He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered His words. Luke 24:6-8
“The Church is called to announce the Good News of Jesus to all people and all nations. Besides the many works of mercy by which the Church must make Jesus’ love visible, it must also joyfully announce the great mystery of God’s salvation through the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The story of Jesus is to be proclaimed and celebrated. Some will hear and rejoice, some will remain indifferent, some will become hostile. The story of Jesus will not always be accepted, but it must be told. We who know the story and try to live it out have the joyful task of telling it to others. When our words rise from hearts full of love and gratitude, they will bear fruit, whether we can see this or not.”
Henri Nouwen in Bread for the Journey (New York: HarperOne, 2006) reading for 7 November.
Today we celebrate the resurrection and the privilege of sharing the good news with others in gratitude for what Christ has done for us. He died on the cross for our sins, rose again, and washed us clean with His blood.
As Nouwen notes, “Some will hear and rejoice, some will remain indifferent, some will become hostile. The story of Jesus will not always be accepted, but it must be told.” We get to tell it out of gratitude.
And remember that when our sharing flows from a heart of love and gratitude, it will bear fruit, whether we ever see it or not. Our role is to proclaim the truth with boldness and joy, with love and gratitude.