Monday, April 5, 2021

 Monday of the Octave of Easter

(Acts 2:14.22-33; Matthew28:8-15)

Abraham Lincoln proposed a new vision for a reunited America in his Second Inaugural Address.  Charity toward all would replace the malice to sworn enemies.  Slavery would end, but both sides would have paid a terrible price.  Lincoln used the Bible -- both the Old and New Testaments – to impress on his readers his new vision.  Known by almost everyone, Scripture provided common ground to rebuild America.  In today’s reading from Acts, Peter similarly finds in Scripture the basis of understanding Jesus’ resurrection.

Peter’s sermon directly follows the Holy Spirit’s descent on the apostles.  They prayerfully awaited its coming and now almost explode with enthusiasm to tell others about Jesus.  Since Christ’s appearances to the apostles were unique events, Peter uses the Scriptures to interpret them for his audience.  He references the psalm which says that the Lord’s anointed would not know corruption in death.  The body which would not corrupt in the tomb could not be David’s because David’s tomb was marked.  Peter says that the glorified body was that of Jesus, David’s lineal heir.

Many in the contemporary world become uncomfortable with the thought of the resurrection – both Christ’s and his followers’.  They would rather have life end at death for all so that people can pursue whatever gives them pleasure.  But such a wish clashes with the experience of the apostles’ and our own spiritual intuitions.  We believe that the Jesus is truly risen because like Lincoln we possess the living hope that charity will prevail and malice will end.