FORGIVENESS IN CHRIST JESUS
Today, the readings are all about repentance and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Indeed, forgiveness is the gift of the Risen Christ in the early Christian communities. That is the forgiveness of sins that encourages us to seek a new life in Christ and the need not to be afraid.
LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS
The Easter season known as Eastertide is a period in the Church´s liturgical calendar that invites us to examine the Christian life in Christ Jesus, the Resurrected Lord and Saviour. At Holy Week, especially the Holy Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, we celebrate the atoning sacrifice of Christ to forgive us our sins through his passion, death, and resurrection.
During, Eastertide the readings and celebrations remind us of the implications of this sacrifice of Christ and its application to our daily lives as redeeming people saved by grace.
EASTER VICTORY FOR CHRIST
The Easter victory of Christ is principal to conquer sins and their consequences death as well as its initiators’ devil, demons, evil spirits, and evils themselves. This is the reason for our all-out bursting joy and happiness this season. It is the reason for Alleluia: the Easter song of victory.
However, this song of Alleluia and victory cannot be sung without us living as people redeemed by Christ. That is, the Easter victory is assured in Christ Jesus, but the Christian (a follower of Christ by conviction) must or should appropriate this victory unto his or her life.
In other words, the Christian life in Christ Jesus should reflect absolutely and the life of Christ in its entirety. The Christian life is an imitation of Christ’s life spiritually, religiously, morally, ethically, or humanly without alteration or shadow of darkness or sins.
OUR THEME
The major theme of this third Sunday of Easter is the gift of forgiveness in Christ Jesus. The repentance of sins and the receiving of forgiveness through Christ Jesus. As well as, the life we lived in Christ Jesus as redeemed people from sins, death, evil, and devil. A life in Christ Jesus through the empowerment of trust confided in us by the Risen Christ.
Indeed, Easter is joyful and hopeful. Peaceful, and graceful feast of our eternal victory in Christ Jesus. Yet, it presents us with an everlasting challenge of what kind of life, we live on, in Christ Jesus. Spiritual life in the imitation of Christ and testimonial life before our brothers and sisters in the Christian community. This is the sign of our redeemable life in Christ Jesus.
We are invited as well as challenged to be conscious of the living and active presence of the Resurrected Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit in us and our surroundings. To be aware of his eternal promises to us, to be truly repentant of our sins, and to be renewed in Christ Jesus. To be able to bear witness to the Risen Christ through the imitation of his life in the Christian community and the world at large.
FIRST READING: ACTS 3:13-15
Apostle Peter, the head of the early Christian community of Christ laid down the detailed reason for Christ’s death. God´s justification over him and the benefit of this supreme sacrifice of Christ. Namely, the forgiveness of sins and a life of witness in Christ Jesus.
Speaking to a Jewish audience, he connected the Crucified and Resurrected Christ to the Patriarchs of the Jewish people and their faith: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He blamed them squarely for the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
While offering them a living hope and restoration through the forgiveness of sins. A sincere and genuine conversion that leads to true repentance. As well as, a call of faith to be His witnesses to all.
The psalmist in the psalm of today, Psalm 4 invites us to be conscious of our sinfulness and let the glorious face of the risen Lord and Saviour shine on us. He acknowledges too that not only his luminous, loving, and glorious countenance of God shines us on. It is also our peace, our security, and our blessings in times of distress, pain, and hopelessness.
SECOND READING: 1 JOHN 2:1-5
St John Apostle and Evangelist, as well as the Beloved of Christ, knew beyond any double that despite the resurrection victory of Christ over sins and the consequences of death. That, Christians are prone to sin. But if we sin, forgiveness is available to us in Christ Jesus. This, for him, is the new life in Christ Jesus, our Lord, and Saviour who victorious conquered sins by his suffering, death, and resurrection.
John´s admittance of sin and the forgiveness there is in Christ Jesus open us to these conclusions:
1. He acknowledges sin and possibly its consequence as a separation from God´s grace, mercy, and blessings.
2. He acknowledges also Christ, the Holy and Righteous One is our Advocate and Mediator between us and God, his Father.
3. He established profoundly and solidly that the expiatory or atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is once and for all time a redeeming sacrifice (Hebrews 10:9-13) as well as a continuous sacrifice that saves us from our sins and wretchedness. And not only ours but that of the entire whole. (Heb. 8:6, 9:15, 12:24; 1Tim.2:5)
4. The theological and liturgical implications of Christ as our Advocate or Mediator is the efficacy of the Holy Sacrament of Christ in the Christian community and our personal life.
5. He challenges us firmly on the fact that God´s redeeming or sanctifying grace works and builds on our human nature or effort. That is, our effort to cooperate or collaborate with God´s unmerited grace brings about our salvation.
6. Hence, he enjoins us to make all possible honest and sincere efforts to obey and keep God´s commandments. This is because it is in doing so that we demonstrate and witness to God.
7. God´s love, grace, and mercy come to perfection in us when we live truthfully in imitation of Christ: our model and advocate.
THE GOSPEL: Luke 24:35-48
Faith in the mystery of the resurrection is at the centre of the Christian testimony and life. This faith is solidified in the act of forgiveness through the Risen Christ. However, it is a very difficult thing to come up with an explanation for the mystery. The early Christian communities battled prettily well with this mystery of their faith and life in Christ Jesus.
No wonder, according to the gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke except John who puts the resurrection, Pentecost, and the ascension together on the same day. The synoptic gospels put the three feasts on different occasions and contexts. Jesus took his time and energy to appear and reappear to his disciples and apostles to enlighten, reassure as well as strengthen their faith in the mystery of the resurrection before the Ascension.
The road to Emmaus is one of the most beautiful moments of the Resurrected Christ’s encounter with his depressed and disappointed disciples. This passage tells and reminds us of some awesome things about Christ.
a. He is always walking to meet us and to accompany us in our faith journey still when we are conscious of his living presence with us and among us. Mt. 1:23; Is. 7:14
b. He is a sensitive and empathetic God-Man who makes sense of things and can relate, feel, and connect with us in every situation or circumstance of our lives. 1 Peter 5:7
c. He knows of our struggles, crises, sorrows, depression, despair, pain, and disillusion to be there for us and with us. Matthew 6:32
d. He is sensitive to our stories and histories and offers us consoling and soothing words to come to terms with their mysteries. John 5:7
e. He knows when, where, and how to enter our lives, and our situations and be with us. Matthew 11:28-29; Matthew 28:20
f. He is the most courteous advocate or mediator, as he does not force himself on us but respects his limits and our boundaries when we struggle with life´s disappointments. He always waits for us to invite him in. Revelation 3:20
g. He knows when to reveal Himself to us, especially amidst our worries, anxieties, and hopeless moments through his sacraments, his Word, and ever-abiding Presence.
h. It tells us also that Jesus´ encounter with us is always transformational. That is, it turns our sorrow into joy, our anxiety into peace, our uncertainty into security, our darkness into light, etc.
i. We learn also that the glory of the Christian life is in fellowship and sharing faith experience with those who have the same faith and hope as us. Hebrews 10:25
j. We encountered one of the greatest untold stories of the world. How Jesus decided to make one of his first appearances to Peter. The man who had denied him. It is the glory of Jesus that the penitent sinner gets back his self-respect. John 21:1-19
THE RISEN CHRIST IS THE FORGIVING CHRIST
One would think after the shameful, bitter, and cruel treatment and death by the Jewish religious and Roman civil authorities Christ would be embittered and resentful towards his disciples who abandoned him at the neediest time of his life. Yet, none of these, but all-embracing of them. This is the Christ who died for all to be saved.
The context of today´s gospel is very comforting and consoling to disciples, apostles, and indeed all of us, who struggle with the mystery of the resurrection. Fearful, dejected, and worried disciples and apostles of Christ had themselves locked up in the Upper Room. They were horrified and terrified by what the Jewish and perhaps the Roman authorities would do to them.
We can ask ourselves: Can I truly preach, teach, or live forgiveness of sins? Do I trust that my sins are forgiven? Do I know that Christ died and then was raised to life and through that, our whole world was changed forever by his love and forgiveness?
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, your invitation to us is ¨You are witnesses of these things¨ and you called us to be your witnesses in the world to preach and teach the message of forgiveness, the need for forgiveness, and the grace to seek forgiveness through repentance of sin. Help us always with your grace to seek forgiveness as well as to give forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Amen
