Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
(Acts
17:15.22-18.1; John 16:12-15)
A former seminarian no longer goes to church. His wife gives his reason as no longer
believing in the resurrection. The man
may be seeking an excuse to sleep late on Sunday, but he knows the critical
issue of faith. This is evidenced by
reading Paul’s exhortations in the Acts of the Apostles. In his sermon to Jews in Pisidia Paul
preaches that Jesus’ resurrection fulfills the Scriptures (Acts 13:30-32). In today’s reading he tells the Greeks that
God raised Jesus from the dead as testimony of his coming to judge the
world. In both cases Paul did not
accomplish very much. In his First
Letter to the Corinthians he indicates that he had to change his message. He writes, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks
look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified…” (I Cor 1:22-23a).
Paul never got very far in preaching to Jews, but Greeks
came to embrace his message. They did so
because the world longs to hear of one who would sacrifice his life out of love
for another. Despite evidence of narcissism
most people suspect that they are not really worth much. They look for testimony that someone loves
them. This is the message of the
cross. As Paul writes elsewhere, “…God
proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us”
(Rom 5:8).
We need not worry how the resurrection can take place. Everyday science reveals occurrences which
never before were imagined, much less explained. But we must act on our belief in the
resurrection. We should make some sacrifice
of what we treasure for the good of others.
