The New Life of the Resurrection (HOMILY FOR EASTER SATURDAY APRIL 2023

Homily for Easter Saturday

Acts 4:13-21. Psalm 118:1,14-15ab,15c-18,19-21. Mark 16:9-15.

In the first reading, the boldness of Peter and John got the Jewish authorities confused on what to do with them. Knowing fully well that a miracle was performed by them in the name of the Risen Lord, they charged Peter and John to speak no more in the name of Jesus. To this, Peter and John replied, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we can not but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20).

When we find ourselves in the situation of Peter and John, to whom do owe our allegiance? To God or to human authorities? We must always stand for the truth, no matter the threat to our lives. It is only the truth that will set us free.

In today's Gospel, we see how the Apostles doubted the resurrection of Christ Jesus despite hearing from Mary Magdalene and the other two disciples the Risen Lord appeared to. The way they all doubted Christ's resurrection is not different from the way Thomas doubted as we shall read in tomorrow's Gospel. It was not until the Risen Lord appeared to them before they could believe that He is truly Risen.

Many times, the Apostles did not understand Jesus, especially when He predicted about his death and resurrection and failed in other times to understand the full meaning of his actions and his words. The same hardness of heart could accompany us as Christians today. Even hard evidence may sometimes not be enough to put us out of doubt.

We all need to keep listening to Jesus in his words and sacraments, grasping the presence of God in them as He presents himself. Our hardness of heart, like the Jewish authorities in today's first reading, is nothing compared to the power of grace. Let the grace of God lead us to keep to Christ's injunction, which says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15).

May God grant us the grace to stand for the truth in every situation through Christ our Lord. Amen

OR

HOMILY FOR EASTER SATURDAY

Acts 4:13-21; Mark 16:9-15

The New Life of the Resurrection

The various appearances of Jesus to some women and the disciples after his resurrection was to communicate the power of his resurrection and strengthen their faith. To believe that Jesus resurrected from the dead, body and spirit, is to acknowledge the supremacy of God over every force in heaven, on earth and under the earth. To believe in the resurrection means to live a new life that is saturated, motivated and targeted towards the Spirit of God.

In the first reading, the leaders, elders and teachers of the Law brought Peter and John before the Sanhedrin. They were not only astonished at the content of their preaching but particularly at their boldness. This kind of boldness is usually associated with those who have undergone formal education. Since the Peter and John were untrained and uneducated, their boldness became inexplicable. They were bold because they were convinced that Christ has resurrected and that the power of the resurrection was at work in them too.

It was never the intention of Jesus to continue to strengthen the faith of men with his physical appearance. So, in the gospel reading, he charged the disciples to “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation”. Whenever anyone accepts and believes in the Good News, the New Life of the resurrection is given to the person and the power of the resurrection comes to life in him or her.

Jesus further enumerated certain signs that will accompany those who would believe in him. They will cast our demons in Jesus’ name. This means to busy ourselves with replacing evil with Good anywhere and everywhere we find ourselves not necessarily through prayer-sessions but through our daily actions and inactions. The new languages we will speak is not the conventional speaking in tongues but the message of hope; a message that assures others of the love, presence and salvation of God even in their most difficult situations of life. Whenever we make or assist another to abandon God in the face of challenges, we have spoken the old language.

Because the power of the resurrection is at work in us while we give hope to the hopeless, Jesus assures us that the sick will receive their healing whenever we lay our hands on them. There is no sickness as great as sin and there is no healing as efficacious as salvation. So, to lay hands on the sick means to care about the soul of the sick person. We lay hands on the sick by caring for their physical needs, praying for them and most especially, by inviting the priest to give them the necessary pastoral care.

The New life of the resurrection will not be without persecutions. So, Jesus assures us of safety. This is what he meant when he said that snakes and poisonous drinks will not harm us. This simply means that we should never compromise our New Life in Christ because of the threat of men. Peter and John boldly told the elders that they cannot obey man and disobey God. Our vocation is not to preach only in peaceful territories but to make territories peaceful through our preaching