We have come, finally, to the season of joy and hope, following a long season of anguish and suffering. Many have struggled with the darkness of the past year. Many more have wept at tombs, asking ‘where?’, ‘how?’, ‘why’? We have all been asked to carry crosses. Some of them have been almost unbearably heavy. Now, though, alongside his own cross, we stand with Jesus victorious and risen in glory.
We might be coming to this new season hesitantly, like the younger disciple (Gospel), perhaps still hurting from the scars of the year and hardly daring to hope. Or we may find ourselves, like Peter, rushing headlong, eager to see and to believe.
In the Acts of the Apostles (First Reading), we hear that the first witnesses were to go out with this good news and proclaim it to all people. We are the messengers of the Gospel today.
And we are to bear witness by living ‘unleavened’ lives (Second Reading) full of truth, sincerity and humility.
As St Ignatius said, ‘Love is shown more in deeds than in words’. Haven’t we seen that this past year!
So let us rejoice and be glad, and give thanks to the Lord (Psalm) this coming week.