"...of this we are all witnesses

Monday of the Octave of Easter
Readings may be found here

In the aftermath of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the first disciples came to understand the importance of giving witness to what they had seen and experienced. The gospels are certainly clear in this emphasis – each of them invites and challenges believers to give witness. The Acts of the Apostles still stands out as the whole book is devoted to relating the story and content of the witness offered by the early Church. 
 
During the Easter season, the Church meditates on the Acts as the first reading will mostly be taken from Acts. In the passage today, we hear Peter’s testimony to the resurrection of the Lord. Even as he uses words and scriptural proofs, it’s fair to observe that the very act of Peter’s preaching is a kind of witness as the simple fisherman and frightened denier has now been transformed into the assured and bold preacher of the Good News. 
 
You and I did not ourselves witness the events of those long-ago days in Judea and Galilee. On one level, we depend upon the witness handed down from those first disciples. And yet we too are called to offer our witness. For it is also true that we are witnesses to the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection in the here and now. Even in these most trying days, we see the miracle of men and women full of faith and compassion living the gospel with and without words. Peter is right to say to us just as he did to his listeners in Jerusalem: “we are all witnesses!”

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