Word to the Wise
Thursday, March 27, 2008 - Thursday in the Octave of Easter
[Acts 3:11-26 and Luke 24:35-48]The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses (Acts) Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. (Luke)
The Gospel of Luke is actually a two-volume work. The second volume, by tradition, has been divided off as the Acts of the Apostles, but there is general consensus that Luke is the final author of both. This is important to remember when hearing the scriptures from Acts just before hearing a passage from the Gospel of Luke. The one that comes "first in time" in terms of composition is the Gospel, followed by Acts of the Apostles. It is just the opposite at the liturgy. Acts is read first and then the Gospel! The importance of this shows in the consistent refrain in the speeches in Acts after Pentecost about being "witnesses" to the death and resurrection of Jesus. The post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples in the Gospel of Luke (today's gospel) declares to them: "You are witnesses to these things." They make that very clear in their subsequent preaching. The word, "witness," almost immediately suggests to our culture a courtroom appearance or attentive presence at a particular event. In religious circles, "witness" may mean any profession of faith or religious utterance influenced by faith. In the scripture today, the "attentive presence" meaning is closest to the biblical meaning. The disciples are "testifying" to an event that was as real to them as any other event occurring at the time. Even if this testimony did not make it to writing till Luke put it down on paper, it had been preserved orally and handed down in all its fresh intensity. This is the challenge in our own day. Can we proclaim that same good news with the same fresh intensity and urgency? If the resurrection remains a past event, we may not be able to muster the enthusiasm! If it is a present event to which our faith is "attentively present" - if it is truly good news NOW,- we must proclaim it and identify ourselves as "witnesses" to that truth. The authority of our lives, lived in accord with the teachings of the Risen Christ, is the best guarantee of the truth to which we bear witness. The lines from the Gospel of Luke, quoted above, are as true now as they were when first spoken! Those listening to these words proclaimed by us in our time may indeed be hearing them for the first time! We are indeed "witnesses of these things." AMEN
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