An early proof of the resurrection.

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Acts: 2: 14, 22-33

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

“You who are children of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:

I saw the Lord ever before me,
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;
my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.

My brothers, one can confidently say to you
about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit
that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.”

The Word of the LORD.

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One of the earliest proofs of the resurrection is the complete transformation in Peter’s behavior.

Remember what happens on Holy Thursday and Good Friday: Jesus is betrayed, arrested, abandoned, and crucified. Meanwhile, Peter vehemently denies ever knowing Jesus three times.

Only the Apostle John and a few women stay with the LORD until his death.

Yet, in our first reading today, the same Peter who denied ever knowing Jesus, risks his life by preaching to the same crowds who put Jesus to death. 

“This man you killed, using lawless men to crucify him,” he says. “But God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.”

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“Of this we are all witnesses.”

There’s no other logical reason for the change in Peter’s behavior – from cowardice to courage, fear to freedom – unless he’s actually seen Jesus raised from dead.

Peter’s repeated encounters with the Risen Lord compel him to spend the next three decades of his life proclaiming the Good News until he freely dies like his Master, nailed to a cross, confident that he, too, would be raised to new life.

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Do I have that same confidence of Peter, the faith that all will be well?

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The Church offers us these readings during the Easter season to bolster us, inspiring us to believe what Peter did – there is life after death.

For He is Risen! Alleluia! 

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Image credits: (1) Resurrection of Christ, Tapestry Gallery, Vatican Museums (2) ChurchPOP (3) KBC Faith Talks, WordPress