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Fr. Joseph’s Weekly Missive for the 3rd Sunday of Easter Year B
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April 11, 2024“And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” (John 24:46)
On this Third Sunday of Easter, the major theme for today’s readings challenges us to have faith in the living presence of our Risen Lord to strengthen our hope in Him, calls us to true repentance for our sins and leads us to bear witness to Christ by our Works of Mercy. The readings also remind us that the purpose of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection is to save us from sins, invite us to bear witness to the risen Lord more effectively, to repent our sins, renew our lives and to meet Jesus in the Word of God and at the Eucharistic Table.
Our Christian discipleship includes four common elements: (1) every genuine call to follow Jesus originates in God, not the result of human reference or choice. (2) The disciple is challenged to conversion and transformation by Jesus. Intrinsic to this conversion is the awareness of one’s need of forgiveness and the power of God. (3) It requires a total commitment to renounce anything that leads away from the Lord, and a firm dedication toward the integration of one’s faith and manner of living. (4) Finally, every authentic call to Christian discipleship must necessarily result in a sense of mission and ministry in the believer empowered by the Holy Spirit.
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to repent our sins, reflect on our vocation of dynamic Christian discipleship to live a holy life to fulfill God’s will and obtain our salvation.
How can we help each other witness to our Risen Lord in our lives?
Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.
