Akahi News learnt that Rev. Fr. Patrick Kunle Ajayi of St. Mary Catholic Pro-Cathedral, Ilesa, has delivered a stirring Easter Thursday message centred on the physical proof of Christ’s resurrection and its life-changing implications for sinners.
Drawing from Acts 3:11-26 and Luke 24:35-48, the clergyman emphasised that the resurrection is not a vague spiritual idea. It is a tangible, flesh-and-blood reality. Jesus ate. He spoke. He let himself be touched.
The same Jesus who broke bread with frightened disciples behind locked doors is the same Lord who still breaks into human misery today. But do we truly believe that?
Jesus Suffered on Purpose – For Sinners Like Us
Akahi News gathered that Fr. Ajayi highlighted a crucial point from the Gospel reading: Jesus taught his disciples at length that his suffering was not an accident. It was the eternal plan of God.
Why? So that sinners who repent can be forgiven. Not so that the righteous could feel superior. Not so that religious people could have something to boast about. So that sinners – messy, broken, ashamed sinners – could come home.
That is the scandal of Easter. That is the good news that still offends the self-righteous. A murderer can repent. A thief can repent. An adulterer can repent. A liar, a cheater, a gossip, a corrupt official – all can be forgiven if they turn to the Risen Lord.
It was alleged that St. Peter made the same argument in the first reading. He used the healing of the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate as evidence. Look, Peter said – this man walked because of faith in the name of Jesus. The same Jesus you crucified. He is alive. And he is still working miracles.
Resurrection Is Good News for Those in Bondage
The readings, Fr. Ajayi explained, prove that the resurrection is good news for humanity trapped in the bondage of misfortunes through sin and death. That includes Nigerians struggling with addiction, with despair, with broken marriages, with financial ruin, with illness that doctors cannot cure.
Sin is a prison. Death is a thief. But the Risen Christ holds the keys.
Peter and John did not keep the miracle to themselves. They used the opportunity of the healing that happened through them to proclaim Jesus. According to Fr. Ajayi, faith in Him truly causes miracles that can be used as witness.
Not faith in faith. Not faith in positive thinking. Not faith in the Church as an institution. Faith in Him – the Risen Person who still walks beside us on dusty roads.
Akahi News had earlier reported that many Christians today have reduced Easter to a holiday. New clothes. Fried rice. Family gatherings. All good things. But Fr. Ajayi is calling for something deeper: a renewal of faith in the life-giving Presence of the Risen Lord in all the activities of the Church.
The Mass. The prayers. The songs. The silence. The sacraments. The gathering of the faithful. In all of these, the Risen Lord is present. Not symbolically. Really.
A Prayer for Healing and Witness
Fr. Ajayi concluded with a prayer that every Catholic should carry home: May his touch bring salvation and healing to us and all around us as points of witness.
Think about that. Healing for us. And healing around us. Not just private blessings, but public testimonies. We are meant to be points of witness – tiny lamps reflecting the great Light.
It is not a child’s play to live as a witness in Nigeria today. The economy is hard. Insecurity is real. Temptations are everywhere. But the Risen Lord does not ask us to be strong on our own. He asks us to let His strength flow through our weakness.
The crippled man did not heal himself. The disciples did not raise themselves from fear. Peter did not manufacture the miracle. They all received. And then they testified.
That is the Easter Thursday message. Receive the healing. Receive the forgiveness. Receive the joy. And then – only then – become a witness.
May his touch find you today. In your home. In your office. In your secret struggles. In your unspoken fears. He is risen. He is here. And he is still working miracles of deliverance from sin.
RECEIVE THE HOLY JOY OF EASTER.
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Readings of the day: Acts 3:11-26 (Peter’s sermon after healing the crippled man) and Luke 24:35-48 (Jesus appears to the disciples, eats with them, and opens their minds to Scripture).
Core message: The resurrection is physically proven. Jesus suffered according to God’s eternal plan so that repentant sinners can receive forgiveness.
Key lessons: (1) Faith in the Risen Christ produces real miracles. (2) Those miracles are meant to be used as witness. (3) Easter is a time to renew faith in the life-giving Presence of the Lord in all Church activities.
Why it matters to Nigerian Catholics: Many carry heavy burdens of sin, shame, and misfortune. The message of Easter Thursday is that the same Jesus who healed the crippled man is still healing today – and He wants to use healed people to witness to others.
Bottom line: The Risen Lord is not a memory. He is a living Person who touches, heals, forgives, and sends. Receive His touch. Become a witness. Rejoice in the Holy Joy of Easter.
