YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES TO THE END OF THE EARTH

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD - 

FIRST READING - Acts 1: 1-11 - Sitting at the table with the disciples, Jesus gives them the last instructions. They must remain in Jerusalem until they are baptised with the Holy Spirit. It should be noted that Jesus speaks of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles as a baptism, which has no possible comparison with the baptism of John, which is a baptism with water baptism, that is, an earthly baptism, expressing a human of showing repentance. By being baptised with the Spirit, we receive His strength that gives you the courage and daring to be witnesses of Jesus Christ everywhere, "to the ends of the earth." Although Jesus exercised his ministry within the borders of the people of Israel, he prepared the disciples for a universal mission, where there will be no more boundaries. We are called to respond to the call of the Lord who sends us to be his witnesses and proclaim his Gospel.

SECOND READING - Ephesians 1: 17-23 - In the second reading, Paul presents us with another dimension of the Holy Spirit - He is "the Spirit of wisdom," which reveals to us the mystery of God. It is he who enlightens the eyes of our heart, to know him and recognise the hope he gives us. Without Him, we cannot recognise all that He has done and does on our behalf. The wisdom given to us by the Spirit makes it possible to recognise the resurrection of Jesus as the fruit of God's victorious action. Jesus was raised and exalted, and so there is nothing and no one superior to him since the Father has submitted everything "at his feet and gave him, as the head that dominates everything, to the Church." Jesus Christ, in whom the fullness of God is revealed "who fills all in all," is the head of the Church. As part of his body, we too will share his glory.

GOSPEL - Luke 24: 46-53 - In the Gospel, we hear Jesus speaking of the Holy Spirit as a force that will transform the disciples and make them his witnesses. The Holy Spirit will help to understand the Scriptures, which prophesied that "the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead." Therefore, our witness should focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is the "mystery of faith” that we proclaim in the celebration of the Eucharist. Besides giving testimony, the disciples of Jesus are called to preach "repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations in his name."

SAVED BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

VI EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 15:1-2,22-29

Throughout the ages, the Church has gone through many difficult times, which seemed impossible to overcome. In spite of facing crisis after crisis, led by the Holy Spirit, the Church has made strides towards a better expression of the universality of God's saving plan. In the Acts of the Apostles, we find a narrative of the first great crisis. We may say that the Church started as a movement within Judaism. The first Christian community lived in Jerusalem and the Christians worshipped in the Temple. Due to persecution, they scattered, thus spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, leading to the creation of the second big Christian community in Antioch, where a growing number of Gentiles became Christians. This success would bring a big crisis that needs to be solved in order to guarantee the openness and the universality of the Church. Seeing themselves as the defenders of the faith and as the model for all other Christian communities, some Christians of Jerusalem, passing through Antioch, scolded the community, accusing them of deviating from the right path by allowing the Gentiles in the community without demanding obedience to the Law of Moses, signified by the circumcision. For them, the Law of Moses is the foundation upon which the faith in Jesus Christ can be built. This left the Christians of Antioch in big turmoil and so upset that they could not solve the problem by themselves. So they decided to take the issue to Jerusalem, that is to the mother Church, sending some representatives to see the apostles. A meeting was organised to discuss and deliberate over the issue. The Apostles sat together with the elders and, after a long discussion, James proposed a compromise: the Gentiles would not be forced to undergo circumcision and to follow all the Jewish rules and traditions that go with the Law of Moses; however, they should keep some of the rules, like “to abstain from food sacrificed to idols; from blood, from the meat of strangled animals”. Reading the letter which the Apostles wrote to the Christians in Antioch, we may think that dispute was settled once and for all. However, if we read the letters of Paul and the whole book of the Acts of the Apostles, we discover that this dispute accompanied Paul wherever he went and we even sense that the defenders of Judaization were having the upper hand. In the end, they did not win, because of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army, leading to the dispersion of the Christians and the loss of influence of the Church of Jerusalem.

Cultural, social and political issues had always a big influence in the life of the Church, but, guided by the Spirit, she has managed to sail through rough waters, leading her children to a safe harbour, the harbour of salvation in Jesus Christ, who is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev 22:13).

THE FIRST EFFORTS AT ORGANISING THE CHURCH

V EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 14:21-27

During Easter time, in the liturgy of the word, we read the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of Saint John. The Acts of the Apostles present the first steps of the Early Church, mainly the way she opened up to the Gentiles and the way she established herself. independently from the synagogue, building up communities that had at their centre the proclamation of the Gospel and the celebration of the Eucharist.

The beginnings of the Church were very humble and took place mainly in Jerusalem. After receiving the Holy Spirit in the feast of Pentecost, the Apostles engaged themselves with enthusiasm in the preaching of the Gospel and they managed to get a big following very quickly. This success brought them into conflict with the leaders and they suffered persecution because of that. The persecution scattered many of the new converts and they took with them their faith in Jesus Christ. Wherever they went, they gave witness to the Good News of salvation, which was spreading like wildfire. Very soon, many gentiles believed in Jesus Christ and Antioch would become the centre of a new effort to take the message of the Gospels further and further. Paul and Barnabas were chosen to play the leading role and they excelled in their effort to make Jesus Christ known, believed, followed and loved. Wherever they went, they tried to establish communities of believers, who came to be known as Christians. Being rejected by the leaders of the synagogue, the Christians had to establish their own communities, which were centred on Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God. From the liturgy of the synagogue, they kept the reading of the Scriptures, which were understood as leading to Jesus Christ. And certainly, they learned a lot from the structures and the organisation of the synagogue.

This Sunday’s first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, informs us that, before going back to Antioch in order to report on their mission, they visited the disciples, “encouraging them to persevere in the faith”. Then, “in each of these churches, they appointed elders” so that each Christian community could have the basic structures to function, that is, to bear witness to Christ, to proclaim his gospel, to instruct in the faith (catechesis) and to celebrate the faith in communion with all the communities, helping each other to excel in love, fulfilling Christ’s commandment. The appointment of the elders was of paramount importance for the newly created communities and, recognising that Paul and Barnabas organised a time of prayer and fasting, knowing very well that the communities and their leaders should be entrusted to the Lord. Having done that, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch and presented a report of their work to the community that had sent them.

THE DOORS ARE OPEN TO ALL

IV EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 13:14,43-52

In this passage of the Acts of the Apostles, we find the pattern of Paul’s preaching, which he would always follow. Sent by the community of Antioch in a mission to proclaim the Gospel, wherever they arrived, Paul and Barnabas would go first of all to the synagogue. Since there was an established network of Jewish communities spread throughout the Roman empire, they could go to the synagogue and easily find people that would welcome them. In the synagogue, the centre of all Jewish communities, they made the first announcement of the Gospel of Jesus, proclaiming that he is the Messiah. A few would welcome their preaching, but a good number would consider them as troublemakers, rejecting their message and expelling them from the synagogue. Faced with this rejection, Paul and Barnabas would turn toward the Gentiles: “… since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans.” It is as if they were pushed out of Jewish communities and forced into a new unchartered road. Paul’s ability to carry out his mission was facilitated by the fact that he was able to look after himself and to get enough money to provide for himself and for some of his companions. As the number of gentiles who accepted the gospel grew, he could use the pattern of the Jewish community organisation, thus establishing little by little new communities based on the faith in Jesus Christ and not on the Law of Moses. Certainly Paul and all the other disciples made good used of the experience they had of the Jewish communities, and so they started organising themselves, putting up the basic structures: choosing elders to preside the community, supervisors to make sure that the communities maintained their communion and celebrating the Eucharist (the breaking of the bread) during the weekly community gathering. The weekly celebration of the Eucharist on the day of the Lord (Sunday) was preceded by the reading of the Scriptures, which formed the framework for the understanding of the role of Jesus as the Messiah.

This Sunday is the Good Shepherd Sunday, dedicated to the vocations. We may look to Paul and learn with him, so that we may be faithful to our vocation, never getting tired of giving witness to Jesus Christ.

THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

III EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 5:27-32,40-41

In the Acts of the Apostles, we find the narrative of the first persecution, when the Apostles were put in prison and then forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus. As they refused to obey such an order, they were flogged. As they left, “they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the sake of the name” (Act 5:41), that is Jesus’ name. Since the very beginning, plenty of Christians have suffered violence, torture and death, having committed no other crime than to be followers of Jesus Christ. For the Christians, the cross is not a symbol of power, but of suffering and persecution. Throughout the centuries, we always find Christians who are ready to associate themselves with the cross of Jesus, sharing his passion and his death. Nowadays, Christians are being persecuted in many countries. 

In countries dominated by communist dictatorships, like North Korea and China. And in countries of Muslim majority, like Pakistan, Iran, South Arabia, Afghanistan. Even in countries that seem moderate, like Egypt and Turkey, Christians have no freedom to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In many countries of the world, Christians are becoming victims of vicious hatred and nobody speaks for them. The world ignores their suffering, doing nothing to denounce this unjust persecution. When on Easter Sunday there was an attack on three churches in Sri Lanka, some politicians  could not mention the Christians (who were the majority of the victims) and belittled them calling them "Easter worshipers." Even in this Europe of Christian roots, most politicians are ashamed of mentioning Christ or of associating themselves with Christian symbols. The martyrs of Sri Lanka were slaughtered on the most sacred and festive day of the Christian calendar with the declared aim of sending a message that the feast of the infidels should end. 

We cannot forget our brothers and sisters who are being tortured and killed because of their faith in Jesus Christ, receiving worse treatment than criminals. They need our solidarity and our voices to speak for them and to defend their human rights. The world needs to understand that faith in Jesus Christ is not a crime and true faith in Jesus Christ puts us at the service of humanity.

We may ask ourselves what gives Christians the courage and the strength to stick to their faith, in spite of all the hardships, difficulties and persecutions. Today’s gospel gives the answer: like Simon Peter, they have experienced Christ’s love and they cannot depart from it any more. At the end of his Gospel, John presents a final question - the question that Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love me more than these?” It is a question that cannot remain without answer. And if in spite of our weaknesses and shortcomings, we can say yes, then it means that we have discovered and experienced Jesus’ love for us and we cannot live without it. Knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, the Christians are ready to endure the cross for the sake of Jesus.

Let us pray for all Christians that suffering persecution. May the Lord give them strength and perseverance. And may the world recognise the pain and the suffering unjustly inflicted upon thousands of Christians. They are suffering in union with Christ’s passion and with their suffering, they cooperate with Jesus in the salvation of the world.

MY LORD AND MY GOD!

II EASTER SUNDAY - John 20:19-31

That Sunday - the first day of the week - was an extraordinary Sunday by all accounts. Early in the morning, it was discovered that the body of Jesus was not anymore in the tomb and such a finding left the disciples very much upset. Who could have taken Jesus’ body? The women reported to Peter and he with another disciple went there to check for himself. And they were surprised by the order and harmony which they found, interpreting that as a sign of the resurrection. Then, throughout the day, several people reported experiences of the Risen Christ. He appeared to Mary of Magdala, to Peter, and those two disciples going to Emmaus walked with him, received from him the interpretations of the Scriptures that spoke about him and recognised him in the breaking of the bread. Then, in the evening of that same day, the disciples were gathered together and Jesus came in to be present in their meeting. After greeting the disciples, Jesus entrusts them with the same mission he had received from the Father and, in order to carry out that mission, he gives them the Holy Spirit, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be able to exercise the ministry of reconciliation, forgiving sins. This passage of the gospel makes it clear to us that the forgiveness of sins is central to the role of the Church, so that she may bring people back to God and reconcile them with Him. 

Since Pope St. John Paul II, this Sunday is celebrated as the Sunday of Divine Mercy, so that we may recognise, accept and celebrate God’s mercy, who is always ready to accept us and to welcome us back. He never closes the door on us, because he is the loving who cannot forget or forsake his beloved children.

The second half of this Sunday’s gospel reading presents the figure of Thomas, the Twin. He had absented himself from the community meeting and then did not believe in the testimony of his friends. Thomas’ attitude represents well our modern man, dominated by a positivist attitude, accepting only what can be seen and touched, weighed and measured. Any conclusion or affirmation of truth must be based on experiment, repeated over and over again, following a specific and well-controlled method that always produces the same result, a result that can be measured and verified. Our age is dominated by a scientific spirit in which doubt, interrogation and search are essential, and any conclusion that is not the fruit of such research effort is looked upon with contempt. Thomas wants to check before believing, without realising that there is no need for belief on what has been seen and touched. We should be reminded that the most profound things in life are difficult to touch, weigh and measure. If we pay attention to the signs of life, we may come to an inner certainty about a God that reveals himself. This is an experience that each one gas to do for himself, and that must be shared and lived in community. Having met the Risen Christ, we cannot remain silent; like the apostles, we must give witness that he is risen and is alive. We must listen to him  as he reassures us, presenting himself as the Living One:

“Do not be afraid; 

it is I, the First and the Last; 

I am the Living One, 

I was dead and now I am to live 

for ever and ever, 

and I hold the keys of death 

and of the underworld.” (Rev 1:17-18)

With Thomas, we can proclaim our faith, saying:

“My Lord and my God!”

THE LORD HAS RISEN, HALLELUJAH

EASTER SUNDAY - John 20:1-9

The resurrection is part of the mystery of life, which is entangled with the mystery of being, that is the mystery of God, a mystery which goes far beyond our understanding and of which we may see only a glimmer of light. We cannot have full proof of God’s existence and action, but time and again we find plenty of signs that direct us to him. If we pay attention to them, they become overwhelming.

The Risen Christ - on a tomb in my home Parish Church - Tarouca.

The passage of the gospel of John which we read on Easter Sunday starts by putting forward a fact which was verified by witnesses of different background and interests: early in the morning of the first day of the week - that is Sunday - it was discovered that the tomb was empty, that is Jesus’ body was not in the sepulchre anymore. Mary of Magdala got very worried when she discovered that fact and the first thought that came to her mind was that someone had taken away the body of Jesus. She was ready to do anything in her power to find the body. In the gospel of Matthew, we are informed that the guards were instructed to spread the lie that the disciples had stolen the body during the night. So, it is a fact that Sunday morning the body of Jesus was not anymore in the tomb. The possibility of the resurrection did not occur to the disciples, even though Jesus had spoken about it.

Having found the tomb empty, Mary of Magdala reported the fact to the leaders and Peter with the beloved disciple went to the tomb in order to check the facts. Indeed, the body of Jesus was not there, but the beloved disciple was surprised by the order and the harmony that he found. Everything was in the right place. For sure, there was no robbery and nobody had taken away the body in a hurry. There was no messing up. And something clicked in the disciple’s mind: he saw the signs and it dawned on him that Jesus had risen. The gospel summarises it in a very short sentence: “he saw and he believed”. Jesus was alive indeed. He rose from the dead. Touched by the signs, the disciple was able to believe and to make the experience of the Risen Lord.

Let us rejoice with all the disciples who have met with Jesus Christ and who have experienced him alive. And with all the Church, let us sing “Hallelujah”.

           Yangeni Singers from Lubengele Parish, Chililabombwe, Zambia.

I wish everybody a happy and blessed Easter.