Please read this passage before reading this homily.
We only call to mind the death of Jesus and the circumstances of his death for two reasons. We do it to call the perpetrators to repentance and to announce how God raised him up for the salvation of the world. In this passage Paul recounted the circumstances of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He is speaking to Jewish people far removed from Jerusalem. Here there is no question of accusing Jewish people; instead Paul excuses them for recognizing who Jesus was.
Paul briefly recounted the facts. Jesus was condemned and died on a tree. He was buried because he had died, and we do not bury living people. He was raised from the dead by God, and was seen alive by witnesses afterwards. In all this, what God promised our ancestors was brought to fulfilment because God raised Jesus from the dead and proclaimed him God’s own Son, as Psalm 2 says, “You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.”
Now, we are not Jewish, but we have inherited the promises and God has declared us God’s children by plunging us into the waters of baptism, killing sin in us and filling us with God’s own life. This is good news.
What are we going to do with this news? It is fact that God has destroyed sin in us. It is fact that we have died with Christ in baptism and have been raised up with him in baptism. We should be happy people. We should be glad that any punishment of death has been cancelled for us. We should therefore be living as Christ lives. We have this life. We live this life and the AActs of the Apostles comes to life through us.
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