3rd Sunday of Easter: Are We the Body or the Ghost of the Risen Lord?

Jesus is risen in the world today! Where? His risen body can be seen in the church today. Or is it?

The church is the risen body of Christ so that the world may come to believe in the risen Christ. But when the world see the church today do they see a risen body or only a ghost of Christ?

In today’s Gospel, the risen Jesus once again, without warning, stood in the midst of the disciples.

But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.

For a while the disciples believed that the resurrected Jesus was only a spirit not a body. This is the reason why the first thought that came upon the disciples upon seeing Jesus was he was a ghost. Thus, it was important for Jesus that the disciples see and understand that he has risen not just in spirit but more so in body. The risen Jesus is not just a spirit but flesh, bones and blood. So Jesus invites them to touch and feel his resurrected body.

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 to further make the disciples believe that he has risen as a body, Jesus ate in front of them.

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.

By seeing and touching the body of Jesus, the disciples became the body of Jesus who continued his mission and the proclamation of the good news to all up to the ends of the earth. Through his disciples and in the following generations, the church, Jesus would continue to maintain his physical presence and connection with the world.

But to be the visible body of Christ, the church must embody the values of Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the church must continue to live the beautitudes, proclaim the gospel and live the cross and the resurrection of Christ. As in the first letter of John in the Second Reading today says, to be the risen body of Christ is to keep God’s commandments :

The way we may be sure that we know him
is to keep his commandments.
Those who say, “I know him,” but do not keep his commandments
are liars, and the truth is not in them.

Reflecting on the life of Catholics and Christians today in the context of the signs of the times, I find many things acceptable to being Catholic or Christian today actually drift far apart from what Jesus originally taught and stood for.

Take the case, for example, of Catholics in our country today who find no problem and even support the killings of thousands mostly poor, under Duterte’s brutal war on drugs. Take the case of some clergy who are more concerned with rubrics, canon law, moral laws and internal structures of the church but knows nothing of the daily struggles of the ordinary faithful. Or take the case in America of Evangelicals, particularly white evangelicals, who anoints Trump as the Christian candidate despite his cruel policies of expulsion of migrants and refugees, discrimination of blacks and gays, withdrawing support for the poor, let alone his adulteries, lying and cheating.

These cases goes against many of the things that Jesus taught and stood for. In these examples, I do not see the body of Christ or even the ghost of Christ. They profess the name of Christ but in body and blood becomes a faint or worst an illusory reflection of the values of Jesus. They have banished the risen Jesus. Jesus has become a ghost. Jesus kept risIng up but they keep burying him alive.

On the other hand, there are deeds of Catholics and Christians today, though unwelcome and supressed especially by powers-that-be, that continue to provide flesh and blood to the risen Lord today.

Take the case, for example, of anonymous people who tirelessly sacrifice their time, talents even lives for the struggle for truth, justice, peace and dignity especially of the most marginalized and poor in society despite great persecution. Take the case of simple ordinary people who continue to cheerfully serve others whether family, friends or stranger without any reward in return. They are the risen body of Christ today. They are living witnesses that the world may come to believe in the risen Lord.

Are you the body or the ghost of the Risen Lord today?

I am passionate about the intersection between new media and technology. I continue to research and apply new media in theology and vice-versa. I am also a fan of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and her continuing relevance in today’s digital world.
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