Bearing Witness to the Resurrection

Easter Sunday




The readings today point out to us that we are to be witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ along with Mary Magdalen and the Apostles.

In the first reading, Peter explains to the people of Jerusalem what had happened during those previous days: the suffering and death by crucifixion of Jesus. That Peter and the other Apostles have been chosen by God to witness that they "ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead." The Apostles are commissioned to preach the forgiveness of sins through his name.

In the same way in the Gospel reading, Mary Magdalen brought the good news about the risen Christ back to the Apostles. Because of her witnessing, she is considered to be "the Apostle to the Apostles."

So on this Easter morning - this feast of all feasts - we are to expose Christ to others - to bear witness to Christ's Resurrection, using our separate capacities and within our particular realities. We are to bring faith, assurance and hope to a world sorely lacking these qualities.

We can do this because we believe and know that Christ, the Anointed One, has defeated death and is risen from the dead.