Wednesday, April 27, 2022

 

Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

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

Leonard Bernstein’s Mass features a song that corresponds to today’s first reading.  Written in the late sixties and early seventies “The Word of the Lord” protests the Vietnam war.  A conscientious objector speaks of his experience in prison while the chorus sings, “… you cannot imprison the Word of the Lord.”

In the reading from Acts the Sanhedrin tries to do just that.  The apostles are put in jail for preaching how Jesus’ death and resurrection fulfilled the Scriptures.  The Sanhedrin’s action, however, is hardly the final word. God sends an angel to free the apostles.  Soon they are found back in the temple area again preaching about Jesus.

The Word of God tells us how to live and what to look for when we die.  We should read it, study it, and contemplate it.  But its truth is not always easy to discern.  We should also consult the authority of the Church about aspects that seem to contradict regular teaching.  Approached in this way, the Word of God will be liberating and life-sustaining.

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