The final words of the risen Christ in today’s gospel, taken from Luke, sum up the task he has left to his Church: to proclaim to the world that he lives, has triumphed over death, and is the Messiah long promised by God in the Holy Scriptures. The resurrection stories in all four gospels stress that Jesus Christ has in truth risen from the dead, the very same Jesus whom the apostles and disciples came to know and revere during his earthly ministry. The Church has been commissioned to witness to the powerful presence and divine reality of the risen Christ to each passing generation. Witness to him is the primary reason for her existence.
The astonishing presence of Christ in midst of his startled disciples, with his Easter message of peace, would transform Peter and his companions. The puzzle that was his life and especially his death now began to make sense, as he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures and to discern how the crucified and risen One was at the heart of God’s plan for the salvation of the human race. Peter and his friends would need time and the assistance of the Holy Spirit to appreciate fully the task which lay ahead of them. The extract from Peter’s early sermon in the Acts of the Apostles is eloquent proof of just how quickly he and the other disciples grew in the knowledge of Christ, the Saviour of the world.
The undertaking of the first generation of believers was one of massive proportions. Yet with what courage and conviction they embraced their mission from the risen Christ! Difficulties, setbacks, rejections, suffering and ultimately even martyrdom did not deter them. Their trials and tribulations can give us a sense of perspective as we strive to bear witness to Christ in our own time. They drew their inspiration from the abiding presence of the One who, with God’s power, proved victorious over sin and death. That same Christ calls us to believe and to trust in the truth of his gospel, for he has promised to be with the Church as long as time lasts.
Often what the Lord asks of us is quiet, unspectacular witness, the testimony of a good life which draws life from his word and sacraments, especially the holy Eucharist. He has told us that we are to be salt to the earth and light to the world. His gracious indwelling will ensure that our lives will be such, if we only cooperate with him.
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