Alleluia! He is risen! Jesus Christ, having made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of our sins, has been raised from the dead. He has atoned for our sins and conquered death. Neither death nor sin have the final say any longer. We are a redeemed people, pilgrims of hope on a journey to new life. We gather today in joy in this holy place to hear the testimony of His earliest disciples, to renew our baptismal promises, and to partake in the Eucharistic feast and receive the risen Lord. Truly this is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!
Today, we hear some of Jesus’ earliest disciples testify to the unprecedented event they had witnessed. Saint Peter addresses an assembly of Gentiles, teaching them about Jesus and how God raised Him from the dead. Saint Paul preaches about the effect Christ’s resurrection has had on his life. In the Gospel, Saint Mary Magdalene, the first to see the empty tomb, frantically announces the news to two of Jesus’ closest disciples. None of His disciples yet understood that Jesus had to rise from the dead, but the disciple whom Jesus loved believed at once. They needed faith to believe.
Faith is a gift. Especially in this day and age, it is easier to doubt than to believe. We see something online or hear something from a friend. Do we believe it or not? Time and again in the Gospels we see Jesus perform a miracle. Even among those who see it, some believe it and some do not. Some who hear about it later come to believe, others scoff and doubt. On Easter morning, Peter and the beloved disciple see the empty tomb and the burial clothes neatly arranged. Neither understood what Jesus had told them about rising from the dead, but the beloved disciple “saw and believed” (John 20:8). He saw with eyes of faith. Eventually, the other disciples, even Thomas, would also see and believe.
Note that only three disciples are mentioned in John’s account of the discovery of the empty tomb on Easter morning: Mary of Magdala, Simon Peter, and the disciple whom Jesus loved. Where were all the others? It is possible that they were hiding. They had every reason to fear being arrested and tried as accomplices, as associates of the man who had just been crucified. Perhaps they had sealed themselves off from the outside world as tightly as any tomb. They had to be raised from their despair. Only after they had been raised to their new life were they able to bear witness, to preach the Good News, to make disciples of all nations. We may not literally be in hiding, but we may be overwhelmed by the darkness, the dangers, and the despair in the world. Let us look to God, who has the power to raise us from our tombs, to restore us to life, to lead us to new life in the Lord.
Question of the Week
How do I see my life and my world differently with the eyes of faith?

Fr Anthony K. Korir SMA 
With you a Christian, 
 For you a priest