Touch Me and See

Touch Me and See

April 4, 2013

Thursday in the Octave of Easter

The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.  And by faith in his name, this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong, and the faith that comes through it has given him this perfect health, in the presence of all of you.  Now I know, brothers and sisters, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did; but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer.  Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away…Acts 5:15-19

Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?  And why do questions arise in your hearts?  Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.  Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”  Luke 24:  38-39

Piety

Lord, in your Easter joy, grant us times of refreshment now that we have shared your times of sacrifice.  Send to us people along our journey to whom we can offer the holy hospitality that you expect us to extend as if they are You.  May our actions make us worthy to obtain all that you promise.  Amen.

Study

Jesus challenged people to get outside their comfort zone when he was alive.  He knew that despite his message and miracles, he would still suffer as foretold by the prophets.  However, after the Resurrection, his presence in their lives also continued to challenge people not to follow the crowd or the leaders and instead to follow Him. 

Whether encountering Jesus again or miracles performed in His name, people were still disturbed.  However, in the end, the message comes full circle to the same words spoken in the desert by John.  "Repent."  Change the direction in which you are looking for happiness.  Even the Son of God did not find happiness in mere mortality.  Should we expect anything more than what He got?

Action

After five weeks of fasting, prayer and performing acts of kindness in our Lenten ritual purification, many people greet Easter with the realization that the sacrifices of preparation are over.  If we were so successful for those five weeks, then these practices have endured enough to become habit.  Just because Lent is over, our piety, study and action do not end…they are daily challenges that help us to change.

When you look into the world today, who is Easter to you today?  Whom can you touch and see in flesh and bones?  Who will help you -- in service -- put another brick into the building of the Kingdom of God?