Dear Brothers and Sisters:
You can touch the resurrection today if you believe the Word of God proclaimed in the gospel and all the readings on this Third Sunday of Easter. To experience the resurrection will also heal your wounds. Once healed you are more able to heal others, not by your own strength but by the power of God.
In the gospel (John 21: 1-19) today the apostles have not caught any fish, then they bring in a record catch, an impossible task; they are hungry and find that breakfast is prepared for them. Their friend is dead, and now he’s alive. Jesus always reverses the situation, and much more than that he conquers the things that kill us; he conquers death, and lives in a totally new dimension, which changes everything. Christianity is not about rules, practices and traditions; it is about an event that still impacts us today. Jesus rose from the grave and lives in a new dimension; he is not a resurrected corpse or a ghost.
The last two weeks I have been talking about making a change in our life. If you could wish for one thing to change what would it be? The Bible gives us a hint in Psalm 27, ‘Take courage and wait for the Lord.’ Courage is not a lack of fear, but a lack of action in the face of fear; you and I, at times, have no moral strength in response to fear. Courage is the choice to act in spite of fear. Courageous people are not fearless, crazy people are. The Word of God can always help us to act courageously.
Take a look at what happened in the Acts of the Apostles today (Acts 5:27-41) and preceding it. Peter says to a crippled man who had been that way for forty years, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, stand up and walk.’ And immediately he was made strong, and walked and jumped around praising God. This created a big commotion in Jerusalem and the religious leaders warned Peter and John and those with them not to speak any more of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter shows remarkable courage and when they are dragged in front of the Sanhedrin again, the same people who sentenced Christ to death on a cross, he said, ‘We must obey God, rather than men.’ Let’s say that together, out loud, ‘We must obey God, rather than men.’
What are you afraid of? God invites us to know it, name it and face it. With his help you can take action in the face of fear, and this changes everything. After Peter is arrested the first time he does something very important; he does not pray for security or for peace; he prays for courage in the face of this threat by the very people who killed his Messiah. This reminds us of something you and I almost never do: pray for courage, ask for it. And secondly, change the focus from your fear to God; rely on his word. Peter spoke a word from God with courage. The same Peter who denied Christ to a middle school girl is now speaking with boldness despite their threats. Let us do the same, brothers and sisters, and not be afraid to say a Word from God to others.