This word, which falls at Easter, invites us to be witnesses, with the full freedom of those who have received the Gospel message, of the event that has marked history: Jesus has risen!

To fully understand the meaning of this verse from the Acts of the Apostles, it is useful to quote the preceding sentence: "The multitude of believers were of one heart and one soul. No one claimed any of his possessions as his own, but all things were held in common" (cf. Hch 4, 32).

«The apostles bore witness with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And they were greatly appreciated by all.».

The text presents the Christian community animated by the powerful force of the Spirit, characterized by communion, which compels it to proclaim the Gospel to all, the good news, that Christ has risen.

These are the same people who before Pentecost were frightened and saddened by recent events, and now they come out into the open, ready to bear witness even to martyrdom thanks to the power of the Spirit, who has swept away their fears and anxieties. They were of one heart and soul, practicing mutual love to the point of sharing their possessions: this was the reality that was increasingly involving more people.

The women and men who followed Jesus had listened to his words, had lived with him, serving and loving the least of these, the sick; they had seen with their own eyes the prodigious deeds accomplished by Jesus, and their lives had changed because, called to live a new law, they had been the first witnesses of God's living presence among humanity.

And for us, followers of Jesus today, what does it mean to bear witness?

«The apostles bore witness with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And they were greatly appreciated by all.».

The most effective way to bear witness to the Risen One is to show that He is alive and dwells among us. “If we live his word, […] keeping love for our neighbor alight in our hearts, if we make a special effort to always maintain mutual love among ourselves, the Risen One will live in us, will live among us, and will radiate his light and grace around us, transforming every place with incalculable fruits. And it will be he who guides our steps and our activities with his Spirit; who arranges the circumstances and provides us with the opportunities to bring his life to people who need him.”^[1].

«The apostles bore witness with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And they were greatly appreciated by all.».

Written by Margaret Karram^[2]: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to all creation” (Mc 16:15) is the extraordinary instruction that the apostles received directly from Jesus 2,000 years ago, changing the course of history. Today, Jesus addresses us with the same invitation: he offers us the possibility of bringing him into the world with all the creativity, abilities, and freedom that he himself has given us.^[3].

It is a proclamation "that does not end with his death, on the contrary! It gains even more force after the Resurrection and Pentecost, when the disciples became courageous witnesses of the Gospel. And their mandate has come down to us today. Through me and through each of us, God wants to continue telling his story of love to those with whom we share short or long periods of life."^[4].

Patrizia Mazzola and the Word of Life team

[1] C. Lubich, Word of Life, January 1986: Words of Life/1 (1943-1990), Ciudad Nueva, Madrid 2020, pp. 364-365.
[2] President of the Focolare Movement.
[3] Mr. Karram, Called and sent, Rocca di Papa, 15-9-2023.
[4] Ibid.p. 101.