Respond to the Risen One

The Roman Catholic Lectionary with texts from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of Matthew presents some opportunity to meditate on the response of the community to Jesus Resurrection. Peter is shown with new strength and courage as he tells his audience in Jerusalem that God has raised up Jesus as the fulfillment of the Promise to King David that the Lord would always be with David's descendants. The presence of God through Jesus is the path of Life praised by  Psalm 16, attributed to David. Matthew,  according to Friar Jude Winkler, is addressing a Jewish Christian audience as he tells that the Roman guard had witnessed the events in garden as the women who visited the tomb encounter Jesus and are directed to bring the news of His Resurrection to the Apostles. The Evangelist counters the rumour created by the Jewish authorities that Jesus body had been stolen from the tomb. Our loyalty to the truth we experience can be a strong motivator for action. When we suppress the truth we know because of fear, intimidation or self serving gain, our spirit is in distress and our self compensation for our compromise can draw us away from intimacy with the Divine.