Third Sunday of the Resurrection 

 

The church put in front of us the following readings:

 

*The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles 5: 34-42

The apostles preach Jesus. They proclaim the truth, which is that Jesus, crucified by the Jews, is the Messiah. He resents rabbis and spiritual leaders. They did not believe that they got rid of one. Behold, they became tens and fill the world with their testimony of Jesus. What frightens and terrifies is that they, like their teacher, conduct revelations until the people begin to reverence them, listen to them with pleasure, and follow them, adopting their faith. And thus doubled their power. They imprison them, but an angel frees them and sends them to the temple to preach. They were determined to get rid of them by killing them like their teacher. One of Sharia scholars, Jamaliel, intervenes and advises them to be patient and leave matters to God. If their preaching was impostor born of their pure thought and human planning, then it will disappear. But if it is from God, then nobody can stop them. They tend to follow his advice, but they avoid their hatred by flogging and threatening them. As for the apostles, they rejoice in their sufferings because they deserved to imitate Jesus in testimony to the truth and because their torture was for the sake of the name of Jesus that they are proud of. Thus, they became a model for every believer in Jesus Christ, of any age, and guaranteed his struggle's success.

 

*The second reading from the Epistle to Ephesians 1: 1-14

Every blessing and every good comes from God. Because He is the Creator and the loving and compassionate Father, these blessings are only granted to humanity by Jesus Christ, who is “the only mediator between God and people” (1 Tim 2: 5). Jesus was the one who atoned for our sin and redeemed us with his blood. Thus will the divine planning and management of the universe. Nothing happens without God’s pleasure. God indeed rejects evil and corruption. But first, he allows it out of respect for the freedom of human beings and angels. Secondly, providing them with the opportunity to choose the good of their own free will. If evil does not exist, the good can not be selected either.

This is what God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. The work and redemption of Christ aim at the return of the entire universe, all nations and all beings, to harmony as life was in the Garden of Eden. Love and compatibility are not the only qualities of a human being. It is the path of all beings. Because they all came out of the hand of God the Creator, and they all glorify Him. The Christian is called to work to bring all peoples together according to the thought and desire of Christ. And to work on the harmony of man’s action with nature so that the universe can boast of God's beauty and glorious splendor. 

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*The third reading from John 14: 1-14

Jesus tells his disciples about his near separation from them. They are assured that they know the way to where it goes. He is going to God. The way to God is Jesus Christ because He alone is “the way, the truth, and the life, and no one goes to the Father except through him” (verse 6). Because Jesus is God, and whoever has seen him has seen the Father without a doubt. All of Jesus' sayings and deeds are for God. He and the Father are one (John 10:30). He is in the Father, and the Father is in him. Jesus calls them to believe in him as they believe in the Father because since they see him, they have seen the Father. He invites them to penetrate the appearances of the body to see its divinity. Therefore, we too will have seen God in the person of Jesus Christ and see Him every day on the altar in the Mass. Thus, God, the Trinity, is the way, the truth, and the life of every created person. However, we saw Trinity's image, heard it, lived with him, and spoke to him through his “word” Jesus Christ.