Feast of St. Agnes of Assisi
Deacon Robert Banet
I have a question.
Go ahead, Charlie, that’s what I’m here for.
Those forty days after the Resurrection, what did Jesus and the apostles do?
The Bible is not very helpful here. It simply says that Jesus presented Himself to them alive by many proofs.
What does that mean, “by many proofs”?
I take it to mean He proved to them that it was really He and that He indeed had risen from the dead.
Is that all the Bible says on this subject?
Not quite.
It specifies forty days and it says that He spoke to them about the Kingdom God. And here your guess is as good as mine as to specifics.
Why didn’t He choose someone to fill Judas’s place? There was plenty of time for that.
For some reason He left that up to the apostles. I suppose He wanted, in that way, to stamp His approval on what the Church would decide.
And how about the problem of the Gentiles? I mean, should the Gentiles when they came to be believers, should they be required to follow those many Jewish laws, six hundred and thirteen? Why didn’t he settle that problem when He was with them?
Well, Charlie, that’s a good question and I don’t know whether I can give you a clear answer. My take on it is that, again, He wanted to allow the Church to make that decision. And the Church indeed did settle the question. Jesus was, in advance, putting his approval on what His Church would decide.
That sounds pretty good to me. Thanks and praise God.