Thursday within the Octave of Easter
Acts 3: 11-26 Luke 24: 35-48
Theme: “To this we are witnesses”
When the people saw the Lame man that was healed by Peter and John at the beautiful gate walking and with them in the Portico of Solomon, they were greatly surprised. Peter then decided to use the opportunity to remind them about what played out in the life of Jesus, how they treated and rejected him and eventually killed him. He pointed out the fact that they were all witnesses of what took place during that period. When he was done refreshing their memory about the role they played in the whole scenario, he went ahead to exonerate them by saying that they do not understand what they were doing at the time. This was used as a wonderful moment to preach the message of the resurrected Christ to the people and use the opportunity to help them come out of their ignorance and embrace what is good and acceptable to God. You will notice that since after the resurrection, the Apostles have used every opportunity they had to continue to conscientize and preach to the people about the need for them to embrace the teachings and way of Christ.
This is the mandate that was giving by Christ himself to all of us as children of God. As people of the resurrection, it is expected that we preach the resurrected Christ wherever we find ourselves in life, just like the Apostles of Jesus have been doing since after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are all witnesses of the mercy and love of God in our lives, and as such we should willingly promote the message of Christ as beneficiaries of his goodness and love. Now is the best time for all of us to begin to promote the message of Christ to the ends of the earth, taking into consideration the happenings in our world today. We need witnesses who will be willing to preach Christ in their daily lives through their words and actions, just like the Apostles did after the resurrection of Christ. This is an invitation to all those who go by the name Christians.
In the gospel reading of today, we are presented with the story of the two disciples who encountered Jesus on their way to Emmaus. Their eyes were opened at the breaking of the bread, and they recognised him. The faith of the disciples was strengthened, and they returned immediately. It was a life changing experience for them. As you partake of the table of the Lord at mass, a moment of encounter, what does it mean to you as a person. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.