EASTER: THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

Jesus himself testified to his Resurrection from the dead. (Mk 8:31; Mt 17:22; Lk 9:22). The tomb was empty on Easter Sunday (Lk 24:3). Although the guards claimed (Mt 28:13) that the disciples of Jesus had stolen the body, every sensible Jew knew that it was impossible for the terrified disciples of Jesus to steal the body of Jesus from the tomb guarded by a 16- member team of armed Roman soldiers. The initial disbelief of Jesus’ own disciples in his Resurrection, in spite of his repeated apparitions serves as a strong proof of his Resurrection. It explains why the apostles started preaching the resurrected Christ only after receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The transformation of Jesus’ disciples immediately from men who were hopeless and fearful after the crucifixion (Lk 24:21; Jn 20:19) into men who were confident and bold witnesses of the Resurrection (Acts 2:24; 3:15; 4:2), is another proof pointing to the Resurrection The Jews and the Romans could not disprove Jesus’ Resurrection by presenting the dead body of Jesus. The apostles and the early Christians would not have faced martyrdom if they were not absolutely sure of Jesus’ Resurrection. The apostle Paul’s conversion from a persecutor of Christians into a zealous apostle, preaching the Good News of Jesus throughout much of the Gentile world supports the truth of Jesus’ Resurrection (Gal 1:11-17; Acts 9:1; Acts 26: 15-18). The sheer existence of a thriving, empire-conquering early Christian Church, bravely facing three centuries of persecution, supports the truth of Resurrection claim. The New Testament witnesses do not bear the stamp of dupes or deceivers. The apostles and the early Christians were absolutely sure about the Resurrection of Jesus. HAPPY EASTER!!!!

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS, THE DONKEY RIDER

There is a biography of a man who was one of the learned people. He had two PhDs—one in Philosophy, another in Theology. Further, he was a world class musician, and concert halls around he world sold out when he went o tour. Then, to the surprise of everyone, he decided he wanted to go to medical school to earn yet another doctoral degree in medicine. As soon as he had his medical degree, he left the comfortable surroundings of Western Europe and went into the jungles of Africa. There he cleared away part of the jungle and began building a clinic and a hospital. Once these were built, he started providing medical care to the young and old of Africa. Many years later, Dr. Albert Schweitzer won the Nobel Peace Prize for his ministry of healing in the jungles of Africa. When he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, he shared with that distinguished crowd in Stockholm the reason he had built a hospital in Africa. The reason was summed up, he stated in the first words he always said to his native patients as they awakened from an operation. He would say: “The reason that you have no more pain is because the Lord Jesus told the good doctor and his wife to come to the banks of Ogooue River and help you. If you owe thanks to anyone, you owe to the Lord Jesus.” He accepted the challenge to be a humble servant of Jesus Christ. And this is our challenge –this is your challenge—this is my challenge in this Holy Week! Look beyond your needs to the needs of others, and you will be on the road, being a humble servant of Jesus Christ.

Fifth Sunday of Lent: April 07, 2019

THE FAIR VERDICT OF JESUS

Initially, Jesus showed his lack of interest in the case by simply writing on the ground. But he was the only one in the group who could rightly judge the woman. The woman waited to hear Jesus’ verdict. She knew that she was guilty. She had passed the judgment on herself, and she accepted Jesus’ right to do the same. Perfectly understanding the secret intentions of her self-righteous accusers and the helplessness of the repentant sinner, Jesus gave this verdict:  “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”Thus, Jesus turned the accusers’ attention back on themselves and made them realize that they, too, were sinners. St. Augustine puts Jesus’ stand as follows: “Let this woman be punished, but not by sinners; let the law be applied, but not by its transgressors.” Thus, Jesus ingeniously escaped from the trap by leaving the judgment to the consciences of the accusers. This reduced the accusers to silence, prompting them to leave in shame. According to Jewish custom, the eldest should have begun the stoning. But the accusers melted away, beginning with the elders, who, like the elders in the story of Susannah (Daniel 13), had probably brought the charge. Since the elders left scene first followed by youngsters the case against the woman was dismissed. By appealing to the justice of God and the injustice of humans, Jesus upheld the Mercy of God.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON

The parable of the prodigal son is called  “the greatest short story in the world”(Charles Dickens), ”the gospel of the gospels”,  “the gospel of the outcasts,”“and the  “parable of the prodigal father.”  The world famous portrait of the  “Return of the Prodigal Son”by the 17 ^thcentury Dutch artist Rembrandt (now at the Hermitage Museum in Russia), Balanchine’s famous choreography of this parable, the Russian composer Prokofiev’s suite based on the Prodigal Son, and numerous other artistic works around the world depicting this theme, demonstrate the lingering impact of this parable on human hearts down through the centuries. Acknowledging the allegation that he mingled with the sinners, Jesus outlines the three aspects or dimensions of repentance, by three characters in the parable: 1) the repentant younger son, 2) the forgiving father and 3) the self-justifying older son.

A PARABLE OF DIVINE PATIENCE

On the one hand, Jesus informs us that those who do not repent will perish. On the other hand, he tells us a parable about the patience of God. This metaphorical story of the  fig tree planted in the vineyardreminds us of the parable of the vineyard in Isaiah 5:1-7. The fig tree is considered as a symbol of the people of Israel (see Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1; Jeremiah 8:13, 24:1-10), and this parable is perhaps meant to indicate that Jesus will work on the Jews for a little while longer, before cutting them off as a lost case and opening the Kingdom wholeheartedly to the Gentiles. Through this parable, believers are reminded of the patience of a God, Who is willing to give sinners chance after chance to reform their lives and to seek reconciliation. Even when sinners waste or refuse those chances, God, in His mercy, allows still more opportunities for them to repent. And just as the farmer tended the barren fig tree with special care, so God affords sinners whatever graces they need to leave their sinful ways behind and return to God’s love and embrace. Divine grace is expressed as justice with compassion, and judgment with mercy. But we cannot continue to draw strength and sustenance from God without producing fruit. God does not tolerate this type of “spiritual barrenness.”

THE SCENE OF HEAVENLY GLORY

While praying, Jesus was transformed into a shining figure, full of heavenly glory. This reminds us of Moses and Elijah, present with Jesus at the transfiguration, for they had also experienced the Lord in all His glory. Moses had met the Lord in the burning bush of Mount Horeb (Ex 3:1-4). After his encounter with God on Sinai, Moses’ face shone so brightly that the people were frightened, and thereafter, whenever Moses went into the Tent to consult the Lord, he had to wear a veil over his face when he came out (Ex 34:29-35). The Jews believed that Moses had been taken up in a cloud at the end of his earthly life (Josephus,  Antiquities of the Jews4.326). Elijah traveled for forty days to Mount Horeb on the strength of the food brought by an angel (1Kg 19:8). At Mount Horeb, Elijah sought refuge in a cave as the glory of the Lord passed over him (1Kg 19:9-18). Finally, Elijah was taken directly to heaven in a chariot of fire without seeing death (2Kg 2:11-15). These representatives of the Law and the Prophets—Moses and Elijah—foreshadowed Jesus, who is the culmination of the Law and the Prophets. Both earlier prophets were initially rejected by the people but vindicated by God. The Jews believed that the Lord buried Moses in an unknown place after his death (Deut 34: 5-6), and that Elijah had been carried to heaven in a whirlwind (2Kg 2:11). Thus, the implication is that, although God spared Elijah from the normal process of death and Moses from normal burial, He did not spare His Son from suffering and death. Peter, overwhelmed at the scene, exclaimed how good it was for them to be there. His remarks about three booths may be a reference to the Jewish festival of Succoth, the most joyful of Jewish days, when booths were erected from which all kinds of presents and sweets came. Or it may be a reference, alluding to tabernacles to house the patriarchs and the Son of God.

THE TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS CHRIST

Bible scholars interpret the graphic temptations of Jesus described by St. Mathew and St. Luke as a pictorial and dramatic representations of the inner struggle against a temptation that Jesus experienced throughout his public life. The devil was not trying to lure Jesus into some particular sin—rather, he was trying to entice Jesus away from the accomplishment of his mission, mainly through a temptation to become the political messiah of Jewish expectations, and to use his divine power to avoid suffering and death. The opposition, hostility and rejection, which Jesus experienced were constant temptations for him to use His power as God’s Son to overcome evil. The temptation story depicts Jesus as obedient to his Father’s will, refusing to be seduced into using his divine power or authority wrongly. Each of the three temptations, according to the Fathers of the Church, represents an area in which humans regularly fail: the lust of the flesh (stones to bread), the lust of the eye and the heart (ruling over all kingdoms), and the pride of life (a spectacular leap from the Temple). Note that Jesus overcame these temptations through the knowledge of his identity, his purpose, and God’s plan for human salvation.