Deacon Matt's Easter Reflection

Reflection for Easter Sunday: April 17, 2022

(Acts 10:34a, 37-43): Happy Easter! In this powerful passage, Peter, full of awe and wonder, recalls the series of miracles that unfolded in the life of Jesus. Peter summarizes the span of time from Jesus’ Baptism by John in the Jordan River, to the Resurrection and beyond. Peter alludes to the privilege and responsibility that we, as Jesus’ followers have; to witness to the faith, verbally and by our example in living out the Gospel message. Take time to reflect and ponder this week that we, ourselves are all responsible for witnessing to and sharing our faith. We’re called to encourage others to embrace and practice the faith; to atone for sins and to request and accept salvation. We’re mandated to remind others that there will come a Judgment Day that we must prepare for, by living good, holy and faithful lives. This is a serious calling.

(Psalm 118: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.): In today’s psalm, we rejoice in an Easter meditation on and celebration of God’s infinite mercy. Our Lord has saved and redeemed us! We, indeed rejoice and are glad. In the second stanza, the psalmist pronounces that she or he will live… and will declare the works of the Lord. That’s what we’ve been called to do in the first reading: to declare, praise and share the wonderful works of the Lord. When we share our faith with others and declare God’s works, we’re evangelizing others and hopefully spreading the faith and extending the Kingdom of God. That’s worth celebrating, today! Jesus, rejected and given up for dead by the masses, has been raised from the dead and is now, the cornerstone of the Church; the Kingdom of God, to which we belong. Let us rejoice and be glad!

(Col 3:1-4): In the Light and glory of the Resurrection, Paul reminds us that with our Christian discipleship, we’re all being called to become new creations. We’re called to change our entire focus of life; from temporal and selfish concerns, to a focus on spreading the Christian message. We’re called to relinquish worldly and self-serving concerns and to trade them for a focus on following Jesus.  We’re being called to a new way of life; serving Jesus by serving and ministering to His people. We’ve been set free from our slavery to sin and to worldly preoccupations. Our freedom has been won by Jesus’ Sacrifice and Redemption of us on the Cross. We’re no longer our own. We’re His! Ponder and celebrate! Let’s share our faith and be powerful witnesses of the Good News!

(John 20:1-9):  Take some time this week to ponder that when Mary Magdalen began her journey to the Tomb, she started out in the dark. There’s great significance and symbolism in that. The journey to faith starts out in the darkness for all of us. Faith is a decision to choose the Light. When we first embark on our faith journey, our steps are slow. We only gain confidence by practicing faith. When we act as if we believe, confidence and courage will come to us, with time. When Mary Magdalen found the stone rolled away, she fled the Tomb and went to the disciples to share the news with them. She fully invested herself, to join in the quest for the Lord. She both pledged her commitment to the faith and enlisted the support of other disciples. In the darkness of faith struggles, we have to be “the Light” for one another.

Ponder that!
Deacon Matt