Homily: April 17, 2022, Easter Sunday.

 “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good.”

In the first reading, Peter did not preach the divinity of Christ, but spoke about the man named Jesus, who ‘went about doing good’. This strikes me deeply.

Do you know anyone who went about doing good?

At the end of my third-year philosophy studies, one of my seminarian brothers, Joice, got into an accident and died. He was only 20 years old.

We were together for 6 years in the seminary and all that time, he had always been a fun-loving and easy-going person. He was always helpful and generous. I have never witnessed anything negative about him. I believe he would have become a saintly priest if he didn’t die so soon. He was doing a lot of good.

We see a lot of evil in this world, yet we also see many people going about doing good. They may not be big saints with great deeds, but they bring light into someone else’s life, they touch hearts in their simple ways.

Peter remembered Jesus as the anointed one who went about doing good. We too remember others who went about doing good for others. We might have benefitted from their good deeds too.

What about us? How would we want to be remembered? What would others say about us after we die? How could we go about doing good?

St. Paul in the second reading reminds us to “seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth”.

Jesus lived a very simple life, his daily focus was to go about doing good, so that God’s name may be glorified. He didn’t care about His reputation or possessions, comfort or convenience, His popularity or status. He simply wanted to feed the people physically and spiritually, to heal them and free them to live fully. “For God was with him”, and “We are witnesses of all that he did”, as Peter professed.

Similarly, if we forget self and ‘what is on earth’ but focus on ‘what is above’, we will be able to go about doing good, the ‘good’ that will be remembered for generations to come, the ‘good’ that will glorify God’s name.

Finally, the Gospel text today puts everything in perspective for us. We may see things as unfair, unjust, hopeless and despairing, but God has a bigger plan. Jesus’ death on the cross was all these and only with eyes of faith can we see God’s plan in allowing these to take place.

Simon Peter, saw the burial cloths left behind and head cloth rolled up aside in the empty tomb and he believed. He who rejected the idea that Jesus would be killed by His enemies, now ‘saw and believed’.

What did he believe?

That God fulfils His promises. God accomplishes His plans. The burial cloths did not keep Jesus bound in death. It is written, Jesus ‘had to rise from the dead’. He is indeed risen. Scripture is fulfilled. God’s word is accomplished. Jesus is the Christ.

What does this mean for us?

We do good because God is good. We do what Jesus did. We live how Jesus lived. We preach what Jesus taught. In this life, we should live like Jesus, so that in the life after, we may rise like Christ. Through imitating our Lord, we will become the image and likeness of God, who is love, who is good.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

Let us go about doing good. Amen!

Fr. Nivin Scaria 



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