All Part of God's Plan

Homily for Easter Thursday

Two almost contradictory ideas join together in both the reading from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of Saint Luke - on the one hand, the ignorant, impulsive and angry reaction of the crowds in demanding Jesus’ death; and on the other hand, the long, careful and determined planning on God’s part.

Speaking to the people, Peter declared: “All the prophets who have spoken from Samuel onward have announced the events of these days.”

When Jesus appears to his disciples on the first Easter evening, he says: “Recall those words I spoke to you when I was still with you: everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled.” Indeed, Psalms 22 and 69 almost read as a script of what is to happen on Mount Calvary.

If these words are understood in the larger sense, the Scriptures kept alive a conviction and a faith not only that God lovingly saves us in our destitution and desperation, but also that God uses these means to exercise extraordinary power and transform our existence.

To ensure that the apostles understand what the various appearances of Jesus meant, both Saint Luke and St. John recall that Jesus invites them to look at his hands and his feet, to gaze at his wounds which are still present even in his glorified body. Ordinarily, these wounds would have been a reminder of the shame that is associated with crucifixion. However, as the prayer of blessing of the Paschal candle reminds us: “By his holy and glorious wounds, may Christ the Lord guard us and protect us. Amen.” Poets have referred to these wounds as badges of honor, as stars in the constellation that is Jesus, and as the trophies won by Jesus through his obedience to the Father’s Will. These wounds are not marks of shame but a reminder to all of us of the lengths to which God went to save us from our sins.

Like the apostles gathered in the upper room who were startled and terrified when Jesus appeared to them, we must all come to the realization that Jesus is alive and in our midst. This is the conviction and the faith that is asked of all who have come to regard to Jesus as our Savior.