2nd Sunday of Easter, Yr B: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima
Theme: The Qualities of a Community whose Christ is risen.
Readings: Acts 4:32–35; 1Jn 5:1–6; Jn 20:19–31
Dear friends, the church invites us to learn the qualities of a community whose Christ has risen from the dead. She also challenges us to be transformed into a community that forgives, loves and cares for its members.
Before the death and resurrection of Christ, the disciples of Jesus lived like every other person, with their daily selfish passions and struggles for who will be the greatest among them and who will sit at the right and left hand of Jesus in His glory. But the resurrection of Christ made a positive impact on this community of disciples. It transformed them into a community that became a model of a good community, a community that was admired by other people. From the first reading of today, we learnt that the community of disciples began to live a communal life, a life characterized by peace, love, mutual help, and unselfishness. The reading said: “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common… There was not a needy person among them, for those who owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” We can say that they allowed themselves to be transformed by the power of the resurrection of Christ and by the gift of peace given them in the gospel of today.
Dear brothers and sister, our Christ has resurrected, and He has also blessed us with the gift of peace. However, taking a sincere look at our own Christian community of today, one would notice that it falls short of the qualities that the early Christian community possessed. What, then, is our problem? Why is our community still reflecting hatred, injustice, lack of help for the needy, and other unchristian behaviors? Why are our families, our relationships, and our individual lives yet to reflect the light of the resurrection of Christ? Why are we still lacking peace, love and forgiveness in our relationships with others even when our Christ has resurrected? Why do we still live as if our Christ has not risen from the dead?
Today, the church celebrates the Divine Mercy. As we recall the Mercy of our God, the church gives us one of the reasons why our communities, our families and our individual lives are not yet manifesting some qualities of a community whose Christ is risen. She tells us that the reason is because we are yet to emulate God’s pattern of mercy and justice. Without forgiveness and mercy, there will not be lasting peace and love. A community without peace and love cannot really be called Christian.
Our God is a merciful God, a God who loved us even while we were still sinners, a God who forgave us without conditions. He is a God who corrects with love and without condemning the offender. From every indication, many people are still finding it difficult to adopt God’s pattern of mercy and treating of offenders. They are rather comfortable with a pattern founded on revenge for wrongs committed against them, the type of treatment written in Genesis 4: 23–24 (I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times).
To experience the presence of peace of Christ in our communities, families and other relationships, we must love as our God loves, and forgive as our God forgives. The pattern of God’s mercy was shown by Christ in his teachings, especially in two of his parables. The first was in the parable of the prodigal son. In this parable, God was shown as a Father who went out to meet the son who offended him, to embrace him, to forgive him and to restore him to his lost glory. This challenges us to go out and encounter those who have offended us, to forgive them and take them back. Don’t sit in your comfort and wait for those who offended you to come and ask for forgiveness, and don’t let their offences fracture your relationship with them. Go out in search of them today. The second was in the parable of the unforgiving servant. This parable teaches us that God wants us to forgive offenders without giving conditions to them. Often, we demand conditions before forgiving offenders; this is not the pattern of God’s mercy towards us. God’s pattern is that He forgives without giving us conditions.
Dear friends, Peace cannot bear fruits where there is no forgiveness. Our community cannot be lovely and peaceful if we don’t forgive each other. The second reading tells us that we have conquered the world by our faith. Let us, therefore, witness to this victory through the way we love, help, and forgive one another; this is our faith. Let us teach the world how to love and how to forgive, beginning from our families and Christian communities. Let us make our Christian communities, families and relationships abodes of love, mercy, and mutual help. Let us make our Christian communities to testify to the power of the risen Christ. When our families, communities and relationships reflect peace, love, and mutual help, our lives will be able to attract the presence of Christ, just as the early Christians attracted the presence of the risen Christ in the gospel of today.
Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima