Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Monday in the Octave of Easter, April 6th, 2026

Delivered by Vici from the Parish of Saint John the Baptist in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 2: 14.22-32; Rs psalm 16: 1-2a.5.7-8.9-10.11; Matthew 28: 8-15.PREACHING ON THE FIRST TESTIMONY OF THE RESURRECTION Our meditation today has the theme: Preaching on theFirst Testimony of the Resurrection. The testimony of the apostles anddisciples of Jesus who on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ aresomething different from the task to preach the message or news about theresurrection. These two types of experience can be combined as one simultaneousact, but can be also separated and one is cut from the other. A person could bean eye witness who had direct contact with the events of Jesus Christ, but ifhe didn't want to share his own experience about what he had known, it could betrue in that manner. But in fact, this did not happen to the apostles anddisciples of Jesus. According to the Acts of the Apostles, the apostlesand disciples of Jesus preached what they witnessed. For this proclamation tobe channeled by one and valid authority, it must be first institutional,official and delivered by the person in authority or the one responsible. Thatis what we call in the Church, the preaching on the first testimony of theresurrection. This preaching was officially delivered by the leader of theearly Church, namely the first apostle, St. Peter. The preaching of Peter basically goes like this:"Jesus Christ who was appointed by God to fulfill all the promises of thepast is the true Messiah. He was sentenced to death based on untrue and unfaircharges. He died and was buried, but now God has witnesses him. This preachingwas not just empty words, but the evidences and the experience of eyewitnesses arevery significant elements to be considered. The evidences and experiences were then confirmed bythe proclamation of the Gospel of Matthew (28, 8-15), which is about some womenwent to the tomb of Jesus on the first day of the week. The risen Jesusappeared and greeted them: "Peace to you". Then Jesus also told them:"Don't be afraid. Go and tell my brothers, that they go to Galilee, andthere they will see Me ”. This proof is also confirmed by the physical realityof the empty tomb. Until now, none of the Jews knows where Jesus' body to befound after He was taken by the power of God from that tomb.  The testimonies both on the part of physical emptytomb and on the experience of the appearances of the risen Lord, eventuallybecome the contents of the scriptures and teachings of faith that we have up tonow. We who live today inherit the spiritual wealth of those evidences andexperiences. But more than the evidences from Peter, other apostles anddisciples, we actually have faith in the risen Lord Jesus through these truths,because through them Jesus Christ enters into each of our lives and gives us thespirit of His resurrection. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... O almighty God, fill us with the power ofresurrection of our Lord Jesus. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to theHoly Spirit ... In the name  of theFather ...