4 April 2013 - i, witness

4 April 2013 - i, witness

Then he opened their minds

Even though he had spoken very plainly before about his death and resurrection the apostles couldn't quite accept it.  They were so fixed on their ideas of how he would "redeem Israel" that they couldn't understand his actual plan.  They are not left on their own to figure it out, however.  He himself opens their minds which by all indications would otherwise remain closed.  Still, one wonders why now and not sooner.  Apparently, the actual experience of the Paschal mystery is a prerequisite to understanding it.  Now they aren't just people with a certain special knowledge.  They are witnesses to an event.  

You are witnesses of these things.”

The events of the Paschal mystery are not just historical knowledge to anyone.  They are an encounter with love himself and a choice of how to respond.


You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.


In our every sin we are there condemning the author of life.  But this is part of his plan from the beginning.  No wonder we can't understand fully at this point, still partly set against him as we are.  Even so, he holds out the choice to us:


Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,

It isn't simply that he is going to let us get away with our crime.  It isn't even that he is just going to wipe it away, though he is.  He wants to grant us times of refreshment.  He wants to see the temporal order ("times") itself renewed. He wants to fill us with his joy.


O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!

Just as he gave Adam and Eve dominion over the natural creation Jesus now bestows on us a supernatural dominion over sin and death by the power of his resurrection.


You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.

This is exactly what the beggar experiences from Peter in the temple.


And by faith in his name,
this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong,
and the faith that comes through it
has given him this perfect health,
in the presence of all of you.

Insofar as we let Jesus open our minds to his love and plan for the world we will begin to experience his dominion over sin and death.  Our hearts will be transformed and we will experience victory over habits of sin that seemed unbreakable.  We will be able to relate to people with a new and selfless generosity rather than just what we have left over after taking care of ourselves. Even physical healing is now possible if the LORD wills because death is defeated!  All this is possible in the name, that is, united with the whole divine and human person, of Jesus.

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!