An Augustinian Heart (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} catholic_heart) wrote in ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} christianity,@ 2008-03-24 11:36:00 |
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Transformation in the Spirit
Today's readings for Monday in the Octave of Easter are from Acts 2:14,22-33, Ps 16:1-2a,5,7-11, Matt 28:28:8-15.
During this week after Easter the Church will continue to recount the Resurrection narratives from the Gospels, while also allowing us to reflect on the disciples of Christ after His Resurrection. These are important reflections from Acts of the Apostles because Christ rose for us as much as for them, and He sent the Spirit for us as much as for them, and so as much as they were transformed by the Holy Spirit after encountering the risen Christ, so too should we be transformed.
During the Passion narratives, and really throughout the Gospels, we see Peter as someone who struggled to understand, and who ultimately became afraid, a fear which led him to abandon the One Who would change his life. Yet now, having seen Jesus not only raised from the dead but also ascended into heaven, and having also received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, we see a new Peter, a bold Peter, a Peter filled with wisdom and understanding. He stands up in the midst of those very men who crucified Jesus and preaches to them the Gospel of Christ. He proclaims, "Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know." The same Peter who thrice denied knowing Jesus now boldly proclaims that Jesus was indeed commended by God, and worked the very signs of God in their midst. He continues, "This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it." Since this Jesus was God, and came to conquer death for our sake, it was impossible for death to hold Him.
The last time Peter had seen Jesus before He died He was being beaten and tortured and mangled, and ultimately crucified. Besides the immense sadness and confusion this would have caused Peter, imagine the fear. How could he go on talking about Jesus and trying to teach others as Jesus had taught him when Jesus was subjected to such intense torture. Yes, Peter was there when Christ said, "Do not fear those who can kill the body but not the soul" (Matt 10:28), but that was going to be a lot harder for Peter to swallow when he witnessed exactly how the body was killed. But then Peter saw the resurrected Christ, whose body was now glorified, and he could truly in his heart believe those words from Christ. Now he knew that there was nothing to fear from the men of the earth for one who is faithful to God. This is why, after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter was able to understand the words of David as pointing to his own hope and his own resurrection: "My flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption."
The Cross is indeed folly to those who do not believe. But to those who have faith in God through His Son, to us we are given the Holy Spirit, which allows us to understand the wisdom of the Cross and embrace it ourselves. Through the Spirit we have hope in the future resurrection which awaits us, knowing that our bodies too will be glorified as was Christ's. Through the Spirit we are able to boldly proclaim the truth about God and the resurrection of the body without fear of the derision and persecution we will face as a result.
The words spoken to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary in today's Gospel are being spoken to us today, as well: "Do not be afraid." We have a God Who loves us to the point of death, and descended to the depths of Sheol so that He might break through it for us, and was Himself raised so that we too might be raised. We have a God who is with us always in His Spirit, so that the Spirit of God dwelling within us will transform us from the cowards who deny Christ and His revelation of God into the bold disciples who will proclaim the truth of our faith without fear from any man. We are not like the chief priests and the soldiers who know the truth but out of fear of men hide that truth so as to avoid persecution. We are not like these men. No, we are built on the rock of Peter, and like him we receive the Holy Spirit and continue to walk without fear in the presence of God, proclaiming His majesty and sovereignty over our lives. Like Peter, we are transformed in the Holy Spirit of God.
Peace in Christ,
Michael
Today's readings for Monday in the Octave of Easter are from Acts 2:14,22-33, Ps 16:1-2a,5,7-11, Matt 28:28:8-15.
During this week after Easter the Church will continue to recount the Resurrection narratives from the Gospels, while also allowing us to reflect on the disciples of Christ after His Resurrection. These are important reflections from Acts of the Apostles because Christ rose for us as much as for them, and He sent the Spirit for us as much as for them, and so as much as they were transformed by the Holy Spirit after encountering the risen Christ, so too should we be transformed.
During the Passion narratives, and really throughout the Gospels, we see Peter as someone who struggled to understand, and who ultimately became afraid, a fear which led him to abandon the One Who would change his life. Yet now, having seen Jesus not only raised from the dead but also ascended into heaven, and having also received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, we see a new Peter, a bold Peter, a Peter filled with wisdom and understanding. He stands up in the midst of those very men who crucified Jesus and preaches to them the Gospel of Christ. He proclaims, "Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know." The same Peter who thrice denied knowing Jesus now boldly proclaims that Jesus was indeed commended by God, and worked the very signs of God in their midst. He continues, "This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it." Since this Jesus was God, and came to conquer death for our sake, it was impossible for death to hold Him.
The last time Peter had seen Jesus before He died He was being beaten and tortured and mangled, and ultimately crucified. Besides the immense sadness and confusion this would have caused Peter, imagine the fear. How could he go on talking about Jesus and trying to teach others as Jesus had taught him when Jesus was subjected to such intense torture. Yes, Peter was there when Christ said, "Do not fear those who can kill the body but not the soul" (Matt 10:28), but that was going to be a lot harder for Peter to swallow when he witnessed exactly how the body was killed. But then Peter saw the resurrected Christ, whose body was now glorified, and he could truly in his heart believe those words from Christ. Now he knew that there was nothing to fear from the men of the earth for one who is faithful to God. This is why, after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter was able to understand the words of David as pointing to his own hope and his own resurrection: "My flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption."
The Cross is indeed folly to those who do not believe. But to those who have faith in God through His Son, to us we are given the Holy Spirit, which allows us to understand the wisdom of the Cross and embrace it ourselves. Through the Spirit we have hope in the future resurrection which awaits us, knowing that our bodies too will be glorified as was Christ's. Through the Spirit we are able to boldly proclaim the truth about God and the resurrection of the body without fear of the derision and persecution we will face as a result.
The words spoken to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary in today's Gospel are being spoken to us today, as well: "Do not be afraid." We have a God Who loves us to the point of death, and descended to the depths of Sheol so that He might break through it for us, and was Himself raised so that we too might be raised. We have a God who is with us always in His Spirit, so that the Spirit of God dwelling within us will transform us from the cowards who deny Christ and His revelation of God into the bold disciples who will proclaim the truth of our faith without fear from any man. We are not like the chief priests and the soldiers who know the truth but out of fear of men hide that truth so as to avoid persecution. We are not like these men. No, we are built on the rock of Peter, and like him we receive the Holy Spirit and continue to walk without fear in the presence of God, proclaiming His majesty and sovereignty over our lives. Like Peter, we are transformed in the Holy Spirit of God.
Peace in Christ,
Michael
