After Easter, What Is Next?
Dear Parishioners,
The post-resurrection stories present to us strong and courageous disciples, led by Peter, who speaks boldly about Jesus and His redemptive mission. Peter calls on all to recognize the singular role of Christ by accepting Him in faith. It is therefore fitting for us to ask ourselves: After Easter, what is next?
Peter’s response provides us with an outline for living out the resurrection experience. He describes steps of incorporation that include a call to repentance, baptism, and openness to receiving the Holy Spirit.
Has the joy of Easter moved you toward a deeper appreciation of your faith? Can we say that our lives are taking a new direction toward living our faith with sincerity? The passage from Acts shows us three thousand people expressing a desire to be baptized after listening to Peter. In this, we are reminded of our own baptismal promises.
Before a person is baptized, certain questions are posed:
Do you renounce sin, so as to live in the freedom of the children of God?
Do you renounce the lure of evil, so that sin may have no mastery over you?
Do you renounce Satan, the author and prince of sin?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord?
These questions form an examination of faith, to which we respond with that powerful affirmation: “I do.” This declaration is our definitive stand of commitment to our faith.
It is not enough to profess what we believe; we are called to live it. Jesus tells us that He is the gateway to salvation, and that all must be willing to pass through Him. This may be difficult to accept, yet we hold firmly that there are not multiple paths to salvation. There is one truth: Jesus. He is the one and only “sheep gate.”
For Peter, the message is clear: “You must repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ.” As he sees it, the mentality of the world and faith in Christ are incompatible.
Yet, Jesus commissions His disciples to go forth and spread the Good News to the world. The Church continues this mission, making Christ and His saving work known to all corners of the earth. To choose baptism is to accept dying with Christ so as to be made new in Him and through Him.
We are called to transform the world through the faith we have received.
Sincerely yours in the Lord
Rev. Vitalis Anyanike
Pastor
