Christian Life Should Witness the Risen Christ
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Lent has passed, along with its penitential mood, and now we are in the joyful season of Easter. It is a season to experience God’s favour for us, as God has sanctified humanity through His Son. Most often, we become polemic by defending our faith in the resurrection rather than trying our best to live the faith. No proofs can determine the actual occurrence of the event of resurrection. The acts of the apostles in today’s first reading positively assents to the truthfulness of the resurrection of Christ by giving the example of the way the people of the early church lived their lives.
The first Christian community lived a distinct and extraordinary life, especially when compared to the other people or communities of that time. There was something basic providing for this difference. The reason given was ‘Christ is risen and he is living among us’. The risen Christ was not visible but the community, born of the Spirit of Christ with brotherly love and caring for each other, was there for everybody to see.
In today’s world, the spirit of unhealthy competition is dominant. Today’s first reading presents a community governed by love, generosity and selflessness. By forming such a community, we shall be able to prove that the risen Jesus is among us. Unity among Christians shall work as an antidote for the present world that is sick from individualism and materialism.
–Rev. Ranjan D’Sa OCD