THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE EASTER JOY.

April 18, 2021
Third Sunday of Easter - B. 

Readings: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9; 1 Jn 2:1-5a; Lk 24:35-48.

A Chinese proverb says, “When a large vessel has opened a way it is easy for a small one to follow.” And an Ethiopian proverb adds, “A hyena intrudes through a gap a dog opened.”

The resurrection of Christ brings about great joy. But that joy is not only for the Jewish people neither for the restricted group of disciples alone. It is a joy to be shared by all who hear about it. This Easter joy comes from the fact that in Jesus, we all are forgiven of our sins and made children of God by adoption.

We said in the opening prayer: “May your people exult forever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection.”

That Easter joy gets all its meaning when we measure what the resurrection of Christ brought us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “He who believes in Christ becomes a son of God. This filial adoption transforms him by giving him the ability to follow the example of Christ. It makes him capable of acting rightly and doing good. In union with his Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness. Having matured in grace, the moral life blossoms into eternal life in the glory of heaven.” CCC 1709.

There really is a good reason for all to be happy, for the author of life who died on the Cross for our sins is risen from the dead. Peter in the first reading professes it to the people gathered in Jerusalem. Christ has been raised from the dead. The Implications of this good news is the call for repentance. And Peter says it right, "Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away."

Christ, brethren, is the ransom of all our sins. By his death, he paid in full the highest price for sin, by his resurrection he brought us the fullness of life. That was not only for the disciples but for all. Here we speak of the universality of Christ's salvation. St. John in his pastoral letter emphasizes it: “Jesus Christ is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.” And the Apostle goes further to affirm that the only way to get access to that universal salvation is by keeping the Lord’s commandments. It is not enough to be a believer; we must as well abide by the commandments of the Lord. For, “those who say, “I know him,” but do not keep his commandments are liars, and the truth is not in them. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.”

Many, sadly are we, who bear proudly the name of Christians, but who are big liars. Because, though we profess our belonging to Christ, our lives are far away from his commandments, our live are away from love. Love is the only reason. Love is what led Jesus to ransom us from sin and love is what he gives after his resurrection. Thus, St. John can say, in he who loves, “the love of God is truly perfected”.

In the Gospel, we are given a narration that Jesus passed from death to a new life. Luke tells us how the Apostles came to believe in the mystery of the resurrection. It has been a journey of faith. It is was their faith that gave them to see him, not as a ghost, but as one who really lives. Appearing to them, the Lord presents his suffering, death, and resurrection as the fulfillment of all the prophecies and the Scriptures.

As we can hear from the words of the Risen Lord himself, the finality of the Resurrection is unique: Repentance and Forgiveness of sins. He has risen so that man and the whole of humanity should be saved from sin. He says to the disciples, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

The mandate of the Risen Lord is not limited only to the group of the twelve but extended also to you and me. We too are made “witnesses of these things.” As witnesses, our mission is to proclaim the Good News of the Lord’s Resurrection and win to him many others followers.

The Good News of Easter is a universal joy to be shared. We are children of God to make for him many other children. The joy we feel being Christians should be shared and contaminate others. The Christian life is a mission. You are a disciple to make new disciples. You are forgiven to make new forgiven people. God wants to save all. His salvation excluded no one.