3rd SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

Lk 24:35-48

Some years ago I was with a small group of fellow Filipinos in Padua. We had already visited the Church of St. Anthony and were walking along a nearby park. Suddenly we heard someone shout: “Balot!” We turned around and saw a group of Filipinos smiling at us. (They were seafarers waiting for their ship to leave port.) Only Filipinos understand the meaning of “balot”. Our responding to that word identified us as Filipinos.

When Jesus appeared to his disciples, his appearance had somewhat changed. His body was a glorified body. In order to identify himself, he had to show them the nail marks on his hands and on his feet.

If we were to enumerate the signs that would identify a Christian, what would they be? In general, we could say that a Christian is expected to be Christ-like. What traits makes him most Christ-like. There would probably be many, but let us name only a few of them.

First, Jesus had a strong sense of mission.

Right after Baptism, the Spirit led him to the desert. There Satan tried to make him deviate from the mission the Father had given him. But each time he refused to be led along a different path.

Jesus did not allow popularity to hinder him from his mission as we see in this particular episode. “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you." He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come" (Mk 1: 36-38).

A Christian knows that God also has a task for him to accomplish in this world. He seeks to discover that mission and then gives himself to carry it out. Two newly-graduated nurses felt that God wanted them to remain in the Philip-pines and work among their kababayans. For this reason, they gave up the possi-bility of working abroad like so many of their classmates.

Second, Jesus was clear about the values that he wanted his followers to live by.

Sometimes these values put him in trouble with the religious authorities. Mark reports this incident regarding the Sabbath. “As he was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?" Jesus refused to stop his disciples from eating. He was clear about his values. He replied to the Pharisees: "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2: 23-27).

Not only did the values of Jesus differ at times from the religious leaders, they also at times differed from what people commonly held. Again in Mark we read: “He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood" (Mk 12: 41-44).

A Christian lives by gospel values, even if at times he or she may appear foolish. A janitor who worked at the Ninoy International Airport returned $2,000.00 forgotten by a departing passenger. His relatives berated him for doing so and even called him “gago”! But he stood his ground and did not regret returning the money.

A PNB bank manager was scrupulous about maintaining her reputation for in-tegrity. Clients would send her expensive gifts at Christmas. She would thank them politely and then donate the gifts as prizes for the Christmas raffle of the employees. In that way she would not be beholden to anyone.

Third, Jesus was firm and courageous.

Jesus called a spade, a spade. He did not mince words. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence” (Mt 23:25).

Jesus was firm and courageous. He had no qualms about using force when the situation demands it. “They came to Jerusalem, and on entering the temple area he began to drive out those selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area” (Mk 11:15-16).

A Christian acts even in the face of possible ridicule. A college student once told me this story. It was the time when the term “betamax” meant pornography. He was in the house of a classmate together with two other classmates. Their classmate inserted a tape on the betamax machine. A pornographic film started to unfold on the screen. He felt uncomfortable. He knew he had to act but at the same time, was afraid of how his classmates will react. But finally, gathering his courage, he suggested that they watch some other film. To his surprise and relief no one objected.

A young woman was not so lucky. She objected to the pornography her two brothers were watching. This resulted in a shouting match.

And finally, Jesus prayed.

We already saw how Jesus made time for prayer. He rose early in the morning just to pray.

A Christian can not be but a person who prays. A college student, following the example of Jesus, wakes up ahead of everyone else so that he could pray in peace and quiet. Others take advantage of the adoration chapels in our parishes. We see them praying there after office hours. Others who are more technically savvy make use of their mp3 players, ipods or smartphones in order to pray on their way to work. They download mp3 files from such sites as “Pray as you go.” Others prefer sacred songs as aids to prayer.

WE have identified four of the many traits that Jesus exemplified in the gospel. These traits are: one, he has a strong sense of mission; two, he lives by gospel values; three, he is firm and courageous; and four, he prays.

As the nail marks on his hands and feet identified Jesus to his disciples, so also these traits identify someone as a Christian before the world.