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April 19, 2020
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
The disciples are afraid, so they sought shelter behind locked doors. They didn’t know what it meant when Mary Magdalene told them that she had seen the Lord. Now they see Him with their own eyes and slowly come to understand that Jesus is here to stay, even when they lock doors. As it happened in the creation of the world, God formed man and breathed into his nostrils, giving him life. Now again, Jesus formed His disciples' faith and breathed into them the Holy Spirit, giving them a new mission. They shared this mission joyfully with the early followers whom, upon hearing the Good News asked, “What are we to do?” They repented and were baptized. These are the early stages of the Christian community. They devoted themselves to the Christian doctrine and to the breaking of the bread. Their life was intentional; those with possessions would sell what they had and give it to those in the community who didn’t. They gave praise to God as a community.
Sometimes we, too, are afraid and isolate ourselves behind locked doors. We have heard the message proclaimed to us, we promised on Ash Wednesday to ‘repent and believe in the Gospel.’ We prepared for forty days to celebrate the joy of the resurrection. We see Him with our own eyes in the Eucharist and in the Word that He left for us, that we may come to believe. Jesus breathed into us the Holy Spirit at our baptism to share the message with eagerness and joy. Yet, it isn’t always like that, for we suffer trials because of our faith. “What are we to do?” To learn from life in the early Church. Come to the house of the Lord to break bread together. We continue in our own path of repentance and conversion. Be ready to receive God’s love and mercy and, in turn, showing that same love and mercy toward those in your community and outside of it. Our faith in Christ calls us to carry out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. And recognize that Jesus stands in our midst always. We come together to praise God, who in His infinite mercy, gave us this new birth in Christ through the resurrection of his Son. We see Him in the breaking of the Bread and in the opening of the Word.
Allow what we learned through Lent and Easter to be carried out beyond these feasts, ponder on the Gospel readings daily, and receive the Eucharist as frequently as you can. Even though we may suffer various trials, the genuineness of our faith is more precious than gold because they give praise to God.