One Minute Reflection -– 16 April – “You are witnesses of these things”

One Minute Reflection -– 16 April – Easter Thursday, Readings: Acts 3:11-26, Psalm 8:2, 5-9, Luke 24:35-48

“You are witnesses of these things” ... Luke 24:48

REFLECTION – “After His Resurrection, the Lord appeared to His disciples and greeted them, saying:  “Peace be with you!”   Peace is what this saving salutation truly is, since the word “salutation” derives from the word for “salvation.”   What more could one hope for?   Man receives greetings of salvation in person, for our salvation is Christ.   Yes, He is our salvation, He who was wounded for our sake and nailed to the tree, then descended from the tree and placed in a tomb.   But He is risen from the tomb and His wounds are healed, although still keeping their scars.   That His scars remain, is a help to His disciples, so that the wounds in their hearts, might be healed.   What wounds are these? The wounds of their unbelief.   He appeared before their eyes in a genuine bodily form and “they thought they were seeing a ghost.”   This is no light wound to their heart. (…)
But what does the Lord Jesus say?   “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?”   It is good for man, not that thoughts should arise in his heart but that his heart should arise – arise, that is to say, to where the apostle Paul wanted to set the hearts of the faithful, when he said to them:  “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:1-4).   What glory is this? The glory of the resurrection. (…)
As for us, we believe in the word of these disciples without their having shown us the Saviour’s risen body. (…)   But at that time, such an event seemed unbelievable.   And so, our Saviour led them to believe, not by sight alone but by touch, so that by means of the senses, faith might enter their hearts and be preached throughout the world, to those who had neither seen nor touched but who, nevertheless, would believe unhesitatingly (cf. Jn 20:29).” … St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor of the Church – Sermon 116; PL 38, 657

PRAYER – Lord God, let there be one faith in our hearts, one love for You, one Way in You, for You are the One Truth and the only Way. We linger in Your light and beg Your unending kindness. Grant that by the prayers of Your saints we may obtain Your strength and may Your Mother and ours, walk by our side and hold fast to our hand.   Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen.