To be a credible witness, one must have a on-hand experience of the incident. For a witness to be reliable, one must have a personal encounter of what was going on & had happened as the event unfolds.
Our readings today are all about witnessing & being witness.
People in our first reading in the Acts of the Apostles believe not only because of what Peter & John preached & proclaimed about the risen Lord Jesus Christ, whom they condemned & crucified in death but also because they themselves see for themselves the cured lame man & the miracle happened to him. People repented & believed because they witness for themselves God’s miracle in curing the lame man happened right in front of them.
In the same way the disciples came to believe because they themselves experience the risen Lord appeared before them. It is the Lord in person, who showed himself to them – with His wounds, hungry for food, & whom they fed & listened to anew to His message & challenge of faith & repentance. Because of their first & on-hand experience of the risen Lord in person, they are now as the Lord says: “Witnesses of all these”. The people & the disciples believe because they witness in person for themselves & now become as personal believers and witnesses of our risen Lord Jesus Christ.
We cannot give what we do not have. We can only share what we have. In the same way, we cannot be credible witnesses if we have not witness for ourselves the incident. Through the witness & witnessing Peter & John, people came to believe in the risen Lord. By our testimony of our witness & witnessing of our faith, other people in effect will also believe & experience for themselves the risen Lord in our lives today.
We now are witnesses of the Lord’s resurrection to the world. Since we are gifted now with the witness & faith in the risen Lord, we are now proclaimers & sharers of God’s salvation through the life & resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ in our world today.
May these Easter Season make us more aware of the appearances & revelations of our risen Lord in our lives now, so that we may share anew His messages & graces for our world today, especially during these pandemic times. So Help Us God. So May it Be. Amen.
When we are faced with painful and traumatic experiences in life, these can bring so much confusion in us. The sudden death of a loved one, losing and failure in your job or business, broken relationships, family feud, experiences of abuse and maltreatment etc. are some experiences that can be terrifying and horrifying. And because such experiences can be overwhelming, they also make us very sad and depressed. We could blame ourselves, blame others, blame the world or blame God for making us suffer greatly.
The story of the two disciples who were leaving the painful place of Jerusalem tells us of a reality in life. Like them who thought that Jerusalem was just a place of horror and death, of failure and pain, we too might want to escape from those painful memories of the past.
Like them, we too could be in search of something just to make sense of those unexplainable and terrifying events in our life. Yet, we could not understand everything because the experience was just overwhelming.
This was how the two disciples found themselves in that situation. The death of Jesus and the failure of their dreams now prevented them to see and recognize the presence of the Risen Jesus among them. They have not recognized immediately that Jesus was actually walking with them, and conversing with them. Their hearts were only filled with sadness and pain. Yet, the Lord continued to journey with them in their difficult moments despite the hardness of their hearts to believe and see the Lord among them.
However, it was when they invited Jesus whom they thought was merely a stranger and started breaking and sharing with them the bread, that their eyes were opened. At last they have recognized that the Lord was with them all the time. At their lowest moment in life, when things seemed to be so dark and meaningless, the Lord was with them. Despite their many questions, the Lord was with them.
This was how the two also found themselves and found the meaning of everything and of their life. This was how they immediately left Emmaus and went back to Jerusalem. The place of death and failure has become a place of new life and new hope.
Thus, those moments of failures in us, those experiences of pain and death, those traumatic and terrifying events in our life can also become places of new life and new hope in us. The Lord indeed works marvels and moves in mysterious ways. God has made Jerusalem, now a life-giving and hope-inspiring place.
This tells us too, that, as we allow the Lord to accompany us, the Lord shall also make wonders in us and shall make our failures and painful past to be a source of new life and new hope in us. These are the invitations for us now.
First. Allow others to journey and accompany you in your difficulties. Allow your friends and family members to know the struggles within you. The journey towards healing and freedom can only be possible when we are with others. This was how the two disciples also allowed the stranger to be with them.
Second. Never be afraid to ask questions because the Lord understands us. Jesus was very patient with the two disciples by listening to them. Moreover, allow also the Lord to teach us that we may be able to see another perspective in life. Allow other people to fill your mind and hearts with their wisdom. Allow the Holy Bible to speak to you and reveal God’s invitations.
Third. Never be afraid of your Jerusalem, of those that you consider as your place of failure and pain, of sadness and trauma, sin and guilt. God also will bring wonders in our Jerusalem. As God has raised up His Son from death, God can also bring new hope and new life in our own Jerusalem. Kabay pa.
Easter proclaims that the Lord has risen. Let us be glad & rejoice. We, Christians proclaims our faith that our Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the death & now with us offering new life in Him. However, we may ask ourselves: “Has the Lord really risen now? Who & where now is the risen Lord? How do we recognize the risen Lord in the midst of our daily lives now?”
Surely our disciples in our gospel today must have asked the same questions. After they have witnessed the death on the cross of their Lord Jesus, they decided to just go “nalang” back home with a heavy heart & question: “Has the Lord truly risen?” Some of them have already seen & testified that the Lord has risen indeed. But these two disciples have some doubts & could not believe what they heard about it.
On the road back home, to their ordinary lives, lo & behold, the risen Lord appeared to them, went with them on the journey, be with them in their grief, sorrow & hopelessness, explained to them the meaning of what they have experienced & experiencing, and stayed with them for dinner.
From their experience along the road back to Emmaus with the risen Lord, we could have a glimpse as to how we could experience now the risen Lord in our day to day lives. First, the Lord joined & walked with them in their journey. Meaning, the risen Lord IS & will be in our normal ordinary day to day life, & not so much on big & special events. Second, as He joins us in life, we might not recognize at first the risen Lord with us. He usually comes then to us as a stranger to us. Meaning, we should be open ourselves to the unfamiliar/strange, unusual events in our ordinary life.
So, whenever we sense something ordinary yet particularly moving, (like, feeling the cold breeze, hearing moving music, loosening up as we see and hear playing children, reminded of some memories, finding yourself talking to a stranger), perhaps the risen Lord is making Himself known to you. And above all, the risen Lord appears to people who believe in Him. However strong or weak our faith in God may be, the risen Lord can be recognized in & with the eyes of our faith in Him.
So as we celebrate Easter season, let us be more sensitive & beware of the presence of our risen Lord in our midst, as we live our ordinary normal day to day lives, open to something new & unfamiliar things to happen & see these with the eyes of faith.
Again, Easter invites us to brace ourselves for with the risen Lord, there are more things to come & happen in our lives ahead for the better. In other words, “Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.”
Mary Magdalene went into the tomb and was weeping. Mary was filled with sadness and pain. The tomb reminded her of that painful and scandalous death of Jesus on the cross. Yet, what is interesting in this scenario was the movement of time. In the first verses of the Gospel, we were told that Mary “went to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark.” However, at this time, the dawn was breaking. The sun is soon to come out. And what Mary will witness was definitely the glorious victory of light over darkness.
Mary who developed a close relationship with Jesus, was a faithful disciple. She remained at the side of Jesus thus, the reason of her grief and pain. Nevertheless, despite the grief and sadness, Mary did not just go away and give up. She actually refused to give up. The sadness, disappointment and pain that she felt, urged her more to seek Jesus even in times of so much confusion and darkness in her life. But, those emotional and spiritual burdens in her also prevented her to immediately recognize the Lord. Jesus has to call her by name to make her realize that it was him.
Thus, in that desire to seek the Lord even in darkness and seemingly ugly scenario in her life, Mary was filled with the goodness of the Lord. Her friendship with Jesus helped her to seek the Lord and see grace beyond pain and darkness. This is something to learn from the friendship Mary Magdalene had with Jesus. Her friendship was beyond physical attraction and emotional attachment but was built on trust, faith and confidence of being loved by the Lord.
Such experience of fullness is what the Psalm also proclaimed today. “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” This is what Mary was holding on in her heart. She must be a believer on this that indeed the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Even though there was so much pain and confusion in her heart, she believed in the goodness of the Lord that fills the earth.
True enough, Mary received this fullness of God’s goodness as Jesus revealed himself to her. This was captured beautifully through her words, “I have seen the Lord.” This is a testimony of a person who believed and experienced fully the goodness of the Lord.
Like Mary, let us also develop and nourish a close and intimate relationship with the Lord that will make us more attuned to his voice and presence. When we are gripped by grief and sadness, or by pain and failures in life, may we find ourselves holding on to hope and in the goodness of what is around us, rather than in giving up or running away from our painful realities. Let us allow the Lord to be with us in those moments, and allow him to encounter his liberating presence in every moment of our life. Hinaut pa.
I always find writing my reflection for “A Dose of God Today” therapeutic and invigorating. Earlier, after praying the rosary as a family, I was led to pause and ponder on the beauty and meaning of the Easter season. I then jotted some key words in one of my favorite notebooks. Mind you, at 51, I still love to collect note pads and notebooks. These are very handy in keeping myself organized amidst a hectic schedule as a counselor-educator with an admin role in the Graduate School. Perhaps, my desire to be a true witness of the Risen Christ inspired me to share my third article in this valuable and beautiful blog of Fr. Jom, CSsR.
The Easter season reminds us that HOPE should never be lost. The road that we may have taken is rough and bumpy, yet surely we will reach our destination. With the Risen Christ as our companion and guide, it will be a joyful and interesting ride. We simply have to allow Him to accompany us in our journey. How do we do that?
Possibly, sharing my personal encounter with a faithful God may shed light to this. My daily travel to and from my workplace is an opportunity for me to commune with God in prayer. Riding in a taxi, bus or public utility jeep seems challenging given the traffic jam in the major roads going to the city and heading back home. Passing by the scenic view of the sea and looking up at the skies – I always feel that God is present in His beautiful creation. This allows me to whisper a prayer in silence, entrusting my day to Him. Most of the time, I just close my eyes so that my mind will be attuned to God’s message for me. I know God speaks volumes in the silence of my heart.
During evenings, I take this opportunity to review what transpires during the day. A moment to say my thanksgiving to Him for staying close to me and for sending people who are constant in my life – my family and close friends who love me unconditionally; to repent for my flaws and shortcomings during the day and to think of ways on how to become better the next day. This, I may say, becomes a habit of mine. This practice will surely be carried out throughout this Easter Season and beyond.
This is my first and major ASPIRATION during this meaningful season. To continue to commune with God most of the time – to take time to listen to Him in the midst of our daily struggles to fulfill our role and responsibilities – to carry out our vocation and mission in life.
For me, the best time for new beginnings is during this Season of Easter. We used to make New Year’s resolution at the start of a new year so why not formulate them right now? For this season is also known as the Season of New Birth.
Earlier, I said that my major yearning is to be in touch with God most of the time. This may be difficult to do at first, and with constant practice, this will surely be a second nature to us. Being prayerful and highly spiritual made wonders in my life. It allowed me to trust fully in God’s will and the Holy Spirit promptings.
In moments of despair and confusion and in arriving at a crucial decision, my deep faith expressed through prayer and communion with a loving and faithful God is my first recourse. This greatest gift God has bestowed upon me – my FAITH propels me to walk my talk and be a dedicated, loving and compassionate public servant – being a counselor educator in a state university.
my FAITH propels me to walk my talk and be a dedicated, loving and compassionate public servant
This brings me to my second aspiration during this Easter Season. Some people seem not to like me and my dealings with them, yet deep in my heart I know I am trying to be empathetic and loving so that many people may experience the unconditional love of God through me. When one is in the position of authority and influence, one will gain more friends and haters alike. Implementing the graduate school policies fairly is no easy job. Yet, in my desire to treat each student equally, I have encountered a lot of challenges. Nevertheless, deep in my heart I know that I have done my best to practice fairness and justice. I may have my lapses, but with God’s grace, I will try my best to be a living witness of Christ’s resurrection. That He is truly RISEN and ALIVE!
I have shared my two major aspirations during this important Liturgical Season in the Church. These may be GRAND yet these are attainable. With my deep faith in a LOVING, FAITHFUL RISEN CHRIST, I have nothing to FEAR.
Surely, my longing to be attuned to God’s will for me will be realized for I always believe in a God of surprises. I simply have to clasp my hands in PRAYER, in JOYFUL HOPE and celebration that God is truly risen. He is alive and present within us, among us and amidst us. And YOU? What’s your Easter hope and aspirations?
Sending my fervent prayers and love to all readers of this blog who need these most. May all your prayers and aspirations be fulfilled. A blessed Easter Season to all!!!
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 