Easter

7th Week of Easter, Friday (2)

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In today’s First Reading we see how Paul (later in the Acts of the Apostles) will get to Rome. Roman citizens had the right to appeal directly to Caesar. Providence many times is the way Our Lord arranges various situations in order to achieve some greater good. In this case, a new Roman prefect in Palestine, Festus, inherits Paul’s case from his predecessor. Felix either didn’t want to resolve Paul’s case or didn’t have time to do it. Festus, apparently not knowing the local situation, sizes it up in Roman style: assess the situation, respect the rights (of Roman citizens), and don’t do anything rash.

Paul knows his rights and knows his work in Jerusalem is finished, so he makes an appeal to Caesar, knowing that means he’ll be taken in custody to Rome, the center of the known world and the best place to spread the Gospel far and wide, since so many roads lead there (and, therefore, lead back). The Lord told him in yesterday‘s First Reading that he would give witness there as well, so Paul, even while imprisoned, works toward that goal trusting in God’s Providence to help him along the way.

Even today God’s Providence is at work to help us and others to know and follow the Gospel. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit in these last couple of days before Pentecost to help us see God’s hand in the situations and circumstances we’re facing in order to better live and give witness to the Gospel.

Readings: Acts 25:13b–21; Psalm 103:1–2, 11–12, 19–20b; John 21:15–19. See also 7th Week of Easter, Friday.

7th Week of Easter, Thursday (2)

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Throughout the Acts of the Apostles Luke brings the protagonists of the Gospel over and over again before the Sanhedrin: the Apostles, then St. Stephen, and now St. Paul. The Sanhedrin threatened, punished, and murdered, but none of that stopped the Gospel from spreading: from that first group of fearful disciples in Jerusalem the Church is now spread throughout Asia Minor and has just made her first fledgling steps into Europe. The Romans have imprisoned Paul because of the public disorder his visit to Jerusalem causes, but are also protecting him; due to his place of birth, Tarsus, he is a Roman citizen, and therefore afforded more legal protection than other subjects of the Roman Empire. Paul knows all the tools at his disposal: he knows his rights, and he knows the crowd, and he uses that to full effect. Even if he almost sparks another riot, it is a riot over accepting the truth.

Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish world, and now Paul has come full circle. From asking for letters from the Sanhedrin to persecute Christians (as Saul) he is now presenting them the core of the Gospel: the Resurrection, just as every disciple when faced with the Sanhedrin did, risking their life, reputation, and security. Paul had visited Athens, the cultural center of his world, with few results, and now the Lord was encouraging him to head to the undisputed center of his world: Rome.

The phrasing of this encouragement in Luke’s account is profound, “the Lord stood by him.” The Lord stands by us too. When it seems our belief is on trial it’s not a moment to put distance between us and those who would question and discourage us, but to present the heart of the Gospel message without fear, showing we believe it to be true by not fearing ridicule, imprisonment or death for what we believe.

Readings: Acts 22:30, 23:6–11; Psalm 16:1–2a, 5, 7–11; John 17:20–26. See also 7th Week of Easter, Thursday.

7th Week of Easter, Wednesday (2)

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In today’s First Reading Paul, bidding farewell to the presbyters of Ephesus, charges them with watching over the Lord’s flock and themselves. Our Lord in today’s Gospel prays that his disciples share a profound unity, a unity reflecting the profound unity of the Most Holy Trinity.  Paul encourages the presbyters to remember that it is better to give than to receive; the “wolves” who will menace the flock are looking after their own interests, not the poor sheep who falls into their clutches.

However, as Paul warns, the unity of the Church is threatened by internal factors as well; some teaching perverse doctrines will lure people away. It is due to both these types of threats that Our Lord entrusted the apostles and their successors with watching over the unity of the flock.  They are expected to preside over the Church in a spirit of service and of charity. The wounds and obstacles to Christian unity even today are caused by false teachers and people pursuing their own interests at the expense of the Church’s.

Let’s pray today for shepherds who know how to drive off the wolves and false teachers. Let’s also pray for reconciliation and unity among all Christians so that we can be one as Our Lord has prayed for in today’s Gospel.

Readings: Acts 20:28–38; Psalm 68:29–30, 33–36b; John 17:11b–19. See also 7th Week of Easter, Wednesday and 7th Week of Easter, Sunday.

7th Week of Easter, Tuesday (2)

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In today’s readings we see two farewells to beloved friends: Paul bids farewell to the presbyters of Ephesus, knowing he’ll never see them again, and Our Lord’s prolonged Last Supper farewell turns to a prayer for those whom he is leaving behind before his “glorification,” which in St. John’s language is his crucifixion and resurrection.

In today’s First Reading we recall the first part of Paul’s farewell; by assuring them he was not responsible for the blood of any of them he was saying that he had held back from nothing in their regard that was a part of God’s plan. He helped them on the path to salvation, but now the Holy Spirit was prompting him to take up an arduous mission that required leaving them behind. Our Lord, addressing his Father, also declares that he had fulfilled his mission in regard to his disciples, those who believed in him, and was preparing for what would consolidate that work: his sacrifice on the Cross, a journey to death, but also to Resurrection, that would also leave them behind.

Our Lord has done this not just for the disciples of his time, but for us. Paul too set something into motion, prompted by the Holy Spirit, that benefits us even today. What’s our response?

Readings: Acts 20:17–27; Psalm 68:10–11, 20–21; John 17:1–11a. See also 7th Week of Easter, Tuesday.

7th Week of Easter, Monday (2)

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In today’s First Reading Paul decides to go to Ephesus while Apollos is with the faithful in Corinth. Paul’s visit today to Ephesus reminds us of the path every believer takes in the spiritual life: repentance for sins, baptism, and a life in the Spirit. This reading is an apt selection for the week that awaits us before Pentecost, because we too hope for an outpouring of the Spirit as the fruit of living a good sacramental and moral life.

Life in the Spirit is not just receiving special charisms, such as prophecies and tongues, although some do. Life in the Spirit means relying on the Spirit, who gives us life and courage to face the world’s trials. The Spirit convinces us of the truth of Our Lord’s promise in today’s Gospel: Christ has conquered the world., therefore there’s no need to fear. Paul asks the Ephesians today if they have received the Spirit; the sacraments are what confer the Spirit upon us, especially Baptism and Confirmation, just as the Eucharist nourishes us on Christ’s Body and Blood. Together these three sacraments fully initiate us into a life in the Spirit: a Christian life.

Life in the Spirit is not just something we receive; it is a commitment and a labor of love. Let’s welcome the Spirit into our lives in order to have the love of God poured into our hearts.

Readings: Acts 19:1–8; Psalm 68:2–3b, 4–5a, 5c–7b; John 16:29–33. See also 7th Week of Easter, Monday.