and hope grows, our joy grows, so much so that we too want to get up in the middle of a crowd to tell others about what God has done for us through Jesus. We will stand like Peter and speak boldly that this God, who we thought was absent, has been busy in inexplicable ways to help us along the journey of life. It is a joy that remains silent at first and then wants to erupt until we give praise to God with our whole soul as we come to understand that God tirelessly works to bring about our salvation. God wants us to share news of that victory to those who have ears to hear. Alleluia. Alleluia. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

First Readings:

Monday: (Acts 2) Peter stands up on Pentecost to proclaim to Jews in Jerusalem that Jesus of Nazareth who they put to death has been vindicated by God and raised to new life. 

 

Tuesday: (Acts 2) When the Jews realize the significance of their actions, they petition Peter to be baptized in the name of Jesus. 

 

Wednesday: (Acts 3) Peter and John heal the crippled man at "the Beautiful Gate" at the temple. 

 

Thursday: (Acts 3) All who witnessed the healing recognize that the man used to be the crippled beggar. Peter and John preach to the Jews gathered at Solomon's portico and tell them all that the prophets and scripture say about Jesus. 

 

Friday (Acts 4) The priests, temple guards, and the Sadducees confront Peter and John and hold them in custody. The religious authorities question their teaching and healing power. The Sanhedrin dismissed them with instructions not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 

 

Saturday (Acts 4) Peter, John, and the healed man persevere in their boldness. The Sanhedrin wait to see if this is of God or of another source of power.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 28) In Matthew, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary meet Jesus on the way and he exhorts them not to be afraid. The chief priests hire soldiers to say, "the disciples came and stole the body of Jesus." 

 

Tuesday: (John 20) Magdalene weeps outside the tomb and thinks Jesus is the gardener, until he speaks to her familiarly. 

 

Wednesday (Luke 24) Two disciples heading towards Emmaus meet Jesus along the way and he opens the scripture for them. 

 

Thursday (Luke 24) As they recount their story to the Eleven, Jesus appears before them, beckons them not to be afraid, and eats with them. 

 

Friday (John 21) Six disciples are with Peter as they fish at the Sea of Tiberius. After a frustrating night of fishing, Jesus instructs them to cast their nets wide and they catch 153 large fish. The beloved disciple recognized the man on the beach as the Lord and they rush to meet him. 

 

Saturday (Mark 16) Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene who told the Eleven about him. Two other disciples on the road returned to speak of their encounter, and then Jesus appears to them while they were at table.

 

Saints of the Week

 

There are no saints celebrated in the Roman calendar this week.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• April 17, 1540. The arrival in Lisbon of St Francis Xavier and Fr. Simon Rodriguez. Both were destined for India, but the King retained the latter in Portugal. 
• April 18, 1906. At Rome, the death of Rev Fr. Luis Martin, twenty-fourth General of the Society. Pope Pius X spoke of him as a saint, a martyr, a man of extraordinary ability and prudence. 
• April 19, 1602. At Tyburn, Ven. James Ducket, a layman, suffered death for publishing a work written by Robert Southwell. 
• April 20, 1864. Father Peter de Smet left St Louis to evangelize the Sioux Indians. 
• April 21, 1926. Fr. General Ledochowski sent out a letter De Usu Machinae Photographicae. It stated that cameras should belong to the house, not the individual. Further, they should not be used for recreation or time spent on trifles rather than for the greater glory of God. 
• April 22, 1541. Ignatius and his first companions made their solemn profession of vows in the basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls. 
• April 23, 1644. A General Chapter of the Benedictines condemned the calumny that St Ignatius was not the real author of the Spiritual Exercises. A monk had earlier claimed that the content was borrowed from a work by Garzia Cisneros.