Friday, April 17, 2026

 

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15)

The gospel calls Jesus’ feeding the multitude a “sign.”  It is a fair question to ask, “a sign of what?”  There are at least three levels of meaning for this sign. 

First, the feeding is a sign of human solidarity.  Jesus shares bread with the multitude because hunger hurts and humans must help each other alleviate it.  Second -- as Jesus will make clear in future gospel readings --  the feeding represents the Eucharist.  Jesus will give his body and blood so that his followers may become virtuous in him.  Finally, the feeding signifies God’s love for all.  As the gospel memorably puts it: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.”  The Father sent the Son so that humans might not perish because of their selfishness but have eternal life because of his sacrifice. 

The participants of Jesus’ feast want to make him king.  With similar impetus we worship Jesus as Lord.  But Jesus rejects such honors if those who propose them do not try to become like him.  The change requires more than imitation when it is convenient.  It demands following him faithfully so that our love is purified of egotism.

 

Thursday, April 16, 2026

 

Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:27-33; John 3:31-36)

The words of today’s gospel are given without any indication of who spoke them.  They sound much like those that Jesus said to Nicodemus.  If we check the citation, however, we find that John the Baptist is speaking them to his disciples.  John is echoing what Jesus said in the gospel earlier this week and what the prologue tells us of the Word of God.

Jesus reveals to us the will of God.  He is not concerned with the things most of us bother with.  He does not speak of sports champions or beauty queens, how to make a million or how to get your children into a top-tier school.  Rather he speaks of selfless love willing to make sacrifices for the good of all.  Peter and the apostles exhibit this love in today’s reading from Acts.  They defy the Sanhedrin’s orders, not to rebel against authority but to carry out God’s command.  They risk punishment, even death, so that God’s love for the world in Jesus Christ may be made known.

We too should spread the word.  But at the same time let us reflect on it and live according to it.  No doubt, this means changes in what we think, say, and do.  As the Baptist implies in the gospel, doing so will give us eternal life.  

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

 

Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:17-26; John 3:16-21)

Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel entitled the English edition of his memoir of Auschwitz Night. He used the word to symbolize the horror of a human population’s being corralled, isolated, enslaved, and exterminated.  Today’s gospel reveals God’s purpose of sending His Son to the world to save it from such darkness.

As much as “darkness” represents evil, “light” suggests divinity.  God’s first order of creation in Genesis is, “Let there be light.”  At the Bible’s other end, the Book Revelation describes the glory of God giving light to His renewed creation.  in the middle of the saga Jesus Christ, “the Light of the World,” exposes evil and facilitates growth in virtue.

Still basking in the light of the Resurrection, we recommit ourselves to Christ today. His spiritual guidance steers us away from the attractive power of darkness.  His love offered tangibly in the Eucharist nourishes us on the journey through a cloudy world to the fulness of light.

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

 

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7b-15)

“’How can this happen?’” Nicodemus asks Jesus in the gospel.  It’s the same question many would ask of the first reading.  How can people sell their houses and property and donate all the proceeds to the community? 

The Acts of the Apostles tells of Joseph’s generosity to illustrate the power of the Holy Spirit.  Under the Spirit’s guidance people put aside self-interest for the good of all.  It should be noted that the wholesale mutuality of the primitive Christian community is not perfect and does not prevail for long.  The story of Joseph’s selflessness is followed by the sober tale of a believer’s deception out of self-concern.  In the next chapter of Acts, the altercation between Greek-speaking and Hebrew-speaking disciples is related.  It may be concluded that the innocence of human nature is not restored by the Holy Spirit without an inclination to sin.

Christian shortcomings have caused scandal both in the world and within the community.  At the end of the Middle Ages the selling of indulgences by clerics gave rise to the Protestant Reformation.  Today many are reserved about receiving the sacraments because of the revelations of child abuse by clergy.  And certainly, Christians have been guilty of racial and religious bigotry over the centuries.  There is need for investigating these matters lest too severe judgments are made.  Yet repentance and penance are also in order.  It is not that the Spirit has abandoned the Church but that Church members have failed to follow its lead.  We must regularly turn back to the Spirit with sincere hearts.

Monday, April 13, 2026

 

Monday of the Second Week of Eater

(Acts 4:23-31; John 3:1-8)

The daily masses of the Easter season feature a review of the Acts of the Apostles.  Last week it told of Peter’s preaching after Pentecost and how he cured a cripple in the name of Jesus.  As a result, he was arrested and brought to the Sanhedrin.  The court told him not speak of Jesus anymore. Today’s first reading relates Peter’s report of the trial to the community of disciples in Jerusalem.

The community responds with a prayer of support for Peter.  It recalls how foreign nations defied King David as the Jewish leaders are now challenging Jesus’ apostles.  And it asks the Lord to fortify the apostles with “boldness” to continue preaching.  God evidently assents to the request as the earth shakes, which is taken as a sign of the Holy Spirit.

The proclaiming of Jesus to unbelievers has been carried on for two thousand years.  It seems to some today as an old message that is losing traction.  We have family and friends who have stopped going to church.  However, not only are there masses of people being baptized in Africa, but many serious thinkers are rediscovering the wisdom and relevancy of Christ. Two weeks ago, for example, Vice President J.D. Vance published a book about his conversion to Catholicism.  Christianity will not pass away because Jesus Christ is the eternal God.