On the Side of Peace
Homily on Easter Saturday; 11 April 2026, DSC Chapel, Talamban
Happy Easter to all of you! On this seventh day of the Easter Octave, we gather once again to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection and with him also the resurrection of the Church. The liturgies of this past week in fact had been designed to sustain this great joy in our hearts by presenting to us the appearances of the Risen Lord to his disciples against the background of their deep sorrow and distress.
Today’s gospel passage from St Mark (16:9 – 15) presents to us a kind of a summary of the appearances of Jesus to his disciples. First he appeared to Mary Magdalene at the garden near the tomb; and then, to two disciples who were walking along the road to Emmaus. Next, he appeared also to the rest of the Eleven at the upper room where they were in hiding.
As I have mentioned a week ago during the Easter Vigil, none of his disciples were really expecting Jesus to resurrect from the dead, even if he had already foretold them for at least three times during his public ministry. Moreover, despite the testimony of Mary Magdalene and the two disciples who had seen the Risen Lord, the Eleven still failed to believe until He himself had appeared to them. And so that night, he asked for food which he ate before their eyes, and then, he allowed them to touch him so that they could be convinced that they were not seeing a ghost.
We can imagine their “Aha moment” and the sudden surge of joy in their hearts upon realizing that all the while the testimonies of those who had seen him were true. And that he himself was standing in their midst as the Risen Lord.
Fast forward, after being empowered by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day, Peter and John began to have the real courage to preach the Good News, even at the risk of their own lives. We recall that last Wednesday we heard from the reading of the Acts of the Apostles the story of how these two apostles were able to cure a crippled man begging at the temple gate. They commanded him to rise up and walk. And so, he obeyed. He stood up and amazingly began to walk and dance around praising God for his miraculous deeds.
Today’s first reading (Acts 4:13-21) presents the rather sad consequence of what Peter and John did for the crippled beggar. They were summoned by the Sanhedrin and interrogated as if they have committed a crime. They were even threatened and were told not to speak or teach again in the name of Jesus. The good and inspiring news, however, is that Peter and John did not allow themselves to be bullied by the authorities. Instead of keeping quiet, they chose to obey God rather than men. And so, after they were released, they continued to “proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15b).
Today this is what the Pope as the successor of St Peter has been trying to do, especially in these trying times. And sad to say as he strives to fulfil this challenging mission of preaching the Gospel, he, just like Peter and John, is facing an enormously difficult trial risking his very own life. Some of you might already know that he has been calling all leaders of nations to put an immediate end to the war in Iran and return to the negotiating table for a peaceful dialogue to resolve the issues at hand. He has also been appealing to the US President insisting that Jesus does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.
And despite the possible threats on his life, our good and courageous Pope, Leo XIV, continues to stand on the side of peace in view of protecting so many innocent lives. And his choice to be on the side of the Risen Lord, who came to bring peace, is inspiring many people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, to rally behind him.
Let us therefore extend to the Pope our solid support, offering our prayers particularly today, on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday. Together with him let us pray for world peace and for a definitive end to all wars esp. in the Middle East.
Just consider this: if this war continues and even escalates, then so many people will have to die. And if people die, how are we to fulfil the mission entrusted to us by the Lord? He is commissioning us today, just as he had done to the apostles, saying “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). GiGsss!
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