As we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus throughout this Easter season, we do well to focus on those original followers of Jesus and how they reacted to the news that “He is risen!” We can learn much from them. And in many ways, their story is our own as well.

At first, the Gospel of Luke recounts that to the other Apostles, hearing the reports from the women returning from the empty tomb, “their story seemed like nonsense” (Lk 24:11).

The Gospel this past Sunday recounted the doubts and even the obstinacy of Thomas. Like so many today, he established his own personal conditions before he would bestow his faith in Jesus.

Others walking the road to Emmaus were more willingly brought to truth of the resurrection. That truth changed them and it has changed the world itself. The resurrection means that all things must live in Christ and for Him, and Christ in us.

One other change was important for the disciples of Jesus’ time. At first, they gathered together behind locked doors. They did so, “for fear of the Jews” (Jn. 20:19). They were afraid to be subjected to sharing Jesus’ sufferings. So they stayed together, evidently still drawn by the love and teaching of Jesus. They seemed, however, to be trying to live as Christ taught at least personally and privately, among themselves.

Perhaps they imagined they could have the best of both worlds, literally. That is, they could live their faith but keep it quiet so as not to attract attention, so they would be able to avoid conflict and dangerous controversy. But Jesus and their faith itself would not allow that approach.

His final instructions before ascending were to “Go and teach all nations” (Mt. 28:19). After receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in that upper room, the disciples were strengthened and moved to throw open the doors and wade into the crowds to talk about Jesus.

From then on, it has always been clear that to be a believer in Jesus Christ we must also witness to Him.
That is an extremely important point at our own moment of history. By the use of many means of pressure, some obvious and some subtle, our society is increasingly seeking to exclude and even silence the witness of believers in Christ and His resurrection that we have just celebrated.

Just two weeks ago, Secretary of State John Kerry finally stated publicly that our fellow Christians and other minorities are the target of genocide in the Middle East at the hands of the Daesh (also known as ISIL). He acknowledged that Christians have been executed solely for their faith, and that Christian women and girls have been taken into slavery for the same reason.

On Easter Sunday, in Lahore Pakistan, Christians celebrating the resurrection with their families in a park were the targets of a terrorist bombing. Once more, their “offense” was to witness publicly, and even joyfully, to the good news of Jesus Christ.

Here in our own beloved country, on March 23, we had the alarming spectacle of the Little Sisters of the Poor having to petition the Supreme Court to protect their religious freedom to serve the elderly and the dying according to our Catholic faith.

The threat at hand is the insistence of the government that even Catholic nuns be forced to cooperate in the provision of contraceptives, some of which may cause early abortions. Should the sisters not prevail in this witness to the faith, they will be subject to government coercion and potentially ruinous fines.

Other Catholic institutions, including colleges and universities, face the same menace.

We know as well of the growing pressures on people of faith, especially people who believe in the resurrection of Jesus and the obligations for us as children of God, to cease our witness.

Crosses and public religious symbols become controversial or are removed. We are told not to bring our personal morality into the public square as it would “force” a moral view on others. All the while, our society is watching its social fabric and family culture weaken, a tragic result stemming from our growing inability to recognize anything as eternally and naturally true or false, good or evil.

In this Easter season, we need to renew our faith in life after death and in the power of Jesus. Like those first disciples, we cannot simply take the route of living for Jesus only silently and privately.

Our world, and our brothers and sisters of this earth, need our witness. They need for us to speak up for full religious freedom, for God’s plan for the family and marriage, and for concern for the common good and free, civil discourse in all of our public institutions and among leaders in every domain, from politics to business to academe to the arts.

The story of Easter is not just the recounting of a moment 2,000 years ago. Jesus is alive and guiding us to this day.

Our task now is to bravely speak up and witness to Him and to the truth before the world.