Happy Easter to all our friends and readers of ‘In the Word’.
There’s nothing quite like Easter to renew and reinvigorate our faith. The empty tomb, the appearances of the Risen Lord, and finally, the penny dropping with Jesus’ followers, that the Scriptures have been fulfilled in Him.
Easter brings us back to the experience of those first followers of Jesus who simply could not contain their joy in the resurrection. They were overflowing with it. They had to share it. This is mission.
The joy of the apostles must have been palpable, and it was certainly catching. In the Acts of the Apostles we hear of Peter’s testimony resulting in 3,000 people becoming believers in one day!
But not everyone was receptive to the message of the resurrection, and the refusal of the apostles to stop preaching it soon brought them into conflict with the authorities. Down through the centuries many have been martyred because of their faith in Jesus and their refusal to deny it.
Sadly, this persecution goes on today. On Easter Sunday we were reminded of this yet again, in horrific fashion, when more than 300 people were killed by bomb blasts in Sri Lanka. Many of the victims were killed while worshipping at Church on the holiest day in the Christian calendar. Others were killed by blasts in hotels.
It’s easy for us to think that Christian persecution is a thing of history. We think of Christians being fed to the lions in ancient Rome and think it has little to do with us. But in reality, according to sources such as the widely respected Pew Report, Christianity remains today the most persecuted religion in the world.
This is not to say that people of other faiths are not being killed or persecuted as well. We remember all to clearly the recent killings of Muslims at prayer in New Zealand and we grieve for them too, and for people of any faith who are being persecuted for their beliefs.
But it is simply to say that the Christian faith we enjoy in relative freedom in this part of the world has been, and continues to be, won by the blood of the martyrs all around the world.
As we grieve for those killed in Sri Lanka and pray for those suffering in other countries, let our response be an ever deeper focus on, and commitment to, the central claim of our faith. Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. Herein lies our hope.
The resurrection of Jesus fills us with Easter joy and so it should. This Easter season, let us dig deep into the well of that joy. Let us honour those who have died in faith by continuing to share that wellspring of joy with those around us. Let us remember the example of the apostles who embodied the joy of the Risen Lord so much that it was irresistible to so many of those around them. Let our Easter joy be expressed in service and friendship and accompaniment.
We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!
Yours in the Word,
Fr Henry Adler SVD,
Provincial