St Paul’s conversion is here presented for the first of three times in the Acts of the Apostles (see also 22:4-26; 26:12-18). Here it highlights the movement of the church beyond Judaism to the gentile world. This account is preceded in Acts by the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who was baptized by deacon Philip and then followed by the conversion of the Roman centurion Cornelius.
Our heavenly Father was already drawing the Ethiopian eunuch and royal treasurer to a life-giving faith. This foreigner was already a “God-fearer,” the term for gentiles who believed in Israel’s God Yahweh, and followed those prescriptions of the Torah which would not alienate the foreigner from his own family and country.
Jerusalem, which had been a special object of Jesus’ ministry, now violently rejects his disciples, while the countryside, particularly Samaria, listens carefully to the word, is willing to accept miracles, and converts to the Lord. Sophisticated Jerusalem with its religious schools and centuries-old traditions, never gives Jesus or his disciples a fair chance to explain themselves; while Samaria, neglected, oppressed, fearful of mass
In presenting the martyrdom of St. Stephen, in Acts, Luke carefully models the death scene of Stephen upon Jesus’ death on the cross. Each, accused of blasphemy, is condemned to death by the Sanhedrin. Each sees a vision of someone coming on the clouds, at the right hand of God, a reference to
The key word here linking today’s Scripture is “look” – how we look and what we see! When the members of the Sanhedrin looked on the face of Stephen it “looked like that of an angel.” Jesus tells the crowd: “You are not looking for me because you have seen signs but because you have eaten your fill of the loaves.”
Recognising God’s living presence with us and among us is a great gift, which is the heart of the faith. Above all, recognising God as our personal life-giver, the one who raised Jesus and who will also raise up each of us. Peter and the first community were acutely aware of God’s life-giving presence. St Luke tells of a recognition experience by two walkers on the road to Emmaus, who knew that the crucified Jesus was still alive with them.
During the Easter season, the Church continues to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Today, we join together to worship God, who has brought about this great victory over sin and death. In joy and gratitude, we praise God who saves us ….
Today’s gospel presents two scenarios: one in which we travel without Jesus and are engulfed by waves that can destroy us; another in which Jesus is with us and we come safely to our destination. In the Acts we read how the apostles healed a major division in the ranks by compromise and common sense.
We are asked to examine our motives for following Jesus and our norms for judging other institutions. Personal advancement and pleasure are ruled out by the scriptural readings. When the people proclaim Jesus as the
It is always difficult to distinguish internal strength from stubborn manipulation of others. How can we know if our convictions are from God and must be obeyed at all costs, or whether it is just from pride that we resist authority? Very few have had immediate revelations from God. How then do we know that our convictions are from God?
The Scriptures present two aspects of our salvation. On one side we are told about forces at war with the ways of the Lord. Peter and John are caught in a struggle that involves the high priest and the entire Sanhedrin. They are arrested by the temple guards and imprisoned. This same struggle at universal level is echoed in John’s gospel about God’s sending
Today’s Scriptures present us with the question of whether and how a fair sharing of property can be achieved within the church. We see how, at least for a while, the early Christians at Jerusalem pooled all their resources, and there was no one in financial distress. Later, however, their destitution was
When and where the Spirit comes upon a person, with what signs and consequences, cannot be determined ahead of time. “The wind blows where it will…. You do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” In both Hebrew (ruah) and Greek (pneuma)
Sharing, at various levels, emerges as a linking theme in today’s Scriptures. The earliest generation of christians were a sort of consecrated commune, with total sharing of all that they had. Their Eucharist was just the high-point of an already deep union, like an extended family, where each individual worked for the good of the family as much as for his own. Then from Peter we hear of the shared joy and faith of that first group of Christians. And in the story of Thomas we find that even a sharing of doubt can be healthy for the community….
Even though a week has passed since Easter Sunday, today’s liturgy is still filled with good news. We praise God for the life and love poured out for us in the raising of Jesus, which makes divine mercy possible — and available to all.
