Por Fr. Ed Liptak, SDB

With boldness, St. Peter filled with the Holy Spirit spoke to the crowd and accused them bluntly, “You denied the Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be released to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised Him from the dead.” Thus, Peter atoned for his sin of denying Jesus. And thus, the Easter Church tells us over and over to rejoice at the wondrous acts of God, but also that we must ”Repent therefore, and be converted that your sins may be wiped away”(Acts 3:13-19). Easter joy must not allow us to slip again into the death of sin.

We recall Christ’s Passion, and rightfully do we rejoice at God’s mercy, but it is well to keep in mind that Easter faith invites us to renew our freedom from sin, and that God’s Life is in us, given anew by the Easter sacraments. Great is God’s gift to us,  for we are born again ‘of water and the Spirit.’ Jesus taught that this new Life lasts forever in heaven: “Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless one has been reborn by water and the Holy Spirit, he is not able to enter the Kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5. See also 3:1-8). How mindless it is to put aside the light of eternal joy won by Jesus, for darkness foul and evil forever.

On this Third Sunday of Easter, the narrative of Christ’s Resurrection is once again repeated. Two confused and downhearted disciples were met by the Risen Jesus as they left Jerusalem on that first Easter Day. He taught them, had lunch with them, and finally, at the Breaking of the Bread, they recognized Him and hurried the seven miles back to the Upper Room to report what had happened.

Suddenly, there in their midst stood Jesus. As John, one of the saddened Apostles has testified, “They were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost.” Jesus calmed them by inviting them to touch Him and showing His wounded hands and feet. He invited Himself to have a morsel of fish to finish supper with them, all to confirm belief in Him, and to verify them as witnesses to proclaim Him as Source of our salvation for Eternal Life.

Lent and Holy Week teach us to suffer with the suffering Christ. Easter to be heralds of Life Everlasting! (See 1 Jn 1:1-2)