"Proclaim a joyful sound and let it be heard; proclaim to the ends of the earth: The Lord has freed his people, alleluia." - Entrance Antiphon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
Throughout the Easter Season, the Entrance Antiphons have often been a cry to sing and rejoice, or to make a proclamation to the nations. Today's antiphon contains all of those features, and it may lead us to ask why we are called to this? Let us consider the ending of the three Synoptic Gospels. They all end with a command to preach to the nations the Resurrection of Christ.
In Matthew we read:
"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age (Matthew 28:16-20).'"
Mark's Gospel concludes:
"Afterward he [Jesus] appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.' So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen (Mark 16:14-20)."
Finally, the conclusion of Luke's Gospel, which leads us into the second half of his letter, Acts of the Apostles, which we shall also see, is:
"Then he [Jesus] opened their [the eleven] minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things . . . . (Luke 24:45-48)
"He [Jesus] said to them . . . . 'You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samar'ia and to the end of all the earth (Acts 1:7-8).'"
The Acts of the Apostles then in its entirety goes on to tell the preaching of the Apostles and the beginnings of the Church.
We have provided these quotes so that all may quickly see the ending of the visible mission of Christ on earth is really but an extension of everything in the Gospels. In Matthew, extensive explanations on a proper manner of living are given and Jesus commands these to be continually taught along with the Sacrament of Baptism. Here we may see clearly that Baptism brings one into a new life, with a new way of living, free from sin. In Mark, we see the necessity of conviction in preaching the Gospel and in baptizing; Jesus admonishes the disciples for not believing in the Resurrection, especially with all the signs that He has given to testify to it! And the signs to corroborate the preaching of the Gospel to the nations will not cease, but shall continue so that people may be firm in their new life. And then we come to Luke's Gospel and Acts of the Apostles. We see that it is witnesses who are to preach to the nations. Only after they have experienced and understand what Christ and the Holy Spirit have done can they boldly proclaim the Gospel and the Resurrection!
All of this is what is contained in our Entrance Antiphon for today! "Proclaim a joyful shout and let it be heard." To shout something, to proclaim it, this requires a firm conviction; it speaks of the importance of what is being said. And is there anything more important than the Resurrection of our Lord? This is the good news for all times, "The Lord has freed his people!" "Alleluia" penetrates the Easter Season, it ends every antiphon used during it, for unlike Lent when we considered our bondage, now we consider the new life of freedom we have inherited. Anyone who truly understands this freedom cannot help but do two things, to rejoice and to proclaim it!
The Cross is what gives meaning to this "veil of tears," our earthly exile from the Beatific Vision, perfect happiness itself, for the Cross gives meaning to suffering. It says, "This is not for nothing; this is for purification, illumination, and contemplation." The Cross is a means where we are purified of sin. The Cross is that whereby we understand all the trials of this life. The Cross is the point where we are able to contemplate the love of God, for on the Cross we see Jesus, the gateway to contemplation of the inner Life of God.
Yet the Cross only gains its effectiveness from the Resurrection, for unless He rose from the dead, Jesus would not be God, and if He is not God He could not pay the penalty for sin and consequently free us. Perhaps this is one of the reasons the Apostles were so slow to believe; they were still attached to sin and with the newness of life Christ brought through the Cross, they would definitively have to reject sin and live the new life of grace.
However, while we cannot speak for the Apostles reasons for being slow to believe, we can certainly say this is a stumbling block for many of us. Sin, as a habit, is addictive for us. We are comfortable in it, and therefore we don't want to have to change, for that will require discipline and hurt. Yet as St. Paul says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)." If we consider all of the things we are willing to discipline ourselves for in this life - a steady income, good health, etc. - how can we even for a moment consider not disciplining ourselves for eternal life? "For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life (Mark 8:36)?"
Let us return to St. Paul's comparison. If you ask many runners why they run, it is not only for the "crown," or the medal, but for the personal accomplishment. It is about overcoming their defects, about setting a goal and then accomplishing it. In doing this, they become better people. The same can be analogously applied to the spiritual life. There are many "goals" we set, to go to daily Mass, to pray a Rosary every day, etc., so that we may advance in the spiritual realm and grow closer to God and be conformed more and more to Jesus Christ.
And as we do these things, we become more and more convinced of the truth of what we participate in! It is not some psychological trick, however, where we are convincing ourselves of something, but it is because our works are accompanied by signs and testimonies.
We see not only the good effects produced in our souls, but we see our lives transform in ways we never thought possible. Sins which once seemed as if we would never be able to escape them, are suddenly thrown off like a tattered shirt. Our neighbors who we despised are suddenly images of Jesus Christ.
But something else also happens. As we grow deeper in the Christian life, we begin to see our participation in the Body of Christ. We become aware of being part of something bigger than ourselves. We are called to reach out to others, to help those in need, to share the experiences we have undergone. We are empowered to build up the Church! And, we are not only called, but we succeed! Others are touched through our outreach.
These are all also signs Jesus promised to the Apostles, the sick in soul recover, the demons that plague us are banished, and the poisons of this world fail to harm us. True, physical miracles often accompany the preaching of the Faith as well, but the main testimony and evangelization to the world is the proper living of the Christian life!
We come now to the ultimate and fundamental meaning of our Entrance Antiphon. We are called to evangelize the world! But we are called to do this, as we saw from the words of Jesus in the concluding of the three Gospels, with joy, with conviction, and with a proper living of life. These qualities accompany the only effective preaching and spreading of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
St. Francis of Assisi is well known for his famous command to, "Preach always, and when necessary use words." How accurate this injunction is! We should always be preaching the message of Jesus Christ, for we should always be living out the Christian life with joy! We are freed from sin; we already begin to live here below the life we shall joyfully live in Heaven! The joy and conviction, the absolute trust we place in the Lord, while it may cause some to laugh, it will undoubtedly cause all to at least begrudgingly respect us. For they will see and understand that we have something steady in our lives that penetrates us, that carries us through every day.
Let us consider one final thing, however, for St. Paul ends his comparison of the Christian life to the athlete with, "I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:26-27)." It is here that we are able to see the necessity of preaching by living. If we believe that evangelization is nothing more than words and action, we will quickly tire ourselves out. Not only that, but without the life to accompany the message, our words will be empty. We may have the faith, but without the works, who will believe that? Indeed, can it even be true we can believe in the Resurrection without letting it transform us?
In these final days of the Easter Season, and for the rest of our earthly lives, may we always be transformed joyfully by the good news of Christ's triumph over death. May we embrace the Cross with loving arms and open hearts, so that through it, we may come to know God Who shall share with us His inner life and inner joy. In this way, we shall truly proclaim a joyful shout which shall be heard by all nations. For all will know God has set us free!
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