{"id":722,"date":"2019-05-10T11:46:08","date_gmt":"2019-05-10T11:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/?p=722"},"modified":"2019-05-10T11:53:53","modified_gmt":"2019-05-10T11:53:53","slug":"21-april-2019-c-easter-sunday-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/?p=722","title":{"rendered":"21 April 2019 (C) EASTER SUNDAY Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

B. Reflection and Dialogue: <\/strong>The Risen\nChrist Centre of Christian life. Christian witness <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the first reading Peter stresses that the apostles are attested\nwitnesses to Jesus\u2019 resurrection, with the task of proclaiming to all what\nJesus\u2019 saving mission meant. The message of the second reading is that all\nfollowers of Christ should be witnesses to the new life in Christ in a world\nthat often has a contrary message. There is fruit for reflection in this for us\ntoday.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Belief in the\nresurrection of Christ and of Christ at God\u2019s right hand is, in a sense,\nrevolutionary. It calls for Christian living and Christian witness in an\nindifferent or unbelieving world. By union with Christ in baptism Christians in\na sense have died to one form of living, and now have a new life, in the words\nof today\u2019s reading \u201chidden with Christ in God\u201d. This is not a life of detachment\nfrom the world or human society, no more than Christ\u2019s life in God is. As Pope\nFrancis reminded us early in is pontificate, the centre of the Church is\nChrist, not the Pope. Without awareness of Christ as head and centre of the\nChurch, Christian life is disoriented. \nThe risen Christ, now in glory, is the same Christ who has given us the\nBeatitudes, and other teaching. He is the Christ who has sent his Spirit on the\nChurch and has directed it confidently in the mission to pagans beyond Judaism,\ncountering unacceptable pagan beliefs and practices.  Hence it is that in this same letter,\nimmediately after today\u2019s reading, the implications of belief in the Easter\nJesus are spelt out. Paul\u2019s words merit citation in full. He first spells out\nfive prevailing practices, unacceptable to believers in Christ, common in the\nsociety in which Colossian Christians found themselves. Paul\u2019s words are\n(Colossians 3:5-8): \u201c<\/strong>Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly:\nfornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which are idolatry).  On account of\nthese the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. <\/sup> These are the ways you also once followed,\nwhen you were living that life. <\/sup> But now you must get rid of all such things\u201d.\nHe then adds other qualities which should characterize Christian society. They\nshould put away anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive <\/sup>language from their mouth, and many others\nbesides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The Church in Ireland is now\nat a turning point. There have been the clerical, and other, sex scandals, and\nindependent of this a falling away from Church attendance, not necessarily a\nlack of faith. There is also a growing, and vocal, secularism and\nanti-clericalism. Believers need to put faith in the Risen Christ, as presented\nin today\u2019s reading from Colossians, at the very centre of their religion. Presence\nat Easter ceremonies could be a call and a reminder from Christ that all who\nbelieve in him are his witnesses, witnesses to his passion and resurrection. <\/strong> We can compare the present\nsituation in Ireland\n(and also elsewhere) somewhat to that of the disciples during and after the\nterrible events of the Passion and death of Jesus. The hopes expressed in him\non the entry over the Mount of Olives seemed\ndashed. In his hour of trouble his disciples had abandoned him; Peter had even\ndenied him three times. The situation changed with the resurrection belief, and\nthe words of Jesus that his death was really a victory. Believers in him could\ntake courage. Through his death and resurrection Christ had conquered \u201cthe\nworld\u201d, that is all forces trying to take believers away from him. And his\nfollowers would be witnesses to this new age. As Jesus said (John 15:26-27):\n\u201cWhen the Advocate (Paraclete, Comforter) comes, whom I send to you from the\nFather, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, will bear witness to me;\nand you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

B. Reflection and Dialogue: The Risen Christ Centre of Christian life. Christian witness In the first reading Peter stresses that the apostles are attested witnesses to Jesus\u2019 resurrection, with the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reflections"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=722"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":723,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722\/revisions\/723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}