Un-Quiet Word, The Resurrection of the Lord. Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter.
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Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home amazed at what had happened.
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The Un-Quiet Word for Today, April 16th, 2022.
Jesus is Alive! He is Risen...and what is the question.
I would have liked to be a fly on the wall, to take in firsthand, the scene of how Peter reacted when he saw the tomb empty! What just happened, he must think and gasp? That shocking incredulous reaction we all get when something strange and yet real happens; that amazement moves him to rush back to tell the others, that for real, Jesus is alive as he said!
Peter is one of the most beloved persons in the Gospels. Why? People find Peter very relatable to. He is frank, upfront, fidgety, sometimes he is spot on, (like when Jesus asks his disciples who people say that he is; he gets the answer just like that? And yet other times he is so off, that Jesus tells him to shut up.
We all ask why Jesus chose him to be the leader of the disciples ?? Just these last days we hear him deny Jesus repeatedly. Sometimes when Jesus wants to perform miracles, Peter is the first one to doubt whether he knows Jesus knows what he is doing ( the miracle of fishes). When we look keenly at Peter, we see ourselves, people who get things right, but yet are very imperfect.
Today however there is one thing that Peter excels in, one thing that he teaches, inspires and challenges us in- Peter does not cease to be amazed/moved by Jesus.
All throughout his lifelong journey with Jesus, Peter sees something in Jesus, he wants to know him, and he wants to be like him. Finding the tomb empty will forever change Peter. From now on his life will never be the same (he comes full circle), from today on he will not be a bystander, he is going to witness to whoever and wherever he is that Jesus is alive (everything that he taught and said was true). He is the good news the world needs and awaits. Peter ‘saw’ and ‘believed’.
Despite his doubts, imperfections, incomprehension, emptiness, and failures, he does not take away his mind and heart from Jesus. It is during all the above that he grows to know that Jesus is present and alive.
The question/challenge for us as we gather to celebrate our Easter faith (that Jesus suffered and died, but on the third day rose) is, yes Jesus is alive, He is risen, and for the last 2000 years or so we have celebrated this as Christians, but that question is – And so what? What shows, what demonstrates in your life that Jesus is alive? Are we still excited and amazed that Christ is present and risen! What difference does/ has it made in our lives? To celebrate the Easter faith is to demonstrate it by the way we live our lives. My faith must be contagious.
“Why do you seek the living one among the dead?
This question asked by the men in dazzling clothes, is still asked today to many people. Many in the world of today still search for joy, peace, hope in the wrong places! Drugs, short lived pleasures, self-indulging in material things, false religions/ beliefs, self-adoration, power etc. This world of ours, always needs ‘a new Peter’. A ‘peter’ who is excited, moved and still amazed by what God does and can do. A ‘Peter’ who is bold to witness even in the midst of doubt, that We need God, and that Jesus is alive in the here and now. More than anything we need testimonies of Easter faith today.
Who of us would dare to close their eyes to the darkness that is still present in the world? The darkness of war, hate, inequality, and unfairness. Darkness (as we saw at the start of our Easter vigil ceremonies) can only be shattered by light (the light of a Gospel that is lived).
Dear Christian, we are the light of the world!! Did you know? Show it!Thus says the LORD:
All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread,
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Do you notice that many still hunger today? A physical hunger, but also a spiritual hunger. Many a void of calm and peace externally and inside. Many are restless. How do Christians engage them to know that Jesus is present, alive and the hope for the world?
We ask today why are many abandoning the Catholic faith, especially in the west? Why are there less and less vocations to religious life? Fewer and fewer young people feel that they want to belong to the Church? The question that Easter faith prompts us to ask is – Is the Church still moved and amazed about the faith?Does the Church preach a Gospel that relates to the young; do our celebrations have what ‘nourishes the heart’? Are we still amazed that Jesus is alive? Do we show it? Do we witness it by the way we live our lives? Do we journey/ accompany people where they are and offer support and encouragement?
If the Church and Christians are not on fire (amazed) and moved by the Gospel, how do you expect people to come back to the Church? If we do nothing to show it is worthy to follow Christ, why expect others to do so? If we never witness our lifestyle (conversations and behavior), what do we expect to happen? If we do not change and keep things the way, they have always been?
What a wonderful opportunity we have in Grafton to re-look at our catholic community as we now become one parish? It is exciting to ask how we can grow stronger? be alive? Better witness to the Gospel?? Pass on to others what we have received!
Let us pray that this Easter may not be like any other Easter. That it may not be by routine that we gather. May we be even more grateful that Jesus is with us and alive, but more be witnesses of this miracle and fact to the world we live in. Show by the way you live, that Jesus is present, the hope and light of the world; even Today ( here and now) he is Risen.
Fr. Anthony Mpagi
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Readings of the Mass
LISTEN HEREto the Audio Recordings of the Readings of April 16th, 2022, Easter Vigil.
SELECT HERE for the Readings of April 16th, 2022, Easter Vigil.
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Our Catholic News & Events
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SELECT HERE to learn more about the Legacy of Hope Capital Campaign at Saint James.
The Campaign starts April 24th!
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Ways to Prepare for Easter
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Tuesday, May 17, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Join Deacon Tim of Saint Mary for a 7-part Study on Catholic Social Justice Teaching. This will be held from 6:30PM to 8:00PM at Saint Mary's Hall for the Tuesdays of March 29th through May 17th (except April 12th of Holy Week) You can join in person or via zoom. SELECT HERE for complete detailsRead More -
Tuesday, May 24, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Join Deacon Tim of Saint Mary for a 7-part Study on Catholic Social Justice Teaching. This will be held from 6:30PM to 8:00PM at Saint Mary's Hall for the Tuesdays of March 29th through May 17th (except April 12th of Holy Week) You can join in person or via zoom. SELECT HERE for complete detailsRead More
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