Read Acts 2:36-41, Ps. 33:4-5,18-20,22, John 20:11-18
“Let all the house of Israel, therefore, know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:36-37)
Today’s first reading is the concluding part of Peter’s sermon on the life of Christ. Luke tells us that the audience was “cut to the heart.” The words Peter spoke became “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).
The people asked Peter: “What are we to do?” In response to this question, Peter said: “Repent and be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins… Save yourself from this crooked generation.” Child of God, what are those things holding you down spiritually? It is time to repent.
Our Psalmist today sings: “His merciful love fills the earth.” One great saint said: “God is never tired of forgiving us, we are the ones who get tired of asking His forgiveness.” Do you assume your sins are too much?
Consider the fact that this same Peter whose sermon converted thousands had a past. He drew a sword to cut off someone’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane. Like Judas Iscariot, Peter offended Jesus by denying Him three times but unlike Judas, Peter asked for forgiveness.
Ask for forgiveness today. Come out of the darkness. Embrace the light. This is the only way to save yourself from our crooked generation; a generation that has turned its head upside down in terms of morality; a generation that openly worships the devil; a generation where school children supposedly under-aged get involved in cultism, substance abuse, gangrape and so on.
In our Gospel passage, Mary Magdalene saw the risen Jesus but she thought he was the gardener. For a moment, she was blind to reality staring her in the face. Jesus visits us daily but we hardly recognize Him. Recall the words of the sixth station of the Cross – “Can you be brave enough to wipe my face? ‘Where is your face?’ you may ask me, and I will answer: ‘In the streets, traffic jams, the remote and dirty villages, wherever suffering exists, my face is there and I look for you to wipe away my blood and tears.”
Jesus said to Mary Magdalene: “Go and tell my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Jesus wants you to be His apostle, to spread the news of His Resurrection to the ends of the earth. Come out of the darkness, embrace the light, and save yourself from this wicked generation.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, may I be a light to my generation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Easter Tuesday. Bible Study: Acts 2:36-41, Ps. 33:4-5,18-20,22, John 20:11-18).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu