“The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.” – Acts 3:15
Jesus. Is. Alive. Right. Now.
Stop for a second and truly reflect upon what that means. At the heart of the Christian message is this fact: the man Jesus was killed – he was dead – but He rose from the dead and lives now in a new and glorious way.
How do we know this? Where is the proof? We have the same kind of evidence that would stand up in a court of law: eyewitnesses. Peter, James, John and the rest of the Apostles all saw the Risen Lord. Moreover, every single one of them chose to die rather than renounce what they had seen. Before being martyred, they shared the good news of this experience with others, who in turn passed it along, until it was handed down through the generations to us.
Then there were those two disciples who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus. As we hear in this Sunday’s Gospel, they came to know the risen Christ “in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35). From that time until now the Church has always broken bread and celebrated the sacred mysteries of the Eucharist, whereby countless disciples have found and continue to encounter the true living presence of the Lord.
Despite all this, we often think of Jesus as just a character in a story or a figure from the past. In the same way, we usually relate to God as if He’s a distant Force or cosmic power – an impersonal concept or lofty idea.
In truth, He is a Being, just as you and I are beings. Jesus is a living, breathing, human Being with a beating heart and eyes that blink. He is also a divine Being. In the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “He is the living God, the eternal King” (10:10).
But, that makes Him a bit…dangerous. Living things aren’t always what you might call tame. It’s much easier to control a stuffed animal than it is to wrangle a real lion.
And thus, the story of Good Friday has repeated itself for 2,000 years: when the Author of Life does not act according to our agenda, we try to put Him to death. When He does not fit with our personal theology, we create a golden calf that will. When He demands more of us than we want to give, we turn away and set ourselves up as king.
Ultimately, we’re only fooling ourselves. He lives, and without Him, we do not. Therefore, all we can do is beg Him to “let His face shine upon us” (Ps. 4:7). For indeed, Jesus does have a real face, and more often than not we find His reflection in the eyes of those who are poor.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God and Savior of us all. To Your great Name be all glory and honor, now and forever. Amen. Alleluia!
