Witnesses of These Things

3rd Sunday of Easter April 26, 2009 (Lk 24:35-48)

The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have."

And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.

He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, "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."

We often have doubts when we are faced with much trouble. We ask ourselves, "Will this ever end? Will everything be OK? " We doubt so much that we don't believe people who try to comfort us and say positive things to console us.

In today's Gospel, the disciples were listening to the story of two of their companions who have encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). Suddenly, Jesus appeared to them and greeted them with peace. As they haven't yet come to believe the news of the resurrection, regardless of the many testimonies of witnesses, including the two speaking to them at that moment, they were terrified on seeing Jesus, and thought He was a ghost.

Sometimes, we let doubt envelop our hearts so much that even the thought of God's presence does not console us anymore. We lose hope so easily and we fail to believe that Jesus is alive and is at work in our lives. We just close our minds to the idea that we have problems. Yes, we doubt so much that even when solutions hit us in the face, we fail to see them, just as the disciples failed to rejoice immediately on seeing Jesus.

In our troubled times, Jesus reveals Himself to us and tells us that He is alive, that He is with us. He casts away our fears and doubts by showing us His hands and feet, by showing us that He has triumphed over death and suffering. This is Jesus' way of saying, "Do not doubt. I am more powerful than your problem. See, I am tougher than nails!"

In the Gospel, Jesus opened the minds of His disciples in order for them to understand the Scriptures. He made them realize that everything happened for a reason, that God planned all these things from the beginning; His passion, death and resurrection is His redemptive action, His messianic mission. He made them appreciate the marvels God has done for the salvation of man.

After helping us overcome a problem, Jesus opens our minds too. He makes us understand why we had to undergo such a situation. We understand what God is trying to teach us through the problems we encounter. Our minds are opened to understand God's ways and God's will.

As disciples of Christ, we are His witnesses. We have encountered Christ. Christ works in our lives and we feel His presence. It is now our mission to spread the news that Jesus is alive. We need to tell our neighbors that Jesus is alive in them too. More than that, we need to show them that Jesus is alive by the way we live. It is our duty to help them in the process of letting Jesus open their minds.

We are witnesses of Jesus and we must spread the news of His resurrection from our hearts, to other hearts, that they too, may be witnesses!

Jesus' Mercy Brings Peace and Forgiveness and Demands Trust

2nd Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday April 19, 2009 (Jn 20:19-31)

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."

But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe."

Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

The Gospel for today presents to us the disciples locked in a room, afraid for their own lives. Perhaps, we could also say that, aside from fear, they were also in sorrow for the death of their beloved Master, and were repenting for abandoning him in his passion.

The disciples were probably reprimanding themselves for being such cowards. They "locked" themselves in that room of fear, sorrow for sins, regret and self-reprimand. They were probably thinking that what they did, or did not do for Jesus, was an unforgivable sin. They were also, perhaps, unable to forgive themselves.

In this dreadful scene, Jesus entered, although the doors were locked. He showed them his hands and his sides, the wounds which signified the death he had defeated. He greeted them, "Peace be with you." And they rejoiced.

The risen Lord gave peace to His disciples. If you read the Gospel passage carefully, you'd notice that Jesus gave the greeting of peace thrice. Together with peace, He also brought forgiveness, though he did not mention it explicitly. Just seeing the risen Lord was enough for the disciples to feel at peace, confident that they have been forgiven. Jesus now extends this gift of peace and forgiveness to the whole Church, and even to us, by saying, "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (Jn 20:23). With these words, He instituted the sacrament of His mercy, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as a gift of peace for all His disciples.

In our lives, we often live like the disciples, locking ourselves in rooms filled with grief and sorrow. It's fine if our sorrow is a sorrow for sin, but even this should not hinder us from letting Jesus enter our hearts and show us how He defeated all sorrow and death. We must never lose confidence in Jesus' mercy. He is alive, and His resurrection is our hope.

This Sunday, we also reflect on the story of doubting Thomas. Like the disciples, he was too overwhelmed by grief. He had lost all hope and did not even believe the testimony of his fellow disciples who had seen the Lord. What happened to Thomas reminds us of the value of faith. Faith, by definition, is believing without sufficient evidence. As Christians, we live by faith. We believe in a God whom we have never seen, for we have experienced Him in our lives.

Jesus' mercy calls us to trust in Him, to have faith in Him so that He could pour out His peace and forgiveness unto our hearts. We need to believe that Jesus is loving enough, and is powerful enough to bring us out of the misery of our locked rooms.

Believing and Living the Story

Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection April 12, 2009 (Jn 20:1-9)

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."

So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.

When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

The Lord is truly risen, Alleluia! Today, the Church celebrates the greatest of all feasts, the feast of the Lord's triumph over sin and death, the Solemnity of Easter. Indeed, the importance of this great feast in our faith is so great that its celebration is extended for eight days until next Sunday, the Octave of Easter. It is further extended for seven weeks, the seventh Sunday being Pentecost Sunday, making the Easter celebration a season, the Easter Season.

The resurrection of Christ is the central point of our faith. It gave peace and hope to the apostles who where then very afraid and despairing. Had Christ not risen from the dead, our faith is in vain and death would have triumphed over love. But, as it was, God proved His love to be more powerful than death, indeed, tougher than nails!

The Gospel for Easter Sunday narrates to us how Mary of Magdala was surprised at seeing the first symbol of the resurrection, the empty tomb. Thinking that the body of her Lord was taken away, she ran to tell Peter and John (the beloved disciple) what she saw. John, the first apostle to arrive at the tomb, was also the first to believe. He believed upon seeing only the empty tomb and the burial cloths. He believed even if he did not understand perfectly. We too, as Christians, believe in the resurrection.

But more than being a major tenet of Christianity, the resurrection of Christ is also a challenge. Indeed, it is true that we who believe in Him will also be resurrected. But for us to experience resurrection, we must also suffer like Him. We need to strive for holiness amidst a world of sin, even if it means being persecuted for it. That is precisely what Jesus did and is calling us to do. He was hated by the world (Jn 15:18) because He did not conform to worldly ideals. But He showed the world that He was right through His resurrection.

If we follow Christ, the world will also persecute us as it persecuted Him (Jn 15:20). We too will have to suffer much if we choose to be holy. But we should not lose hope, because we know how this story would end - in our own resurrection.

The Gospel presents to us the symbol of the empty tomb. This tomb is empty because the "deadly things" have been destroyed by Christ's redemptive act. Christ is no longer in the tomb, because death cannot hold Him. Death will not be able to hold us too if we do not take pleasure in the "deadly things" - and what is "deadly" but sin?

Yes, Christ is risen and we believe it! We rejoice in the Lord's day! But more than just believing in the resurrection, as the beloved disciple did, we are challenged this Easter Season to live the resurrection story, to die to our sinful selves, to empty our tombs, to endure sufferings brought about by our striving for holiness, so that we may resurrect like our risen Lord.

Happy Easter to all! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Putting the "Holy" in Holy Week

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion April 5, 2009 (Mk 11:1-10)

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.' "

They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.

When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!"

(Mk 15:1-39)

Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.

"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.

The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of."

But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.

"Crucify him!" they shouted.

"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!"

In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."

One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

The liturgy of Palm Sunday presents to us two Gospel narratives. In the first narrative, we commemorate that joyful and triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the city where He's destined to die. In the second, we recall Jesus' passion and death which He endured with submission and an amazing silence which would surprise just anyone. The two, obviously, are connected, as the first leads to the events of the second.

Jesus entered Jerusalem because He knew He had to. He knew the physical and emotional pain that He would undergo in that city. Nevertheless, He went there for His hour had come. It was precisely for this moment that He was sent to this world. It is His mission to suffer and die, in obedience to the Father (cf. Phil 2:8). He never lost sight of this heavenly mandate.

The people who joyously welcomed Jesus in Jerusalem recognized Him as a holy man. They were enlightened enough to know that Jesus comes in the name of the Lord and that the Kingdom of David is being re-established (cf. Mk 11:9-10) . They recognized the "things above", the things which were of heaven. They knew that God was at work in their midst in the person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Reading the second Gospel passage, we hear these same people who shouted, "Hosanna!", now shouting, "Crucify him!" This they did because they were forced, bribed even, by their religious leaders. They were easily influenced by the world in which they live, by money and by the people around them. They, therefore, lost sight of the marvels that God has revealed to them when they were welcoming Jesus. Because of the power of this earth over them, they failed to give value to the heavenly things.

Jesus, on the other hand, never lost sight of the heavenly things. In fact, He was deprived all earthly comforts and pleasures in His passion. He was deprived sleep, the company of His friends, and many more until He was finally deprived His life. This proves that Jesus gives more value to what is spiritual than to what is material. In experiencing all these privations, He redeemed the world.

This Holy Week, we are once again challenged to give value to what is holy, to what is heavenly. This week is not an opportunity to party at Boracay, as our showbiz icons do. It is an opportunity which the Church gives us to reflect on and recognize the marvels that God has done and is doing for our redemption.

The great liturgies of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday until Easter Sunday give us a glimpse of what happened to Jesus during the last hours of His life until His resurrection. These liturgies put us into that drama and make us part of it. I recommend you participate in these liturgical services. I also suggest reflecting on the Word of God, especially on the Passion narratives.

May this Holy Week be "truly holy" for all of us. May it not be another holiday that will just pass by, leaving us unchanged. May the drama of Holy Week make our hearts cry in appreciation of the great deeds God has done, all for us sinners.

Have a "truly holy" Holy Week!