Tuesday April 2, 2024
Theme: “Meeting the Risen One”
Text: John 20:19-23
19. In the evening of that day, which was the first of the week, the doors of the place where the disciples were being closed, because they were afraid of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them , and said to them: Peace be with you! 20. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21. Jesus said to them again: Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you. 22. And after these words he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. 23. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; and from whomever you withhold them, they will be withheld from them.
Let's remember:
The encounter with the risen changes the course of life. Cloistered in silence and filled with fear, the disciples had lost the taste for life. Without Jesus they had become common cowards. When Jesus dies, our faith, our courage and our security also die with Him because everything comes from Him. But when he resurrects, he brings back everything and in addition he fulfills the new covenant. Those who believe that their Jesus is dead will always live in anguish and even in disbelief, they will constantly have doubts, they will lock themselves into worries. While those who know that Christ is resurrected, those who have met him and who have recognized him as their Lord and Savior; they renew their faith and their intelligence; they live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The courage of every child of God comes from the conviction of a powerful and immortal God. The day he learns that this God has finally been crucified, doubt and fear take hold. But suddenly, the crucified appears among them in a hermetically closed house, it is the great change. A new era is dawning; a new flight is beginning. Anyone who has already met the resurrected person can no longer remain the same person as before. Resurrection comes with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now we can proclaim the forgiveness or retention of sins. The resurrected Jesus does us the favor of possessing the power to forgive. Excellent Tuesday. AmenAlain Louz.-