EASTER REFLECTION

Here is an excerpt from Pope Benedict's book, Jesus of Nazareth, in regards to how God acts in history.

“It is part of the mystery of God that he acts so gently, that he only gradually builds up his history within the great history of mankind; that he becomes man and so can be overlooked by his contemporaries and by the decisive forces within history; that he suffers and dies and that, having risen again, he chooses to come to mankind only through the faith of the disciples to whom he reveals himself; that he continues to knock gently at the doors of our hearts and slowly opens our eyes if we open our doors to him. And yet—is not this the truly divine way? Not to overwhelm with external power, but to give freedom, to offer and elicit love. And if we really think about it, is it not what seems so small that is truly great?” (p. 276)  


Before we start wondering about evidence of the resurrection, we must first note that the bible focuses on the encounters with the resurrected Lord. 

No amount of evidence can truly convince us; only a true encounter with the risen Lord can drastically alter our conscious, our thinking, our living.

In is in the recognition of Jesus in our midst that embowers us to give witness. 

Encounter not evidence is what drives the apostles.  The tomb is empty this is true and factual.  The signs of resurrection are real, indeed.  But it is the encounter that super charges their life.  May it be so for each of us again and again these fifty days of easter and beyond. 

May our hearts be open to the gentle unfolding of God's presence in history  in such a many that we too can become his witnesses and proclaim his joy to the ends of the earth.