Third Sunday of Easter (C)

 Third Sunday of Easter Year C [Jn 21:1-19]

01.05.2022

The Risen Lord Appears to Seven Disciples

Readings: (1) Acts 5:27-32.40-41 (2) Rev 5:11-14 

1.Theme in brief:

Greater love generates faster faith and leads to greater responsibility

2. Focus Statement:

Those who love Jesus more intimately, recognise his hidden presence even in the dark moments of their lives, and are given the responsibility to feed not only the ‘sheep’ but also  the ‘lambs’ that might demand painful sacrifices from us.

3. Explanation of the text

There is a hint in today’s gospel that after witnessing the heartbreaking event of Jesus’ crucifixion, his disciples must have decided to give up their vocation to follow him and return to their previous profession of catching fish. Simon Peter took the lead to announce his desire to go fishing in the Sea of Tiberias and six other disciples agreed to join him (21: 1-3). When they failed to catch any fish in spite of whole night’s efforts (21:3), a ‘stranger'  appeared on the beach at daybreak (21:4) and advised them to cast their net to the right side of the boat (21:6). Though they did not know it was the Risen Lord (21:4), the familiarity of his voice and words such as addressing them as “children” (21:5) must have prompted them to accept his advice and try again. When they obeyed his instructions, they caught so many fish – actually one hundred fifty-three large ones – that they were unable to haul the net (21:6, 11).

Thus, today’s gospel text contrasts the utter failure of Simon Peter and his six companions to catch any fish “at night” (when the Lord was absent) with their marvellous success (when the Risen Lord was present with them as he appeared to them on the beach “at daybreak”, 21:4). Here, the evangelist once again applies his familiar or common theme of contrasting ‘darkness’ with ‘light’. In the ‘darkness’ of failure and frustration, the Risen Lord who is the LIGHT of the world (Jn 8:12) appeared to them at ‘daybreak’ – again, a symbol of light. At first all of them found it difficult to recognise the Risen Lord (21:4), but after seeing the miraculous catch of fish, it was the disciple whom Jesus loved who recognized him first (21:7).  This indicates that the one who loves Jesus the most recognises his presence and power first and fast when all the rest fail. It is clear that a disciple’s intimacy or closer communion with the Lord leads to deeper faith and faster recognition of his divine presence. They caught so much fish, not because they were lucky, but because they obeyed the ‘stranger’ whom later they later recognized as the Risen Lord (21:12). The message is clear: when the Lord is absent they could ‘catch’ nothing, but with his help, they could ‘catch’ people of all types (symbolized by153 types of fish caught by them, 21:11) into the ‘net’ of the Church.

The fourth evangelist mentions that the exact number of fish caught by the disciples was a hundred fifty-three (21:11), not because they sat down and counted them meticulously, but because of its symbolic meaning. St. Jerome mentions, according to popular belief in those days, there were153 different kinds of fishes in the sea. The text suggests that in Peter’s net there was a fish from each kind. This is a clear reference to the universality and inclusiveness of the Church. These fishermen who were called to “fish for people” (Mt 4:19) are now called to fish for all kinds of people, including repentant sinners and Gentiles. John writes that the net was not torn in spite of containing so many large fish (21:11) to indicate the necessity to maintain unity in the Church in spite of diversity of her members. Jesus’ invitation to his disciples to “come and have breakfast” (21:12) indicated his role as the Giver of Bread of Life that nourished their faith. Though this was not an Eucharistic meal, it had spiritual overtones because of the choice of two Eucharistic words: “Jesus took bread and gave it to them” (21:13). At this meal the disciples were re-commissioned and reminded that they should go back to their original call and mission – in symbolic terms, must get back to their “boats and nets” and try again to catch fish.

When they finished breakfast, Jesus seemed to have challenged Peter to a more mature and decisive commitment to him by asking whether he loved him more than ‘these’ (21:15). This dees not mean whether Simon loved him more than otyher disciples. What it means is whether Simon loves him more than anything and everybody else, that is, or more his job and possessions. He must have made him aware of the superficiality of his commitment when trials came, because he had denied him three times in spite of his assurance that even though everybody else deserted him he would not, and would be willing to lay down his life for Jesus (13:38). This is the reason why many scholars connect Jesus’ threefold question to Peter whether he loved him and his threefold profession of his genuine love for the Lord (21:15-17) to his threefold denial of Jesus (18:17, 25-27). The connecting link is made further clear by stating that both these incidents took place around a charcoal fire (compare Jn 18:18 with 21:9). Now Jesus seemed to have reinstated Peter into the fold of disciples and challenged him to prove his genuine love for his Master by assuming a greater responsibility – to feed his lambs first (21:15, a symbol for the tender, little,fragile and the vulnerable and then tend his sheep (21:16, 17, a symbol for the mature and the strong ones). Finally, he was invited to follow his Master to the point of laying down his life for his flock (21:18-19).

4. Application to life

Often we feel that we are toiling all night and are trying so hard to ‘catch fish’ but are catching nothing. The utter failure of the disciples of Jesus to achieve any result (fruit) in spite of the hard work at night, symbolizes the similar moments in our own lives when forces of darkness engulf us. We try so hard to come out of an addiction, resentment, unforgiving attitude, negativity, bitterness, bad habits or habitual sins but do not succeed. We have tried so many times to bring changes in our family relationships, in our children, in our communities, and solve our problems but without any visible result. It is during these moments of painful and humiliating failures, sometimes we hear an inner voice prompting us to try again, never to give up our efforts or good work. The same inner voice tells us never to abandon our life’s purpose, or never to allow our dream to die. We experience an inner force propelling us to hope against all hopes. Do we believe that it is the power of the Risen Christ or his creative Spirit that is available to those who recognize him in faith?

There are other circumstances when suddenly ‘night’ or ‘darkness’ descends on us: a tragic accident, a fatal illness, sudden death, a transfer to a difficult place, a false accusation, a court case, a big fight, etc. In spite of our best efforts, and ceaseless prayers, we see no improvement in our situation. No result, no fruit, no change, no job, no cure, no solution! It is during these or similar dark moments of our lives, our faith is severely tested. Sometimes we fail in this test by failing to recognize the hidden presence of the Living Lord. Though he is present, we fail or find it hard to recognise him, just like Peter and his companions at the Sea of Tiberias. If we downgrade our faith in the omnipresence of Christ due to his resurrection, we shall easily give up ‘fishing’ when we do not ‘catch’ anything and look for other lucrative and pleasurable jobs.

It is only when we firmly believe that the Living Lord does not abandon those who trust in him even in their emptiness and utter failures, we shall ‘catch’ plenty of ‘fish.’ Do we believe that without him we can do nothing (Jn 15:5) or catch nothing and with his strength we can do everything or gather more people into the ‘net’ or community based on his gospel-values? Together with St. Paul we can always cry out: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). Next to faith and trust comes the necessity of obedience to Jesus’ word. Just as Simon Peter and his companions obeyed the word of Jesus to cast their net once again and trusted in his promise that surely would get some fish, this text calls us also to trustful obedience in Jesus’ words and promises. How much do we obey the Lord as he speaks to us in his Word?

What could be the reason for our little or superficial faith? How is deeper faith in the Risen Lord generated? Though there could be several answers to these questions, today’s gospel tells us in clear terms that in order to recognize him we have to be like the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (21:7). He is commonly known as “the Beloved Disciple of the Lord,” What is more important for us is not so much to know who exactly this unnamed disciple was, but to understand that each one of us is called to become a beloved disciple of the Lord and recognize his hidden presence quickly even in our dark moments.  How? It is by our passionate love for the Lord. Only those who are passionately in love with him which is cultivated by an intimate friendship with him, and are constantly seeking after him, are the first ones to recognize the Risen Lord. In other words, the one who loves Jesus the most recognises him first.

The Risen Lord does not impose on us a forcible appearance or vision as the evil spirits or ghosts do (according to popular beliefs). People say these ghosts impose their mighty appearance on their victims. So, recognition of the Risen Lord depends on how closely or intimately we are related to him. It is clear that deeper intimacy with the Lord leads to deeper faith in him or in his presence. This kind of close friendship or communion with the Lord in prayer and reflection on his Word makes us attuned to his presence or makes our mind alert to the signs of his presence in good and bad, happy and sad events/ moments of our life. Then we ‘see’ and meet the Risen Lord in all the situations of our life and its tasks. This type of personal faith motivates us to ‘cast our nets’ again and again into the sea even though we are fed up and do not see any visible success.

The threefold question asked by Jesus to Peter whether he really loved him (21:15-17) is also asked to each one of us. First, Jesus asks us as he asked Peter whether we love him more than “these” (21:15), i.e. more than our jobs, possessions, career and comforts, or more than our family and friends, or more than anything and everybody else.  This question also implies whether we are willing now to let go of all our self-sufficiency and self-reliance and put our commitment only and totally in Jesus’ love for us. Jesus asks us whether we are going to remain faithful to him in all the ups and downs of life. Like Peter he asks us whether we are ready to follow him on the basis of faith alone and not anymore on the basis of our talents, capabilities and capacities or knowledge of Scripture. Like him, as disciples of Christ, and more specifically as Christian leaders in families, society, Christian institutions, religious communities and the Church (that is, in our shepherding role) we are asked not to rely fully and totally only on money, resources, projects, budgets, job, bank balance, life insurance, degrees, status or rank, abilities and talents, but on our personal and faithful love for the Risen Lord. In all our leadership roles (beginning from parenting up to carrying our responsibilities as chief executives) the main criterion is not how much we know or are qualified, but how much we love the Lord.

Today’s gospel establishes a close connection between loving Jesus more than anything or anybody else and tending/ feeding his lambs/ sheep. To those who love him, he entrusts the responsibility of taking care of his lambs first, then his sheep. So if we say we love him the most, we need to show it in action. we are called to show a special concern or to have a ‘soft corner’ for the ‘lambs’, namely, the lost, the lonely, the rejected, the deprived and the vulnerable without neglecting the care of the ‘sheep’, namely, the mature and the strong disciples. Though we have a responsibility to shepherd (lead, guide, protect, feed, nourish, care for) the whole flock, our preferential love goes towards the ‘lambs’ after the model of Christ himself. The Church is called to follow Jesus' example by doing works of mercy for the ‘lambs’ first and then the ‘sheep’. Just as Jesus indicated to Peter about his future death in Rome by “stretching out his hands” on the cross (21:18-19), our love for the Lord is further proved by our willingness to make sacrifices for his mission (of feeding his ‘lambs’ and ‘sheep’) by taking up the crosses that come on our way when we do this mission.

5.  Response to God's Word

Which is our ‘night’ in the present life-situation? Do we recognize that the Risen Lord is present even at night? If not, why? Is it because we are far away from him all these days? Do we recognise his hidden presence even in dark moments of our life? Are we worthy of being called his beloved disciples? How is our relationship with him? Intimate or distant? As teachers in educational institutions, do we have special concern for dull students; as parents for disobedient children; as leaders for the weaker section; as medical practitioners for those who cannot afford costly treatment…? Besides taking care of these (which is easier), do we have a special concern for the ‘lambs’ (which is tough)? Do we feel for these lambs? What sacrifices are needed to ‘feed’ (take care of) them?

6. A Prayer

Risen Lord, open the eyes of our faith that we may recognize you in our ordinary life and its tasks, especially when ‘night’ descends on us suddenly. In the dark moments of our lives, may we recognise you in faith and grow day by day in our vocation to become your beloved disciples by loving you passionately. Yes, Lord, we love you more than anything and everybody else.  Today we decide not to rely fully and totally only on money, resources, abilities and talents, but on our personal and faithful love for you. Grant that we may prove our love for you by remaining faithful to the responsibility of feeding the lambs and tending the sheep entrusted to our care by you. Amen.

Second Sunday of Easter (C)

 Second Sunday of Easter Year C [Jn 20:19-31]

24.04.2022

The Risen Lord Appears to the Disciples

Readings: (1) Acts 5:12-16 (2) Rev 1:9-11a.12-13.17-19

1.    Theme in brief:

Liberation from fears and doubts and mission-empowerment

2.    Focus Statement:

Faith in the power of the Lord’s resurrection can liberate us from our fears due to which we are shut in, and make us worthy to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit with whose strength we can carry forward his mission of peace and reconciliation.

3.    Explanation of the text

The sudden appearance of the Risen Lord in the midst of disciples on the evening of “the first day of the week” (that is, Sunday) in spite of locked doors (“for fear of the Jews,” 20:19) and barriers of walls, shows that now he has transcended all the barriers and blocks established by humans due to their fears (real or imaginary), prejudices, narrow-mindedness and selfishness.

Further, this appearance has a double significance:

(1) He is now having a spiritual or resurrected body endowed with all the divine glory; hence he can pass through the walls and locked doors (20:19); he is not bound by space and time any more. (2) He is in close solidarity with humanity, offering them something they long for; that is, peace and joy (20:19-21). The scars of wounds on his hands and his side confirm that he is the same Jesus who was crucified (20:20). The joy of the disciples when they see him is only a fulfilment of the promise he made at the Last Supper: “I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you” (16:22).

According to today’s gospel, as the Risen Lord appears to his disciples, he imparts four precious gifts to them:

(1)   The gift of peace, with his twice repeated words: “Peace be with you” (20:19, 21). In biblical language peace involves all-round well-being, harmony and building up of human relationships (20:19, 21). In the OT, peace is closely associated with the blessing of God and salvation to be brought by the Messiah. This peace restores them to inner security and fearlessness.

(2)   The gift of the Holy Spirit, with the words: “Receive the Holy Spirit” and with the gesture of “breathing” on them (20:22). Since breath symbolizes life, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is the Risen Lord’s own breath or life. Just as God had breathed into the nostrils of the first man (Adam) the breath of life, and he had become a living being (Gen 2:7), so also Jesus breathes on his disciples in a similar fashion. By giving them the Holy Spirit he makes them a new creation or imparts new life into them leading to the birth of a new community, the Church. Breathing on them may also refer to prophet Ezekiel’s prophecy to the dry bones (37:1-14). The apostles are now like dry bones – lifeless and full of fear. Like the prophet, Jesus causes his breath or life (= Holy Spirit) enter into the dry bones and they begin to live (Ez 37:9, 14). The Holy Spirit regenerates or rejuvenates them in such a way that they emerge from their hideouts to become courageous witnesses of the Lord.  

(3)   A mission mandate, with the words: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (20:21). He sends them into the world to continue the mission for which his Father had sent him. This mission should be understood in terms of John’s main themes – to share God’s (divine) life, light and truth with others; to dispel darkness of sin and death and to love one another as he loved and to lay down their life in humble and sacrificial service for others.  

(4)   Power to forgive or retain the sins of any (20:23). He gives them a share in his power to forgive sins so that they may proclaim the forgiving love of God and carry forward his own earthly ministry of reconciliation.

Though we come to know from the synoptic gospels also that many of Jesus’ disciples had doubted about his resurrection (cf. Mt 28:17), here in John’s gospel Thomas is singled out as a representative of all of us, who sometimes doubt in God’s work and demand physical proofs or spectacular miracles (20:25). The Risen Lord makes use of this episode of the doubting Thomas to point out the necessity of putting our faith in him without seeking for miracles or firsthand experience. He declares people who arrive at such faith based on the testimony of the firsthand witnesses as equally “blessed” (20:29).

4.    Application to life                      

The Risen Lord’s sudden appearance in the midst of disciples even when the doors were locked for fear of “the Jews” (that is, Jewish authorities), symbolizes his power: (1) to cross the limits of space and time; (2) to liberate us from our fears due to which we are shut in; and (3) to reassure us in our doubts of faith. By passing through the walls and locked doors of the house where the disciples had met, the Risen Lord makes it clear that now he is present in any situation and place if only we can ‘see’ his presence with the eyes of faith. He has transcended all the barriers and blocks established by human nature or culture such as distinctions of nationality, race, ethnicity, caste, class, kinship, group, party and religion. He can unlock the doors or break the walls erected by our prejudices, narrow-mindedness and selfishness.

In our social conversation normally we speak in these terms: “we" men and “they” women; “we" Christians and “they” non-Christians; “we" nationals and “they” foreigners; “we" locals and “they” outsiders; “we” tribals and “they” non-tribals; “we" lay people and “they” clergy/religious; etc. There is nothing wrong in these expressions as log as they are mere terms of reference. But we need to examine whether they go beyond normalcy and border on racism, casteism, tribalism, groupism, ethnic conflicts, prejudices or hatred or labeling of “those people there”, or excluding them, etc.

If deeply rooted prejudices, hatted, segregation, discrimination, divisions, ill-treatment based on racial, caste, tribal, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diffrences exist within our Christian community, worse still, within religious communities and clergy, we narrow down the Risen Christ’s presence to a limited place, group, culture or situation. This is equal to not believing that Christ is really risen from the dead. Let our attitude be like this: the Risen Lord is not “here alone” (that is in my kinship circles, ethnic community, caste, tribe or group alone) but equally present in all peoples, cultures and situations. If we really believe that Christ is risen from the dead, we cannot keep him confined to only our group/ tribe/ caste/ race or restrict him to one situation only. Secondly, if we believe that the Risen Lord is present in all situations of life, we begin to ‘see’ his presence not only in pleasant and joyful situations but also in sorrowful and painful ones. When sorrow comes, where is he? Can we say: “He is here in our sorrows because he is risen from the dead.”

Today’s gospel text highlights two important aspects of any believer’s life, namely, fears and doubts of faith. First, the text says that the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jewish authorities (20:19). Like the apostles, we are often tempted to lock our ‘doors’ out of so many fears in us – both real and imaginary. Just imagine the conscious and subconscious fears haunting the minds of many of us – fear of failure in an examination, of losing in a game or match, of being robbed, of being attacked by an enemy, of remaining unemployed, of losing a job, of being killed in a bomb blast or accident, of ridicule/ criticism/ negative remarks by others, of darkness, of public speaking, of dreadful sicknesses like cancer and heart attack, of being left alone in old age, of losing one’s dignity and reputation, of breakage of relationships, of our children getting into deviant or criminal behaviour, of natural or man-made calamities (like accidents, floods, earthquakes, cyclones), of untimely or unprepared death, etc. There are also fears of what others may think of us or say to us, especially when we try to behave a little different from the general trends in our society. Then of course, there is a fear of the unknown future.

When these fears (whether real or imaginary) take control of us and rule over our minds, they keep us chained and locked within the narrow space of our own souls. Instead of the Lord directing our lives, these fears become an independent force driving us where we may not like to go. The imaginary or unrealistic (baseless) fears are our worst masters who control or drive us to wrong directions such as depression, disappointment, meaninglessness, emptiness, etc. Robin Sharma rightly says: "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when an adult is afraid of the light.” Quite often we are afraid of saying and doing what is right. The light of the Risen Lord can free us from the chains of fears (especially, imaginary or baseless ones), if we really believe in the power of his resurrection. If the Risen Lord is with us and for us, who or what can be against us (Rom 8:31-39)?

Armed with this firm faith, we need to admit our powerlessness to change the things we cannot, and surrender our lives into the hands of the living Lord. Our outer security may come from walled compounds, grill-gates, locks, bodyguards, bullet-proof vests, protective parents and companions; but our inner security comes from the power of the Risen Lord and his gift of peace – inner harmony. With his power we can overcome fear of hardship, distress, danger, persecution, peril and death. Let us place the bundle of fears before the Risen Lord and ask him to liberate us from all imaginary fears and give us the grace to face real fears with courage.

Secondly, after fears, come our doubts, epitomized by ‘doubting’ Thomas’ case in today’s gospel. They too are a part of every believer’s life. Like the apostles, we doubt whether all our efforts will be fruitful; whether our plans will succeed; whether there is a God who allows the just to suffer; and why does he allow it? We think, if God could prove his almighty powers through spectacular miracles and visions, all people of the earth could easily believe in him. Today’s gospel tells us that seeing extraordinary signs and miracles is not a guarantee of faith. When Thomas demanded such a proof from Jesus by showing the marks of nails in his hands and allow him to touch his wounds, Jesus gave him a chance to do so with another appearance (20:26-27).

Today’s gospel does not tell us whether Thomas really touched Jesus’ wounds. Without arriving at a deeper level of faith, even if he had touched, he could have said that it was a ghost or just a hallucination. Unlike the apostles, our faith usually doesn’t come from direct encounter with the Risen Lord, but from the testimony of others. The action of the Risen Lord on our life is so mysterious that it cannot be seen. When unexpected, surprising and extraordinary things or events happen in our life, some believe in God’s mighty intervention and others do not. Faith in the Risen Lord leads us to a total surrender or submission to his plans and designs by acclaiming: “You alone are the Lord of my life; youy alone are my Higher Power. I bow down to you in total submission” (cf.20:28).

At baptism, the Lord had already breathed his Spirit into us and made us a new creation. In spite of that we become like dry bones lacking zeal in Christian commitment. In this Easter Season we must open our hearts to the Risen Lord and beg him to breathe his Spirit into us and renew/re-create us. With the empowerment of his Spirit, the Lord continues to send us even today with his mission – to share his peace where it is broken, to reconcile where there is disharmony, to breathe a fresh life where there is no life or where people sit in the shadow of death, to dispel the darkness of sin and to lay down their life in humble service for others. He opens the doors of forgiveness for us, so that we too can become agents of reconciliation. Let us ask ourselves whether in our families, neighbourhood and communities we are known as peacemakers or peace-breakers. Sometimes for the sake of peace and harmony we have to humble ourselves and accept our mistakes and renounce our views. Do we do it? If we do so, the winds of new life and joy, harmony and reconciliation – the breath of the Spirit of the Risen Lord - will blow over our families and communities. 

5.    Response to God's Word

What are our present real or imaginary fears? For the sake of peace and harmony, do we humble ourselves to accept our mistakes and bad behaviour? Are we known as peacemakers or peace-breakers? Does our faith in the Risen Lord enable us to recognize his universal presence in people outside our ethnic group and accept the truth from any person of good will? If we nurse strong prejudices and misconceptions about others’ religion, race, caste, ethnic background, past mistakes and bad record, what does it show? Do our occasional doubts of faith finally lead us to a faith-surrender to accept Jesus as our Lord and God? What makes us look like dry bones, lacking vitality?

6.    A prayer

Jesus, my Lord and my God, I offer you all my real and imaginary fears and doubts of faith. Be my driving force when I am plagued with fear of the unknown. When you, the Risen Lord, are with me and for me, who or what can be against me? I believe that in all my fears, doubts and perils I am more than a conqueror through you who loves me. Breathe into me the fresh breath of the Holy Spirit and re-create me. Here am I; send me with the empowerment of your Spirit to continue your mission of building up peace, harmony and reconciliation. Amen.

 

 

EASTER SUNDAY (C)

 Easter Sunday Year C [Jn 20:1-9]

17.04.2022

The Discovery of the Empty Tomb and Faith in the Resurrection

Readings: (1) Acts 10:34.37-43 (2) Col 3:1-4

1.  Theme in brief:

Looking for the Risen Lord with an intensity of love and faith

2.  Focus Statement:

Each one of us can become the beloved disciple of the Risen Lord by the intensity of our love for him, which enables us to run faster for him than before, and recognize his powerful presence promptly in all situations.

3.  Explanation of the text

According to today’s gospel when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus early on the first day of the week, she found the stone of the tomb removed (20:1). Mary Magdalene’s discovery of the empty tomb and her observation of removal of the stone symbolize Jesus’ victory over the power of death and darkness (evil or satanic forces). She sets out to visit Jesus’ tomb “while it was still dark” (20:1). This symbolizes as the disciple who is in darkness, the one who lacks faith in the resurrection, going in search of the One who is the Light of the world. According to John a disciple is the one who constantly looks for or is in search of the Master. This is clear from the fact that Jesus asked the first two disciples (Andrew and his companion) who followed him because of the testimony of John the Baptist, “What are you looking for?” (1:38). Now Jesus asks the same question after his resurrection when he appears Mar Magdalene: “Woman…whom are you looking for” (20:15)? Here Mary Magdalene is depicted as a woman disciple who is constantly in search of the Master even after death. Obviously, she goes to the tomb of Jesus not to anoint his body (as Mk and Lk say), but in search of the one whom she loved most. Her loving devotion will be rewarded later on with the gift of a special appearance (20:14-15).

We need to carefully notice in today’s gospel text the characteristics of “the other disciple” or “the one whom Jesus loves” (20:2-4). He is never named. Many think he is the fourth evangelist (John) himself. Commentators call him the Beloved Disciple of the Lord. When he and Simon Peter hear the word from Mary Magdalene about the empty tomb, they run towards it. But the Beloved Disciple manages to outrun Peter in the race (20:4).  His exemplary love for Jesus motivates him to run faster for Jesus and his cause. As soon as he reaches the tomb, he peeps into it and sees the linen cloths lying on the ground without the body. He waits for Peter and allows him to go into the tomb first. When Peter sees the same thing what the other disciple saw, there is no immediate response or reaction from him. But when the Beloved Disciple goes in, he sees and believes promptly that Jesus has risen from the dead (20:9). Both of them see the same thing in the tomb (the linen wrappings lying there), but the Beloved Disciple sees the same thing with the eyes of faith and believes first ((20:8). The intensity of his love towards Jesus stimulates faith instantly.

The fourth evangelist here may be contrasting Peter’s denial (unfaithfulness) during Jesus’ passion to the faithfulness of the Beloved Disciple who stood by the cross till the last moment and was able to believe in the resurrection. By staying close to Jesus in his suffering he proves to be really the Beloved Disciple. Though many of us presume that this disciple is John himself, nowhere he is clearly identified. This Beloved Disciple seems to symbolize all the disciples of Jesus who are invited to become his beloved. He is presented as a model for all believers so that they can be first to love, first to recognize the Risen Lord in faith (“believe”) and first to remain faithful to him. He is also a model of arriving at faith in the resurrection without looking for physical proofs or spectacular miracles. Thus he is contrasted with Thomas who later doubted about the truth of resurrection and demanded dramatic proofs. In that place also the Risen Lord will re-emphasize the necessity of faith without seeking for miracles and visions, and declare people who arrive at such faith as “blessed” (20:29).

4.  Application to life                      

From today’s gospel text we come to know how three disciples of Jesus (Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple) respond to the reality of the resurrection in three different ways. Mary Magdalene is presented as a faithful disciple who is constantly looking for (seeking after) the Master even after his death. She must have been shattered by the shameful death of her Master on the cross and must have felt emptiness within herself at such a loss. Not only that she experiences physical separation from Jesus who has touched her life so much, but also spiritual darkness – because she has not yet come to faith in the resurrection by which she can ‘see’ the presence of the Risen Lord in every dark moment of life. That is why she is presented as a disciple who is at a great loss and in utter darkness going in search of the Light of the Risen Lord. The discovery of the empty tomb symbolizes her own loss and emptiness first at the death of her Master which is now doubled at the loss of his body from the tomb. Like her, whenever we experience emptiness or meaninglessness of life we resemble that empty tomb. We expect God to take away our emptiness miraculously without any effort such as faithful and constant search for the Lord in faith after her example. When that does not happen we lose patience and dilute our faith in the Lord.

If our love and devotion for the Lord is as intense as Mary Magdalene, we get the strength to search for him even in dark moments of our life. Surely, he will reward our love and faith by assuring his mysterious presence even during “the dark night of our souls”. If we firmly believe that Jesus has risen indeed, we can see the presence of the One who is living everywhere and in every situation with the eyes of faith, even when we are walking in the valley of tears. The moment we allow evil forces (or forces of death) take control of us, we are cut off from our life’s source (God) and become a rudderless ship. Let us invoke the power of the Risen Lord in total faith so that he can remove this ‘stone’ (obstacle to faith) and give the strength to win a decisive victory over the forces of death. The celebration of the feast of Resurrection urges us to invoke the power of the Risen Lord over these forces so that we can win a victory of faith.

Secondly, we have Simon Peter who is presented as a disciple who is slower in believing than the Beloved Disciple. His relationship with the Master has undergone ups and downs. He is very much shattered for another reason – his failure as a leader. His cowardice has led him to deny his Master. But he does not stop running for the Lord along with the Beloved Disciple until he reaches the height of faithfulness. Is this not our story too? In spite of our occasional failures and unfaithfulness we are called to be another Peter; called not to lose hope and not to stop running for the Lord’s mission. We hope that one day we shall overcome like Peter…

Thirdly, we have an unnamed disciple called the Beloved Disciple. It looks as if Simon Peter and this disciple were engaged in a running competition on Easter morning. Of course, both of them were running for Jesus. But the Beloved Disciple was running faster than Peter. The reason is not that he was younger and could run faster. This running race symbolizes a disciple’s intense love for the Master and personal attachment to his cause, or it could symbolize a disciple’s eagerness to look for the Master in every situation of life. It is clear that Peter was not ‘running fast’ for Jesus from his past failure. Though we too are running, we do not run with full vigour and passion. Sometimes we do not know actually whom are we running for.  Where is the cause and finishing line? Each one of us is called to become a beloved disciple of the Lord by loving him with such intensity day after day that we can run faster for him than before with passion and devotion. Today, those of us who have gathered to celebrate the New Life of Jesus are invited to resolve to be more enthusiastic, zealous and committed to his cause.

Like the Beloved Disciple, if we love Jesus the most, we can recognize his glorious and powerful presence promptly with the eyes of faith in all situations, places and persons. Our dedicated love will lead us to recognize his love at work everywhere; in our family, community and society. Sometimes we do not know actually whom are we running for. While we do any dedicated service in family, society, workplace and the Church, if some opposition and criticism makes us give up our good work, then it is understood that we are not doing it for the Lord or out of love for him. It looks as if we are doing everything to please others and to get praise and honour for ourselves.

We normally believe and trust those people whom we love more. Similarly, if we love Jesus more than anything else, we shall trust him more and recognize his hidden presence even in unpleasant and bitter experiences. We trust that his presence is hidden in them because we love him. Loving him implies both intimacy with him through prayer, Word of God and sacraments, and also loving his values by practice. If there is love in our hearts, we do not require dramatic proofs or heavenly visions. We become blessed because we believe without seeing the Lord physically. We normally do not see the love of those who love us. However, we see the signs of love in their special concern for us. Through these signs we recognize their love only if we have a heart to see. 

5.  Response to God's Word

Do we firmly believe that life can emerge from empty tomb, and light can shine out of darkness? Can we see the signs of the Risen Lord’s presence in our lives? Does our intense love for Him stimulate us to love those whom he loves, namely, the needy and the lost sheep? Do we look for the Risen Lord in all situations, especially in dark moments of our life? Does it lead us to a greater faith-commitment? Do we also recognize the signs of his love expressed through the sacraments, especially thee Eucharist? Does it stimulate greater faith in us? Today the Church invites us to be the beloved disciples of the Risen Lord by a deeper love-relationship and faith-commitment. What is our response?

6.  A prayer

Risen Lord, grant that like Mary Magdalene, our love and devotion for you lead us to search for you even in dark moments of our life. Reward our love and faith by assuring your mysterious presence even when we walk through the dark tunnel and meaninglessness of our life. Iincrease our faith that we may recognize your powerful presence promptly with the eyes of faith in all situations, places and persons. May we become your beloved disciples by loving you with such intensity day after day that we can look for you and work for you with more enthusiasm and commitment than before. Grant that this intensity of love may lead us to recognize your love at work in our family, community and society. Amen.

EASTER VIGIL (C)

 EEEAS               EASTER SEASON YEAR C

Easter Vigil [Lk 24:1-12]

16.04.2022

The Resurrection of Jesus

Readings: OT (1) Gen 1:1-2:2  (2) Gen 22:1-18  (3) Ex 14:15-15:1  (4) Is 54:5-14  (5) Is 55:1-11  (6) Bar 3;9-15.32-4:4  (7) Ez 36:16-28; NT (8) Rom 6:3-11

1.    Theme in brief:

Meeting the Risen Lord among the living.

2.    Focus Statement:

As Jesus is risen, now he is not found among the dead, but among the living; hence, we have to look for him beyond the tomb, and meet him in faith in all situations and among all people.

3.    Explanation of the text

Today’s gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene and other women disciples of Jesus had gone to the tomb with the spices they had prepared, understandably to anoint Jesus’ body as a sign of love, devotion, and respect (24:1). When he died, they could not pay their tribute to the body of the Person whom they loved ardently by performing the last rites of anointing the body with spices as per Jewish custom. Since the Jewish Sabbath had already begun soon after Jesus’ burial, the regulations of the Sabbath forbade such work. This gospel text shows how the fervent and faithful love of the holy women even after his death  was rewarded with the joyful news given by “two men in dazzling clothes” (presumably angels, 24:4) that he has risen (24:5). Luke says that they had gone to the tomb on “the first day of the week” (that is, Sunday as per Jewish calendar) at early dawn (24:1). [Hence Sunday became the Day of the (Risen) Lord and Sabbath day for the Christian community, whereas for the Jews the Sabbath was the last day of the week or the seventh day (Saturday).]

When the holy women reached the tomb of Jesus they were perplexed to find the stone rolled away from the tomb and the body of Jesus missing (24:2-3). The rolling away of the stone symbolizes the victory of Jesus over the forces of death. By his resurrection, Jesus has overcome death and has opened up an eternal destiny beyond their physical death for those who believe in him. The angel of the Lord said to the women: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (24:5). "He" – that is, Jesus who lived in Nazareth, walked in a limited region of Palestine, taught the new Law, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died a shameful death on a cross and buried in this tomb is not "here." Because he is risen from the dead, now he is no more limited or confined to the place where they laid him, that is, to the place of his burial or to the space of his earthly life. Now he can break all barriers, walls, limitations and boundaries established by human beings and continue to save anyone who believes in his name.

Hence, the women were told by the angels that they were searching for him in the wrong place, among the dead, as if he was still dead; or in a limited space, as if he was confined only to the place where they buried him (24:5). Since he is risen, now he is a living reality, and they can meet him anywhere and in any situation through faith. The fact that Jesus is not here in the tomb (24:5) can be physically verified by the women because it is empty, but the fact that he has risen can be believed only in faith. Their bowing down of heads may symbolize their attempt to fix their minds only on physical vision.

The women become the first witnesses and proclaimers of faith in the resurrection of Christ (24:9). In the beginning the eleven apostles find the news about Jesus’ resurrection incredible and dismiss it as an “idle tale” (24:11) or as they say in modern English ‘the old wives’ tale’. As Mary said in her Magnificat, truly the powerful apostles are brought down from their thrones and the lowly women are lifted up (Lk 1:52).

4.    Application to life

Tonight we have gathered here to proclaim that Jesus is truly risen; hence he truly lives. Our Christian life or discipleship is a constant search for the Risen Lord. Tonight’s gospel text cautions us not to look or search for him among the dead or not to consider him as though he were a corpse still to be found in the tomb. After his resurrection, Jesus is not among the dead, but he is among the living. Hence, in order to find him, just as the women were told by the angels, we should not limit our search to the tomb or only to one place or situation. Nor should we limit our search for him and the need to find him only to this or any other place of worship (church), prayer, liturgy, or the limited space of our selfish desires. The gospel text invites us to look for or seek the Risen Lord away from the tomb in all situations of our life – in our joys and sorrows, daily problems and struggles, crises, calamities, trials, risks, disappointments and frustrations. We have to seek him in faith and discover him in the midst of our lives. We have to recognise him as he speaks to us in the Scriptures and comes to us as our spiritual food in the Eucharist.

If we believe that Jesus is alive, for us he is not just a hero or a great historical figure, but a living presence. His presence cannot be reduced merely to the pages of the Bible or any religious book, or a statue in a church, or to a tabernacle. He is no more in the tomb; he is a living reality. Now we are not following just an idea or ideology, a dream or an imagination, but a Living Person. It is not just enough to study him or know him theoretically, but because he lives, we can meet him in faith in all situations. Yes, if we really believe this, we shall feel his presence as he walks with us on our mountains of joy and in our valleys of tears, in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us.

Because Jesus lives, and if we firmly believe in his living presence, we can experience his peace in the midst of our disturbed and anxious minds, his providence in our deprivation, his support in our weakness and his outstretched arms in our fall and failures. Because he lives, we merely do not teach lessons from the life of a Great Teacher; we proclaim and testify to the world what we have ‘seen’ or experienced when we are touched by his powerful presence in the midst of our life-situations (cf. 1 Jn 1:1-2). He is in our Bethlehems; he is in our Gethsemanes; he is in our Golgothas; he is on our Mount Tabors; and he is in our Galilees. Because he lives, we can see something good in everything, however painful and disgusting an experience may be. Yes, because he lives, we believe that he is with us in all the ups and downs of life and will be with us for ever.

From the testimony of the resurrection given by the devout women, we come to know that those who ‘seek’ Jesus with love, devotion and faith, encounter him in impossible situations, even in death. The faithful love of the women disciples is a great inspiration to all of us not to give up our good initiatives/ welfare activities/ service when we meet hurdles/ opposition/ discouragement. These women prove the old traditional saying: “Two men looked through the prison bars; one saw mud, the other stars.” When the rest of them gave up, the women remained faithful, hoping something good against all hopes. When others saw mud, they looked beyond it by remaining faithful to their Master.

As the women initially responded to the sight of empty tomb by bowing their faces to the ground, if our gaze is fixed only on the tomb, that is exclusively on material things and worldly concerns, and if we fail to see him beyond the ‘tomb’ built by our selfishness and attachment to these things, then he is no more living for us. If we live exclusively for money, higher and higher status, more and more prestige, greater and greater income, and fail to see anything beyond this ‘tomb,’ then we are dead, that is, just existing rather than truly living. If we have no aim or cause to live and die for, then we die several times before we really die. Yes, the tomb is empty; we will not find him there. We will not find him where forces of death are at work; where a culture of death, violence and ‘might-is-right’ policy rules. We will not find him where greed, corruption and dishonesty rule. Nor will we find him only in ‘Jerusalem’ – the centre of Jewish worship or the places of our present worship. He is not confined to only church, prayer and this solemn and elaborate liturgy of Easter Vigil.

Today’s gospel invites us to look for the presence of the Risen Lord speciality among the marginalized people in our globalized and pluralistic world. We have to ‘seek’ him in a more committed manner among the poor, the sick, the underprivileged, the deprived, the suffering and the downtrodden and make the Risen Lord’s face of mercy shine on them by doing works of mercy for such people. He wants that we show a preferential love for the poor and the marginalized by our service to them. We make his presence active and striking when we continue his mission to bring life to those who are in death-like situations. By doing works of mercy for the underprivileged and the downtrodden we bring them the joy of the resurrection. Then “the tender mercy of our God” will break upon those who “sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Lk 1:78-79).

The message of Easter is the message of God’s mercy winning a victory over the forces of hatred, intolerance and violence. There forces are the forces of darkness and death. The question is whether we are and shall remain faithful to his mission of doing works of mercy in the midst of darkness and shadows of death. It is through our deeds of mercy done to the least ones, the dawn of the resurrection will break upon them (Lk 1:78).

Those who think that it is pointless to live and pointless to die with hope are already dead. For them the stone blocking the tomb is not yet rolled away. Besides, our lack of faith, sin or hardheartedness and self-centredness could be considered as the stones that block our vision of the Risen Lord. Today’s gospel invites us to roll away these obstructing stones. If we believe that Jesus is really living, others can notice it in our lives. After all, the fact of the resurrection was established by the effect it had on the lives of the apostles. They were totally transformed from cowardice to courageous witnesses. Do people notice the traces of Christ’s living presence in our conduct?-

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we seek the Risen Lord in all situations? Do we have faith enough to recognize the presence of the Risen Lord? Do we feel that Jesus is risen in us and in the world we live? What are the effects of Jesus’ living presence on our life and behaviour? By what signs we can know that Jesus is really living and active in our homes, neighbourhood and the Church? Have we locked up Jesus in our narrow and selfish world? Do we ‘see’ Jesus among the poor and the marginalized? Do we allow the Easter Light to dispel the darkness of sin, and baptismal water to cleanse us from evil? What are forces of death that rule our life, over which we need to win a victory with the power of the Risen Lord?

6.    A prayer

Risen Lord, open the eyes of our faith that we may seek you and discover your presence in the midst of our lives – its problems, trials, struggles, joys and sorrows. Roll away the obstructing stones which block our vision beyond the limited space of our selfish desires. Grant that we may recognise you as you speak to us in the Scriptures and come to us as our spiritual food in the Eucharist. Walk with us Lord, in our valley of tears, in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us. May we experience your support in our weaknesses and your outstretched arms in our fall and failures. Amen.

 

EEEAS

EASTER SEASON YEAR C

Easter Vigil [Lk 24:1-12]

16.04.2022

The Resurrection of Jesus

Readings: OT (1) Gen 1:1-2:2  (2) Gen 22:1-18  (3) Ex 14:15-15:1  (4) Is 54:5-14  (5) Is 55:1-11  (6) Bar 3;9-15.32-4:4  (7) Ez 36:16-28; NT (8) Rom 6:3-11

1.    Theme in brief:

Meeting the Risen Lord among the living.

2.    Focus Statement:

As Jesus is risen, now he is not found among the dead, but among the living; hence, we have to look for him beyond the tomb, and meet him in faith in all situations and among all people.

3.    Explanation of the text

Today’s gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene and other women disciples of Jesus had gone to the tomb with the spices they had prepared, understandably to anoint Jesus’ body as a sign of love, devotion, and respect (24:1). When he died, they could not pay their tribute to the body of the Person whom they loved ardently by performing the last rites of anointing the body with spices as per Jewish custom. Since the Jewish Sabbath had already begun soon after Jesus’ burial, the regulations of the Sabbath forbade such work. This gospel text shows how the fervent and faithful love of the holy women even after his death  was rewarded with the joyful news given by “two men in dazzling clothes” (presumably angels, 24:4) that he has risen (24:5). Luke says that they had gone to the tomb on “the first day of the week” (that is, Sunday as per Jewish calendar) at early dawn (24:1). [Hence Sunday became the Day of the (Risen) Lord and Sabbath day for the Christian community, whereas for the Jews the Sabbath was the last day of the week or the seventh day (Saturday).]

When the holy women reached the tomb of Jesus they were perplexed to find the stone rolled away from the tomb and the body of Jesus missing (24:2-3). The rolling away of the stone symbolizes the victory of Jesus over the forces of death. By his resurrection, Jesus has overcome death and has opened up an eternal destiny beyond their physical death for those who believe in him. The angel of the Lord said to the women: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (24:5). "He" – that is, Jesus who lived in Nazareth, walked in a limited region of Palestine, taught the new Law, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died a shameful death on a cross and buried in this tomb is not "here." Because he is risen from the dead, now he is no more limited or confined to the place where they laid him, that is, to the place of his burial or to the space of his earthly life. Now he can break all barriers, walls, limitations and boundaries established by human beings and continue to save anyone who believes in his name.

Hence, the women were told by the angels that they were searching for him in the wrong place, among the dead, as if he was still dead; or in a limited space, as if he was confined only to the place where they buried him (24:5). Since he is risen, now he is a living reality, and they can meet him anywhere and in any situation through faith. The fact that Jesus is not here in the tomb (24:5) can be physically verified by the women because it is empty, but the fact that he has risen can be believed only in faith. Their bowing down of heads may symbolize their attempt to fix their minds only on physical vision.

The women become the first witnesses and proclaimers of faith in the resurrection of Christ (24:9). In the beginning the eleven apostles find the news about Jesus’ resurrection incredible and dismiss it as an “idle tale” (24:11) or as they say in modern English ‘the old wives’ tale’. As Mary said in her Magnificat, truly the powerful apostles are brought down from their thrones and the lowly women are lifted up (Lk 1:52).

4.    Application to life

Tonight we have gathered here to proclaim that Jesus is truly risen; hence he truly lives. Our Christian life or discipleship is a constant search for the Risen Lord. Tonight’s gospel text cautions us not to look or search for him among the dead or not to consider him as though he were a corpse still to be found in the tomb. After his resurrection, Jesus is not among the dead, but he is among the living. Hence, in order to find him, just as the women were told by the angels, we should not limit our search to the tomb or only to one place or situation. Nor should we limit our search for him and the need to find him only to this or any other place of worship (church), prayer, liturgy, or the limited space of our selfish desires. The gospel text invites us to look for or seek the Risen Lord away from the tomb in all situations of our life – in our joys and sorrows, daily problems and struggles, crises, calamities, trials, risks, disappointments and frustrations. We have to seek him in faith and discover him in the midst of our lives. We have to recognise him as he speaks to us in the Scriptures and comes to us as our spiritual food in the Eucharist.

If we believe that Jesus is alive, for us he is not just a hero or a great historical figure, but a living presence. His presence cannot be reduced merely to the pages of the Bible or any religious book, or a statue in a church, or to a tabernacle. He is no more in the tomb; he is a living reality. Now we are not following just an idea or ideology, a dream or an imagination, but a Living Person. It is not just enough to study him or know him theoretically, but because he lives, we can meet him in faith in all situations. Yes, if we really believe this, we shall feel his presence as he walks with us on our mountains of joy and in our valleys of tears, in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us.

Because Jesus lives, and if we firmly believe in his living presence, we can experience his peace in the midst of our disturbed and anxious minds, his providence in our deprivation, his support in our weakness and his outstretched arms in our fall and failures. Because he lives, we merely do not teach lessons from the life of a Great Teacher; we proclaim and testify to the world what we have ‘seen’ or experienced when we are touched by his powerful presence in the midst of our life-situations (cf. 1 Jn 1:1-2). He is in our Bethlehems; he is in our Gethsemanes; he is in our Golgothas; he is on our Mount Tabors; and he is in our Galilees. Because he lives, we can see something good in everything, however painful and disgusting an experience may be. Yes, because he lives, we believe that he is with us in all the ups and downs of life and will be with us for ever.

From the testimony of the resurrection given by the devout women, we come to know that those who ‘seek’ Jesus with love, devotion and faith, encounter him in impossible situations, even in death. The faithful love of the women disciples is a great inspiration to all of us not to give up our good initiatives/ welfare activities/ service when we meet hurdles/ opposition/ discouragement. These women prove the old traditional saying: “Two men looked through the prison bars; one saw mud, the other stars.” When the rest of them gave up, the women remained faithful, hoping something good against all hopes. When others saw mud, they looked beyond it by remaining faithful to their Master.

As the women initially responded to the sight of empty tomb by bowing their faces to the ground, if our gaze is fixed only on the tomb, that is exclusively on material things and worldly concerns, and if we fail to see him beyond the ‘tomb’ built by our selfishness and attachment to these things, then he is no more living for us. If we live exclusively for money, higher and higher status, more and more prestige, greater and greater income, and fail to see anything beyond this ‘tomb,’ then we are dead, that is, just existing rather than truly living. If we have no aim or cause to live and die for, then we die several times before we really die. Yes, the tomb is empty; we will not find him there. We will not find him where forces of death are at work; where a culture of death, violence and ‘might-is-right’ policy rules. We will not find him where greed, corruption and dishonesty rule. Nor will we find him only in ‘Jerusalem’ – the centre of Jewish worship or the places of our present worship. He is not confined to only church, prayer and this solemn and elaborate liturgy of Easter Vigil.

Today’s gospel invites us to look for the presence of the Risen Lord speciality among the marginalized people in our globalized and pluralistic world. We have to ‘seek’ him in a more committed manner among the poor, the sick, the underprivileged, the deprived, the suffering and the downtrodden and make the Risen Lord’s face of mercy shine on them by doing works of mercy for such people. He wants that we show a preferential love for the poor and the marginalized by our service to them. We make his presence active and striking when we continue his mission to bring life to those who are in death-like situations. By doing works of mercy for the underprivileged and the downtrodden we bring them the joy of the resurrection. Then “the tender mercy of our God” will break upon those who “sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Lk 1:78-79).

The message of Easter is the message of God’s mercy winning a victory over the forces of hatred, intolerance and violence. There forces are the forces of darkness and death. The question is whether we are and shall remain faithful to his mission of doing works of mercy in the midst of darkness and shadows of death. It is through our deeds of mercy done to the least ones, the dawn of the resurrection will break upon them (Lk 1:78).

Those who think that it is pointless to live and pointless to die with hope are already dead. For them the stone blocking the tomb is not yet rolled away. Besides, our lack of faith, sin or hardheartedness and self-centredness could be considered as the stones that block our vision of the Risen Lord. Today’s gospel invites us to roll away these obstructing stones. If we believe that Jesus is really living, others can notice it in our lives. After all, the fact of the resurrection was established by the effect it had on the lives of the apostles. They were totally transformed from cowardice to courageous witnesses. Do people notice the traces of Christ’s living presence in our conduct?-

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we seek the Risen Lord in all situations? Do we have faith enough to recognize the presence of the Risen Lord? Do we feel that Jesus is risen in us and in the world we live? What are the effects of Jesus’ living presence on our life and behaviour? By what signs we can know that Jesus is really living and active in our homes, neighbourhood and the Church? Have we locked up Jesus in our narrow and selfish world? Do we ‘see’ Jesus among the poor and the marginalized? Do we allow the Easter Light to dispel the darkness of sin, and baptismal water to cleanse us from evil? What are forces of death that rule our life, over which we need to win a victory with the power of the Risen Lord?

6.    A prayer

Risen Lord, open the eyes of our faith that we may seek you and discover your presence in the midst of our lives – its problems, trials, struggles, joys and sorrows. Roll away the obstructing stones which block our vision beyond the limited space of our selfish desires. Grant that we may recognise you as you speak to us in the Scriptures and come to us as our spiritual food in the Eucharist. Walk with us Lord, in our valley of tears, in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us. May we experience your support in our weaknesses and your outstretched arms in our fall and failures. Amen.