WITNESS OF FAITH.
May 1, 2022
Third Sunday of Easter - C.
“We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit
whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:32)
An Indian proverb says: “A person consists of his faith.
Whatever is his faith, even so, is he.” And a Mexican proverb adds: “It is in
our work that we discover love and faith.”
Easter season is the time of the encounters with the Risen
Lord. It is also the time to witness of our faith in him and faith in the
Resurrection. In that sense, every Christian is before all else a testimony, a
witness of Christ and faith. Our lives are aimed to witness what we profess in
the Creed and to witness of our Baptism. We have all been immersed in the death
of Christ, and together with him, we have risen unto new life. This newness of
life implies that we should testify through our words and actions what we believe.
Life in Christ is a life of testimony. “The duty of
Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as
witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it. This witness
is a transmission of the faith in words and deeds. Witness is an act of justice
that establishes the truth or makes it known. All Christians by the example of
their lives and the witness of their word, wherever they live, have an
obligation to manifest the new man which they have put on in Baptism and to
reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at
Confirmation.” CCC 2472
The liturgy, on this Third Sunday of Easter speaks of our
life as Christ-followers, our identity as people of the Resurrection. In the
first reading, Peter and John, in front of the Sanhedrin tell us what consists
that life in Christ, that is, to be witnesses, to be ready to undergo all kinds
of mistreatments and persecutions for Christ's name’s sake. We are after the
episode where Peter and John healed the paralytic at the temple of Jerusalem.
After that miracle, many people began following the Apostles and adhering to
the way of Jesus. This raised a fierce reaction of the Elders of the people who
decided to silence the Apostles, preventing them to preach the name of Jesus
and witness of their faith in his Resurrection. To this, Peter answered, “We
must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though
you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand
as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are
witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit that God has given to those
who obey him.” That is what it means to be Christian, to obey God, to voice out
our faith in Jesus Christ, and to act in order to win new believers in that
faith. It won't certainly be an easy task. For, persecutions, intimidations,
and hatred lie on the road of faith and salvation. But we must stand firm and
profess our faith.
In the Gospel, we have a profession of faith and a mandate
for a mission. After the Risen Lord appeared to his disciples at the Sea of
Tiberias and the miraculous catch he instigated, Peter is questioned about his
love for the Lord and given a mission. There is here hidden a very subtle element
in this triple interrogation and triple confession of love. We remember that at
the hour of the Lord Passion, three times Peter denied his Master and his
belongingness to him. Three times he rejected love. Now, three times he is
asked to affirm his love, an act of redemption of faith. After this act of
reparation, the Lord says to him, “Follow me.” A new call to become a new type
of disciple, a disciple of the Risen Lord, and so, a man of firm faith.
Like Peter, we too are asked to affirm our love and faith in
the Lord and follow him. He is the Lamb who was slain for our sake. Now that he
is risen and worthy of all praise, we should stand firm in our faith and sing
to him loudly, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Faith is not something abstract, something we should live only in between the walls of a church or a Cathedral. Our faith must be active and effective in our manner of life. That means, if you are a teacher, make your faith enlighten your teaching, mostly in standing for moral choice and teaching the truth. You must rebuke falsehood and the fake news of this world. If you are parents or educators, educate your children and the people under your care in faith and witness what you believe. If you are a pastor or church leader, teach by example, live what you preach, and live the truth of Christ. If you are a social leader, leader of opinions, or politician, do not disconnect your faith from your being. For, before being a politician, you are human and Christian. Therefore, what you do or say should be according to the Gospel of Christ. Fight corruption, falsehood, abuses of human rights, and all kinds of injustice. There must not be any dualism in your being. You are the same person either in the church or in society, or office. Our faith should be lived in truth. We are witnesses of what we believe and profess. If you truly love Christ, love him in the people you serve, and tend his flock as if you were tending Jesus himself.
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