Word to the Wise
Monday, April 13, 2020 - Octave of Easter - Mon
[Acts 2:14, 22-33 and Matt 28:8-15]"God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear." [Acts]
In this very strange Lent and Easter of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we can be certain that God's love cannot be quarantined and that in keeping with this love, Christ died and rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us on our all too human journey! After the experience of Pentecost, Peter reminds us in the first scripture for today that "(W)e are all witnesses."
The Octave of Easter and the period up to Pentecost are given to a repetition of this message. The apostles literally quarantined themselves for fear that they would be next on the cross! Jesus came to them even though the doors were locked. The Holy Spirit came to them behind the same locked doors. It was confidence in this Spirit of the Risen Christ that enabled Peter and the other apostles to come out of their quarantine of fear and be witnesses to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!! We have received that same Spirit and are called to be witnesses - literally "carriers" of the message which, when brought close enough to others, can be contagious!!
The COVID-19 Coronavirus can be deadly, but the message of Jesus' death and resurrection is life-giving and hope-filling in a time of fear and uncertainty. Jesus tells the women at the tomb, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers...." We can do the same. AMEN