HOMILY FOR 3rd SUNDAY OF EASTER

1.Acts 3:13-15

2.1John 2:1-5

3.Luke24:35-48

Repent and be forgiven

The third Easter Sunday’s readings invites each one of us to make a u-turn to God by repenting. This mandate or prediction is echoed by Peter in the first reading “Now you must repent and turn to God” In the John epistle also we are urged to stop sinning. St. John assures of God’s mercy and forgiveness if we obey and keep his commandments. Knowing God has got a moral dimension and this cannot be understood in terms of intellectual understanding. To know God means to have a personal and close relationship with Jesus. This happens only when we imitate and live like Christ. Our way of lives will dictate who we are. Our way of living will be life witness to the risen Jesus. There was a poor and simple man who regularly visited a certain church, and there pray on his knees before a large crucifix. When he was asked why his lips never moved while praying before the cross he said “I just look at him and he looks at me.” Words had given way to contemplation. Those who look long enough to Christ become like seeing him as he really is.

We are invited to be empowered with Christ’s spirit of resurrection. The spirit of Christ is at work convincing his disciples that he is really risen. As we celebrate this Sunday we are invited not to fear, the first time fear is mentioned in the Bible is when Adam and Eve sinned, we are told that they hid themselves because they were afraid. From there, a word of courage from God came into existence that fear not; not be afraid. The word fear in the Bible occurs 365 times, means that every day of our waking up, God calls each one of us to fear not. It is under this background we hear from the readings today Jesus is empowering his disciples by words “ Peace be with you” Jesus in uttering such words he meant that he gave them an assurance to avoid fear in their mission to follow him. Jesus by saying peace be with you he meant reconciliation between himself and his disciples, he further meant forgiveness. The preaching of forgiveness before being extended to the nations had to start within early Christian communities.  

The disciples of Jesus after had forgiven one another, thus were commissioned to extend the same mercy to the nations. Jesus is assuring them to preach mercy and forgiveness by breathing in them the Holy Spirit in order that they may be empowered to go fourth and preach the mission of repentance and forgiveness to the nations that had not yet received the good news of the risen Jesus.  Fear is the expression of human limitation; under this context it is when an invitation comes to each one of us that we need someone to accompany us in our journey of faith and in our vocation as baptized Christians. Thus as we celebrate this Sunday, the profound experience of Jesus’ resurrection to his disciples was forgiveness, it is the same calling to each one of us to extend the same experience of reconciliation and forgiveness to our brothers and sisters who have not yet received this gift.

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