During Lent, we heard from different prophets in our first readings, prophets
such as Isaiah and Jeremiah calling the people of Ancient Israel to repentance
and conversion. During the Easter season, we hear about the establishment and growth of the
Early Church after the death and resurrection of Jesus in the first readings of
the daily masses. In our
reading today from Acts, we hear about 3,000 people who
were baptized in response to the message that they heard preached by Peter. Think
of how, just several days ago on Good Friday, we heard the crowds cry out in
the midst of Christ’s passion, “Crucify him, Crucify him!” Some
of those in those crowds who wanted Jesus to die could have been some of the
very ones who responded to Peter’s call of repentance & baptism. The
Acts of the Apostles tells us that the people “were cut to the heart” when they
realized that Jesus, who was just crucified, was made Christ and Lord by God.
We
never know what is going to change someone’s heart and bring him to the faith. I was
reading about the conversion of St Francis of Assisi recently, about how that
conversion was not accomplished in an instant, but really developed over
time. Francis spent long period of time in prayer, he spent solitary time in a cave,
and started to respond to a call to reach out to the poor and the outcast. Sometimes, it is an seemingly ordinary act in the course of our day that have
the most profound affect upon us. Like
the crowd that Peter addressed that day, may we also be cut to the heart as we
contemplate the mysteries of Christ’s resurrection during this holy season of
Easter. May
the Lord speak to us during the Easter season. May he continue to convert and
touch our minds and our hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment