3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B
As our Lord has risen from the dead and we are still celebrating His resurrection this Easter season, Jesus in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Luke, chapter 24, verse 35 to 48 reminds us of who we are celebrating, what we are celebrating and what next to do as His disciples. He states in the gospel reading that we are celebrating “everything written about Him, in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms. And that we are also celebrating His suffering, His resurrection from the dead and our repentance, that has led to the forgiveness of our sins. He then goes on to remind us that as His sons and daughters and His disciples, we should be His witnesses in the world by preaching in His name and by proclaiming His gospel to all the nations.
So it is our duty as children of God to witness to Christ in the world, by preaching in His name and proclaiming His gospel to all. Are we witnessing to Christ in our world today? Are we preaching His name to the world today? Are we proclaiming His gospel to all the nations as He instructed us to? How can we witness to Christ in our world today?
Saint Peter in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles chapter 3, verses 13 to 15, and 17 to 19, states that if we want to witness to the risen Christ in our world today, we have to first of all repent from our sins and be converted, so that our sins may be wiped away.
Saint John in our second reading from his first letter, chapter 2, verse 1 to 5, while reminding us that Jesus Christ is the righteous one and the expiation for our sins Himself, emphasizes that we can be true witnesses of Christ in the world today by obeying and keeping His commandments, because ‘those who say, “I know him,” but do not keep his commandments are liars, and the truth is not in them. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.” So, are we willing and ready to witness to Christ in our world today? Have we truly repented from our sins as we were called to in the season of Lent? Are we really converted to the Catholic Faith or do we still have doubts about our faith, about the teachings of the Church, and about the gospel of Christ? Are we faithfully obeying and keeping God’s commandments, so as to be truly perfected in Him?
My dear brothers and sisters, as we are reminded by Jesus Himself in today’s gospel reading to be His witnesses in the world, let us do so by truly repenting of our sins, by renewing our lives, and by sincerely obeying and keeping God’s commandments.
