1. While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
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.” And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.(Lk 24:36-43). Taken from today’s Sunday gospel.
2. After his resurrection Jesus left no stone unturned in his effort to convince his disciples that his resurrection was real. He multiplied apparitions and lectures, all in a bid to make sure they accept the fact and its implications for them. They are the ones to bring the Goodnews to the world. If they are not convinced they cannot convince others.
3. Reading down the page of the gospel you will notice that after giving multiple empirical demonstrations of his being real: allowing himself to be touched, eating in their presence and showing them the marks on his body, Jesus still took time to explain the scriptures to them. It was after he had convinced them, opening their mind to understand the scriptures that he then commissioned them to go and bear witness to the truth.
4. Jesus does not force his way on people. He tries to convince and enlighten them. He does not mesmerize people with signs and wonders as many men of God claim to do today rather he provides concrete proofs. These attitudes of Jesus are the attitudes that you have to adopt in bringing people to Christ.
5. It is your mission as a Christian to bring people to Christ by convincing them and not by fighting them. Some christians openly tell people that to receive any help from them they must become members of their church. This is a sign of ignorance of the right attitude that Jesus himself lived out after his resurrection. Pope Francis rightly said that “if people do not come to the church it is because they are not yet convinced of its necessity. If they are convinced they will come.” He then challenged all christians to go out to people and convince them. If you are not doing this it might be that you are not yet truly convinced.
6. If you are not yet fully convinced even though you still cling externally to the Church, if the way you live can hardly convince others you may have little to fear. The apostles were like that until Christ intervened in their lives. There is hope for you. All you need do is to seek and you will find, ask and you will receive, knock and the door will open for you. Call on the Holy Spirit, the universal teacher and associate yourself with those who are truly convinced. It will surprise you how fast you will grow in knowledge and how useful you will become for the kingdom.
Peace upon you!
