Third Sunday of Easter-B

WHY ARE YOU FRIGHTENED AND WHY DO DOUBT ARISE IN YOUR HEARTS? 

After seeing the ministries that can possible done at St. Joseph's, one of the parishioners said, "What if I sign up for more than fifteen ministries". I said then you will go against the power of gravity. You will have the experience of levitation and bilocation too. So please sign up. 

One day, a man was pouring a new driveway of cement and some of the children in the neighborhood ran right through his freshly poured driveway. Some even wrote their names in the cement. When the man saw it, he got so mad and was screaming. Then one of his neighbors came over and said, "I thought you said you loved children". The man said, "Well, I do love them in the abstract, but I don't love them in the concrete". 

Why are you so frightened and why do doubt arise in your hearts? 

A Christian is not a man who is trying to do something, he is a man who has received something; a man to whom something has happened and who simply cannot keep it to himself. We are alleluia people who cannot stop celebrating life and we are Easter people who experience constant happiness and we are people of God who are not afraid of anything.  

In the Holy Bible, God says 365 times, "Do not be afraid". 365 days make a year and we are called not to be afraid for a year and that means not to be afraid at all. It's because Christ who died, rose to life and He is with us now. 

As Mary Magdalene was the tomb being empty, she began to cry and was afraid thinking someone stole His holy body and then the Risen Christ Himself appeared to her and said, "Mary, do not be afraid, It's I your Lord. When Mary Magdalene came to know the Risen Christ, her fear vanished, and she became so courageous and strong. She ran to the apostles and others and proclaimed the Resurrection of the Lord. 

Why are we so frightened and why do doubts arise in our hearts when we have the Risen Christ with us. Your pain and suffering; your financial and family challenges cannot take you away from Christ the life-giver. All we have to do is just put our trust in Him who says, "Do not be afraid and I am alive".  

Once an ocean fish said to an older fish, "Excuse me (fish communicates in French by the way), you are older than me and please tell me where I can find this thing, they call the ocean. The older fish began to laugh and laugh and said, "The ocean, you are an ocean fish and the ocean is the thing you are in now". The little nemo said, "Oh this is just water. What I am seeking is the ocean and with disappointment, he swam away to search elsewhere. 

We don't need to go anywhere looking for Jesus. He is with us and Christ is living among us. We are people of God who walk not by sight but by faith and thus we realize His presence among us. 

What happened to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. They were so sad and depressed of the crucifixion and death of Christ. As they were looking and sad, the risen Christ Himself joined them and explained why the Messiah had to undergo great suffering and be killed and be raised up on the third day. He opened their minds and hearts. As they recognized the presence of Christ, He vanished from their sight and they were saying to each other, "We are afraid and worried and there He appeared to us and where not our hearts burning within us while He opened the scripture to us and so on. In this Emmaus story, one of the disciple is called Cleopas and other disciple's name was not given. It's because so that we could fill our name there and experience faith. Yes, we are called not to be afraid of anything because the risen Christ is with us twenty-four seven. 

What is faith? 

Faith is when Christ is appearing to us and says, "Today you will be with me in paradise and saying to Him, "not today Jesus, I want to be with you now..." Yes, being in the presence of Christ every moment is called paradise and that is called faith. 

Christ who appears to His disciples is constantly asking them not to be afraid of anything. Fear call easily kill a person. Today more people die of fear than the illness or disease. The risen Christ who often appeared to His followers, disciples, apostles and others who are hiding behind locked doors and some other hiding place shared peace and firmly said, "Do not be afraid and I will be with you until the end of age". So, let us not to be afraid and continue to sing 'Alleluia' because we are Easter people. Amen. 

  

O