The Astonishing Witness of Ordinary People

Voice over by Eliz

Acts 4:13-21, Psalm: 117, Mk 16:9-15

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

As we conclude the Octave of Easter, the Church presents us with a paradox that should fill us with hope. The most powerful people in Jerusalem are astonished—not by miracles, not by signs, but by the courage of simple fishermen. The Sanhedrin, the same court that condemned Jesus, now finds itself powerless before Peter and John. What changed? They had been with Jesus.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we see the religious leaders observing Peter and John with amazement. They recognize them as “uneducated, ordinary men.” By every worldly standard, these apostles should be intimidated, silenced, and dismissed. Yet they speak with a boldness that confounds the elite. The text gives us the secret: “They recognized them as the companions of Jesus.” Being with Jesus—in His ministry, at His crucifixion, and now in His resurrection—has transformed them. They are no longer the same men who fled the garden. They have been with the Risen Lord, and that encounter has changed everything.

The Sanhedrin faces an impossible situation. They cannot deny the miracle of the healed man standing before them. They cannot silence men who speak with such conviction. So they threaten them and order them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. Peter and John’s response is magnificent: “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” Their witness is not optional; it is necessary. They have seen, they have heard, and they must speak.

In the Gospel of Mark, we see the other side of this transformation. Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene, but when she tells the disciples, “they did not believe.” He appears to two disciples on the road, and when they report it, “they did not believe the others.” Finally, Jesus appears to the Eleven themselves and “rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised.” The apostles were not instantly perfect witnesses. They doubted. They struggled. They had hardened hearts. Yet Jesus did not abandon them. He appeared, He rebuked, and He commissioned: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

Pope Francis often reflects on this: “The Lord never tires of forgiving; it is we who tire of asking for forgiveness.” St. Augustine, commenting on the apostles’ transformation, wrote, “They who before were fearful, after receiving the Holy Spirit, went out boldly to preach the word of God.”

For us, this Saturday in the Octave of Easter is a message of immense hope. We may feel ordinary, uneducated, or inadequate. We may have doubted, failed, or even denied Him. But being with Jesus changes everything. Spend time with Him in prayer. Encounter Him in the Eucharist. Let His words sink into your heart. And then, like Peter and John, you will find that you cannot be silent about what you have seen and heard. The world needs your witness. The Risen Lord sends you. Amen.

May God bless you all!