The Lord has truly risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. The grave could not hold him back. Jesus conquered both sin and death; a thing of great joy to all those who believe in God. The season of Lent gave us the opportunity to journey with the Lord and today we have all also risen from the grave with him. By implication, we have all embraced the newness of life that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ presents to us. A life that is truly Christian and worthy of emulation, just like the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. A life that calls us to witness to the crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the first reading of today from the Acts of the Apostle, we can see what the newness of life can do to us; just like it did to Peter. Remember that Peter was so scared that he had to deny Jesus three times, but the Peter we see in today’s 1st reading is fearless and is witnessing to the people about Jesus Christ. The power of the resurrection has taken over him and there is no more place for fear. In the same way my brothers and sisters, we have to allow the power of the resurrection to guide us in all that we do from henceforth. By so doing bearing witness to the resurrected Christ with the kind of life we lead. A life that will draw more people to God and his kingdom.
In the 2nd reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he emphasized the need for us to seek more the things of heaven, rather than what the world offers us. It simply means that the power of the resurrection should continue to propel us to live our lives like people who truly believe in the resurrection. A positive shift away from our usual lifestyle that has been influenced by all the penance, mortifications, fasting, and sacrifices we practiced during the season of Lent in preparation for the resurrection of Christ at Easter. This newness of life that Christ’s resurrection presents to us, must be made part of our life; it does not have to end with the Lenten season. There could be the temptation to go back to our old way of life after the Easter celebration. We have to try to resist that temptation whenever it comes. This is because the power of the resurrection has brought us renewal and a better life.
The resurrection of Christ invites us to be true witnesses of Christ wherever we find ourselves. Let your light shine and light up your path in such a way that it gives light to others who encounter you in one way or the other. Christ our light has triumphed over sin, death and darkness. He rules the world and invites all of us to join him in his mission of change and renewal in the world.
May God grant us the grace to be true witnesses of his resurrection in our world. Peace be with you. Amen.