Contrast – In today’s readings we see the contrast in the apostles faith in the Gospel of Mark and that of Peter and John in the Acts of the Apostles.
In the Gospel Jesus is recounting their unbelief – The two woman return from the tomb and tell the apostles of Jesus Christ Resurrection, yet they do not believe. Jesus meets two of the apostles on the road to Emmaus and breaks bread with them. They go back and tell the other apostles, yet they do not believe. Finally, Jesus reveal himself to the eleven, and initially they do not believe – they think he is ghost. It is only after they have seen that they believe. This is why Jesus has said: blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
However, in the Acts of the Apostles we hear Peter and John tell the Pharisees that they can not stop proclaiming the risen Christ. What is the difference between the apostles in the Gospel of Mark and apostles in the Acts. The difference is the Resurrection.
And for us today as for the apostles the resurrection is still the difference. Each of us in our lives has come to belief and to profess publicly the risen Christ. That is why each of us is hear today. It is this faith that causes to perform acts of charity. It is this faith that gives us compassion and understanding towards others.
We did not gain this faith on our own but from someone whose faith was so strong it helped us to come to believe. Whether it was a parent who raised us in the faith or friend or relative who help us come to believe as an adult.
Jesus, tells the apostles in today’s Gospel “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation.” This is now our call as baptized Christians. Our faith must now become the strength to bring others to Jesus Christ. Whether it is by how we always act as Christians at work and at home. or whether it is by actually telling the story of the risen Jesus to our children and grandchildren, neighbors and friends.
Let our prayer be today in thanksgiving for the grace that God has given us that we may believe without having seen. and that he will continue to pour out his grace upon others that our faith may become their strength to come to believe in the risen Christ.
