17 April 2022 Easter Sunday

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

From Acts 10:34, 37-43, NRSV

The words we hear in today’s First reading are part of Peter’s instruction to the Roman centurion Cornelius who had received a vision in which he was told to invite Peter to come and instruct him. Peter’s acceptance of this invitation shows that he has been changed by his experience of the Resurrection. Peter, not known for being open-minded, might previously have dismissed this invitation to visit a gentile soldier. Now, Peter risks becoming ritually unclean and preaches the story of God’s action through Jesus culminating in the Resurrection. Peter declares that Jesus is Lord of all, even the mighty Roman Emperor! For Peter, this was a radical new understanding and would have required him to question the deeply ingrained traditions of his Jewish faith. For the centurion to accept this would require great change to his way of life and position in society. So, for both men, the encounter with the Risen Christ brought challenge and the call to something new.