Thursday, April 24, 2014

Homily: Thursday of the Octave of Easter - He is TRULY risen!



When the apostles saw the risen Christ on the evening of His resurrection, "they thought they were seeing a ghost". Because of their fear and their lack of faith he didn’t seem real.  Their fear and lack of faith kept them from experiencing the Real Presence of Jesus in their midst.

Jesus tried to prove He was real by showing them His hands and feet, inviting them to touch Him, and eating a piece of fish.

Why does Jesus seem so unreal to so many people in our modern culture?  We are often so quick to label those in previous generations as “out of touch”.  Yet, it is our culture that is addicted to escaping from reality, using alcohol, drugs, TV, promiscuity, video games, computer games, mind-games, etc. 

Many live in a world of fleeting emotions without an anchor in objective truth.  Many pretend that they'll live forever and never face Judgment Day. 

In a world so out of touch with reality, it's understandable that the risen Christ may seem to be a ghost.

One of the themes of the Easter season is “the strengthening of our faith”.  Another way of saying that is “getting in touch with reality.”  Jesus is truly risen!  He is truly present in the Eucharist.  He leads us to real truth when we study His words and teachings in Scripture.

This is a great time of the liturgical year to do a bible study or pick up your copy of the Catechism.  To combat the unrealities of our culture and to lead people to truth we need to be intimately knowledgeable of Jesus who is Truth itself. 

Jesus shows himself to his friends, he opens their minds to understand the Scriptures and he says, “You are witnesses of these things.”  May this Easter season be a time of joyful encounter with the risen Christ and increased faith for all of us, that we may be more effective witnesses for the glory of God and salvation of souls.



No comments:

Post a Comment