Wednesday, April 8, 2026

 

Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

(Acts 3:1-10; Luke 24:13-35)

In the depths of sorrow and in the heights of satisfaction, people tend to forget God’s mercy.  In today’s gospel the two disciples are so dejected they do not notice that the risen Jesus has come to is accompany them.  He must remind them of all that he foretold about his passion, death, and resurrection.

He comes in the Eucharist as well. He tells the story of liberation from both tyranny and sin.  More than that, he invites his listeners to a supper of bread turned into his body and wine converted to his blood.  He does not want anyone to despair that their prayers are not heard or their deeds are worthless. 

Right now, wars wage in the Ukraine and Gulf region, nations are at a loss to deal justly with immigrants, and men are losing their souls to pornography.  We must both pray and act, act and pray.  We pray that the Holy Spirit, which raised Jesus to new life, may charge the minds and hearts of world leaders to establish peace with justice for all.  We perform voluntary acts of kindness and goodwill as tiny steps toward the universal common good.

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 must 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 cause 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.