The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the evidence for belief in new life in Christ that is illuminated by the Easter path.
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| The Easter path |
The reading from the Book of Acts describes the conflict between the apostles and the Sanhedrin over their actions in the name of Jesus.
Before the Sanhedrin 1
In Psalm 118 when hostile peoples threatened Israel’s life (Ps 118:10–14); vividly God’s rescue is recounted (Ps 118:15–18).
* [Psalm 118] A thanksgiving liturgy accompanying a procession of the king and the people into the Temple precincts. After an invocation in the form of a litany (Ps 118:1–4), the psalmist (very likely speaking in the name of the community) describes how the people confidently implored God’s help (Ps 118:5–9) when hostile peoples threatened its life (Ps 118:10–14); vividly God’s rescue is recounted (Ps 118:15–18).2
The longer ending to the Gospel of Mark is an amalgam of
The Appearance to Mary Magdalene
The Appearance to Two Disciples
The Commissioning of the Eleven
* [16:9–20] This passage, termed the Longer Ending to the Marcan gospel by comparison with a much briefer conclusion found in some less important manuscripts, has traditionally been accepted as a canonical part of the gospel and was defined as such by the Council of Trent. Early citations of it by the Fathers indicate that it was composed by the second century, although vocabulary and style indicate that it was written by someone other than Mark. It is a general resume of the material concerning the appearances of the risen Jesus, reflecting, in particular, traditions found in Lk 24 and Jn 20.3
Chas Kestermeier, S.J. asks if Christ were to appear to us as He did in today's Gospel reading, would we melt or would He rebuke us as well?
Christ does not appear to us in the same way as He did to those who knew Him in the flesh back then, but we have the benefit of history, centuries of clarification of our knowledge of God, much teaching on what we are and are supposed to be, and the example of so many saints. With all that helping us, do we really believe? And if so, what kind of person has each of us become to show that belief?4
Don Schwager quotes “The Great Commission,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 430-543 A.D.
"The command to the apostles to be witnesses to him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts of the earth was not addressed exclusively to those to whom it was immediately spoken. They alone would not be the only ones who would carry such an enormous task to completion. Similarly he seems to be speaking to the apostles very personally when he says: "Behold I am with you even to the end of the world," yet who does not know that he made this promise to the universal church which will last from now even to the consummation of the world by successive births and deaths?" (excerpt from Letter 199, To Hesychius 49)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 16:9-15 comments that we too may find ourselves struggling to believe that Jesus is truly risen and lives in us. We may want to believe, of course, but sometimes the hard realities of life wear down our faith. Then doubt finds its way into our hearts and minds, and we begin to wonder if God cares about us at all.
take some time today just to look around. There are so many signs that Christ is truly risen. There’s the work of St. Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity, who bring so much love into the world by their care for the poorest of the poor. There’s your pastor or the volunteers in your parish who work tirelessly to serve everyone else. Maybe you know someone who, in spite of terrible suffering, still reflects the peace and comfort of the Lord. Countless stories from the saints and from everyday people prove to us that Jesus really is risen and that he really does live among us… We are an Easter people. So whenever you begin to doubt, you can cry out to Jesus, “Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)....6
Friar Jude Winkler recalls the challenge of Peter to the Sanhedrin about obeying the authorities or God. The shorter ending of Mark may be appropriate for an audience in Rome that was being martyred. Friar Jude reasserts the identity of Mary Magdalene as the proto-apostle.
Joseph Simmons SJ, a priest of the USA Midwest Jesuit province, reminds that to proclaim ‘We are an Easter people!’ does not mean that life is all sweets and sunshine. It means that no matter where we are in life, we are always somewhere on the Easter path. When you and I do an examination prayer over the stuff of our lives, it does not take long to see whereabouts we are on that path with Christ.
Prayer reunites us to God; charity, to our neighbour; fasting, to ourselves. God, my neighbour, my life: these are the realities that do not fade away and in which we must invest.These disciplines help us remember that everyone we meet is also somewhere on their own Easter path, whether they would recognise that or not. Each of the people you and I encounter is a child of God, and the Easter path changes how we see them. Think, if you will, of the people who irritate you. That insecure woman who will not stop talking at the bible study group? Maybe she’s feeling isolated, with Jesus in Gethsemane, and starved for company. The old widower next door who is constantly asking for help? Maybe he’s with Jesus on the cross, feeling left behind. The young hotshot in your department who seems to be angling for your job? He’s with Jesus in his successful public ministry, and may be trying to provide for his family – while you are facing your own diminishment. That grouchy new priest who seems cold and irritable? Maybe he is in tomb-like waiting, mourning the loss of relationships or youthful hopes, awaiting new life after the transfer from his old parish.
Through a little examination and displacement of myself as the centre of the story, I can see that we are all somewhere on this path. With Easter eyes, we can be a source of solidarity and encouragement for everyone we encounter on the journey of life.7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes E. E. Cummings, “i thank You God for most this amazing,” as he minds us that we can’t skip over or rush through pain to get to a happy ending, sometimes it helps to focus on resurrection.
In both the good and bad events of the day, We connect to others as witnesses to our experience of resurrection as followers of Christ.
References
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(n.d.). psalm 118 - usccb. Retrieved April 27, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/psalms118.htm
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 27, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 27, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved April 27, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/04/27
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(2019, April 20). On the Easter path | Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in .... Retrieved April 27, 2019, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/easter-path
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(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: April 2019 - Daily Meditations Archives .... Retrieved April 27, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/04/
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