Easter Thursday
Acts 3:11-26
Lk 24:35-48
…neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing; this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer.
Spotless victim, holy sacrifice,
Led to the slaughter, obedience tethered
by a gentle feather. Yet he followed.
Love so pure yet strong, it allowed
sin to blight its power.
We cannot remember without participating
— crucifying love in order to kneel
with repentance at the empty grave.
Receive the forgiveness
He already gave
from the very beginning of His plan.
Who knew there would be a spotless victim
only He could send?
How could God send his Son, Jesus, to die? Which father would send his child to the gallows… and why would He do that? Yet, this same God stalled Abraham’s hand when he was about to obey the instruction to sacrifice Isaac.
I struggle when I try to humanly grasp this concept of a mighty God and a loving Father, with a plan so grand and yet allowed to be filled with so much sin and sacrifice. This is perhaps where humility and repentance must receive forgiveness and grace, in order to catalyse a deeper understanding and faith.
The first reading of Acts 3:11-26 relates how the guilty crowd who condemned Jesus and disowned him in the presence of Pilate, now rushed forth in great excitement, amazement (and grave realisation) upon knowing that Jesus’ body was no longer wrapped in the tomb and was missing. He has risen!! Too late, Peter and John tell them. I imagine that I would be trembling with fear and horror and a crushing sense of guilt had I been one in the crowd.
I did this to him. I did it too. I was a part of it. Hence, every year on Good Friday, all in church play out our roles in the Passion of Christ. We read the scripture readings, raising our collective voices “Crucify him! Crucify him!” not because the Church is macabre and sadistic; but because we need to invest in, and experience vicariously, the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. We cannot simply point a finger at history to the folks who actually did this to Jesus. We are, today, presently and in every moment, able to crucify Jesus with our thoughts and actions.
Yet, the readings today offer God’s unreserved mercy. God did not condemn the ones who condemned His Son. In fact, Peter (who himself was guilty of denying Jesus) tells the crowd to quickly repent! These words of admonition were accompanied by the comfort of forgiveness at repentance:
“I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing; this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer. Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and so that the Lord may send the time of comfort. Then he will send you the Christ he has predestined, that is Jesus… It was for you in the first place that God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:17-26)
God’s permitted victim — Christ — and his planned sacrifice, required the temporary blindness of the people to ‘cooperate’ in this Plan. This is the free will that is ultimately a gift — the freedom to choose a course of action and commit it. Just as those who condemned Jesus acted by their choice, so too did Joseph of Arimathea generously give up his personal tomb to lay the body of Jesus. God could have intervened at many points, but even he stayed His hand and watched. It reminds me that Jesus, too, asked the disciples to “remain here and keep watch with Me”. He did not ask the disciples for action or protection from the traitors and guards. Likewise, God’s plan required Jesus’ obedience and surrender to His will to be fulfilled.
After all of this sin and drama, our loving God did not cast aside anyone — Peter assures us all that God is waiting to pour out His forgiveness upon those who repent — the cruel but ignorant crowd too. Likewise, He wants your cooperation with his grace to cleanse and redeem your sins, to bring you to a new life again. Therefore, Jesus came back among the disciples to preach the power of redemption that his resurrection brings.
Today’s gospel passage follows the scene of the walk to Emmaus that Jesus took with his disciples. He invites the troubled and incredulous amongst them to witness for themselves: “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” (Lk 24:39) Jesus will not leave you to be troubled and doubting — look for him, seek him with all your heart, mind, body and spirit and he will surely come to you.
To our brethren who were baptised this Easter, I urge you to persist in believing throughout your life. Jesus’ real body offered as physical specimen in that biblical moment recorded by St Luke, is again-and-again-and-again revealed to us at Holy Mass. Jesus’ real Presence is taken, blessed, broken, given — you and I are invited to repent, come forth, confess with an Amen, and receive him in the Holy Eucharist. To you who were in the dark, to you who are doubtful and weary, you can always begin again — God is still here waiting for you.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Debbie Loo)
Prayer: Jesus, I love you. I want to go on confessing your resurrection, your joy, your goodness, your mercy and forgiveness all the days of my life. Help me to continue seeking you in every moment in my life, no matter the circumstances or how far I have strayed.
Thanksgiving: Thank you God, for your boundless mercy and deepest wellspring of grace that gushes forth for us. Thank you for redeeming us from our blindness and forgiving our past wilfulness and rebellion. Thank you for the Cross.
OXYGEN 
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