On Witnessing

04-21-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Tony Okolo C.S.Sp., V.F.

Beloved Parishioners,

The last words of John the Evangelist Jn 21:25 are “This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.” John, in this passage, testifies to the truth of the Risen Lord and Acts 1:8 says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

To be a witness is to testify that what you know is the truth and nothing but the truth. As Christians, Christ’s Resurrection is the foundation of our Faith, and we believe that Jesus has Risen from the dead and by rising from the dead Jesus has conquered death. The apostles convinced of this fact gave witness even with their own lives. How can we bear witness if we do not know Christ himself? That is why we need to get close in a very profound way to be able to be a good witness.

To bear witness to the Risen Lord is to give account to what God has done in my life. It is to testify to the goodness of God in ones’ life; to share the amazing story of how you may have encountered God in a way that is known to you alone. In doing so, you are not bragging or showing off, but making others see how you have been transformed by the goodness of the Lord. Giving testimony comes from a fundamental feeling of a burning desire to share the love of God in humility with other people. About two weeks ago, I was going on my normal walk in the park and a man came to me to tell about the new restaurant in town where I can enjoy a good meal with only $14.00 and he shared the story with much excitement and asked me to go and try it. The next day when he saw me he wanted to know if I had gone because according to him it was so good and the cost reasonable. When the movie Cabrini came out someone shared the movie with us and encouraged us to go and watch it and on our staff day, the whole parish and school staff went and watched the movie. These two stories I share happened because people shared something they wanted other people to come and see and experience. This is how we are to share our story of our encounter with Jesus.

One strong way to assist in our witness to Christ is a life of conviction that Jesus is alive and that He lives in your life. The Apostles of Jesus were all devastated at the death of Jesus on the Cross. When Jesus rose from the dead and revealed Himself to them, they became empowered and went all out to bear testimony even to give their lives to Jesus. As Fulton Sheen would say, something extraordinary happened that convinced them that their Savior is alive. We need not to have seen Jesus to be convinced that He is alive.

One of the most fundamental ways to be a witness of Christ is to know Him personally. Personal encounter is the key to bearing witness. Secondly, we need to know the word of God because it is by reading the word of God that God reveals Himself more to us. That is the reason St. Jerome once said that ignorance of the Bible is the ignorance of God. When our lives are very contrary to what we proclaim our witness is questioned because if we have encountered Jesus and our life transformed then the evidence of it should be seen in our daily life. We should spend more time in prayer because in doing so the Holy Spirit is given to us to be able to face the challenges of the world we are to confront. Develop a healthy relationship with people and be as friendly as you can and through that means you can share the story of what motivates you up.