Monday within Easter Octave : 10th April 2023

“To this day, that is the story among the Jews.” The Christians in the early times had to counter fake news that the body of Jesus was stolen by His disciples and not resurrected as claimed by them. This fake news was spread by word of mouth in those times, rather than virtually like nowadays.

Our faith encourages us that Jesus rose again from the dead after His brutal crucifixion. Some unbelievers will take every possible opportunity to disprove His resurrection and claim that the body of Jesus is to be found buried within the Vatican! In Matthew’s account, we read that money was used to bribe the soldiers guarding the tomb by saying that His disciples had come to steal His body by night.

But more importantly, whatever logical reasons may be used to counter this fake news, our faith in the risen Christ is crucial. After Pentecost, Peter was courageous and determined to proclaim the risen Jesus to the crowd. He says with conviction, “God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to that.” Peter has faith in the risen Lord.

Do we have enough faith in the resurrected Christ? Do we have the courage to stand firm in our faith when we are accused of what we believe is not trustworthy –fake news?

Lord Jesus, You are my Lord and God — the Risen Lord. Amen.