The Monday of the Easter Week
April 1, 2024: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Matthew 28: 8-15
Go and tell my brothers - that is the commission given. First of all, the commission itself is crucial. That we need to Go and we need to Tell. Go and Tell - this is the crux of the Christian mission. It is clear that we are called to go to the ends of the earth, which begins with where we are! Secondly, there is a detail to be noted here. Those who were given this commission to go and tell, were not the so-called "apostles" but the women! They were not even known as 'disciples', though they were actually that. But the message is - you don't need a special title as a disciple or an apostle to feel the mandate of "go and tell". That commission is given to every one who encounters Christ, the Risen Christ.
Therefore, the two fold point of reflection that is given to us is - whether we are open to an encounter with the Risen Christ; and whether we are ready to accept the commission that encounter would give to go and tell, to be witnesses of this experiences.
The apostles become an example of this after the pentecost experience. We see the words of Peter today from the Acts, who declares with clarity: "all of us are witnesses to that", to the Christ-event, to the difference that Jesus Christ has made to the whole of humanity.
The people of Resurrection are primarily witnesses, those who stand and speak, who share their experiences with courage and conviction. Let us fine tune our capacity to witness!