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Alelluia! Christ is Risen!
I don't think that's necessarily what the apostles were shouting two days after the resurrection. In fact, even after the testimony of Mary Magdalene that we read in today's Gospel we still find them locked away in a room for fear of the Jews. But we are not among that first generation of witnesses. We have advantages that they don't have.
We know the full story and we are already blessed with the power of the Holy Spirit. They had to wait 50 days for that.
It is the events of the day of that first Pentecost that I want to reflect on today. Peter proclaims to the Jewish people that Jesus is the Christ. This has huge implications for the hearers. Christ is such a tame word in our day, but to the Jews it truly meant their salvation. The Christ is God's anointed, the one that God would send into the world to save His people from the effects of sin and death. If the Christ is Jesus then the Jews knew that it would mean something for their lives. They ask the most logical question,
"What are we to do, my brothers?"
Have you asked yourself that question? If not, then I would challenge you to think about who Jesus really is to you. Do you believe that Jesus of Nazareth is God Incarnate? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? Stop. Seriously. Don't just nod and agree.
Because if you do believe, the only response is to "repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins." We can easily rob the cross of its power if we just nod and agree. We must repent.
But let us not forget why. "You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." We don't repent because we are bad, because we are miserable, because we are pathetic. We repent of the things that keep us from God so that we can make room for Him. He desires for you an enduring happiness beyond what you've ever known. Say yes :)
-Amanda Nobis, Director of Evangelization