Word to the Wise
Sunday, April 8, 2012 - Easter Sunday: The Resurrection of the Lord; The Mass of Easter Day - ABC
[Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Col 3:1-4 or 1 Cor 5:6b-8; John 20:1-9 or Luke 24:13-35 (for afternoon Masses),148]This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.
By the time Peter preached these words, he and the other disciples had been through the initial shock and joy of Jesus' resurrection and the impelling experience of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost! That shock and joy cannot be repeated, but the Holy Spirit continues to come and Peter's words can continue to be read and repeated. In the Easter season, they will be accompanied by "ALLELUIA!"
The challenge arises after we've been to church (hopefully!), hunted the Easter eggs and had a big dinner! What happens next? Do we proclaim to our friends and neighbors, "Christ is risen!" when we see them on Monday? Can we muster an "Alleluia!" outside the confines of the church building? Is our secular culture any less friendly than the one Peter preached to? That secular culture tries to put us in the same position as the disciples on the road to Emmaus (alternate gospel for today: Luke 24:13-35) by saying that there is no hope because Jesus is dead! We know better because we have experienced him on our journey and recognize him in the breaking of the bread! This is what happens on Monday!
We may, like we do at Christmas, put away the decorations and wash the dishes, but we cannot put away the message! CHRIST IS RISEN! ALLELUIA! Say it on Monday and every day after that! AMEN