Sunday, March 27, 2016

Listen! And Witness!

Easter Sunday
We are witnesses of…  (Acts 10:39)

On vacation last night, I found myself in the midst of an Assembly I didn’t know at the Easter Vigil.  The fire, the growing candle light, the reading of our sacred story, the water, the white, the singing, the prayers…it is high drama!  There was one catechumen, a young lady affirming her nascent faith. 

And alongside her, once again, I ask myself “Do I believe?”  And if I do then the line from Acts (from this morning’s liturgy) grabs my attention.  What does living a life of witness to the Resurrection look like? 

In an article by James Martin S.J. published Friday in the Wall Street Journal, Fr. Martin says that such Resurrection faith makes a real claim on the life of a believer.  “The Resurrection says, ‘Listen.’”  Turning that listening into witnessing…the work and prayer of a lifetime!

From the Article:
What difference does Easter make in the life of the Christian? The message of Easter is, all at once, easy to understand, radical, subversive and life-changing. Easter means that nothing is impossible with God. Moreover, that life triumphs over death. Love triumphs over hatred. Hope triumphs over despair. And that suffering is not the last word.

Easter says, above all, that Jesus Christ is Lord. That is an odd thing to read in a secular newspaper. But I’m merely stating a central Christian belief. And if he is Lord, and if you’re a Christian, then what he says has a claim on you. His teachings are invitations, to be sure, but they are also commands: Love your neighbors. Forgive. Care for the poor and the marginalized. Live a simple life. Put the needs of others before your own.

Jesus’ message still has the power to make us feel uncomfortable, as it did in first-century Palestine. It was just as much of a challenge to pray for your enemies in antiquity. It was no easier to hear Jesus’ judgment against the excesses of the wealthy during a time of degrading poverty for so many. It was just as subversive a message to be asked to pray for your persecutors as it is now.


Click here for the whole of Fr. Martin’s article The Challenge of Easter

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