We heard from different prophets in our first readings at daily Mass during Lent, prophets such as the Isaiah and Hosea. These prophets called the people of Ancient Israel to repentance and conversion when they turned away from God. During the Easter season, we hear about the establishment and development of the Early Church after the death and resurrection of Jesus in the first readings of the daily masses from the Acts of the Apostles. This week we celebrate the Octave of Easter, a special liturgical time in our Church at the start of the Easter season. In our reading today from Acts, we hear about 3,000 people who were baptized in response to the message that Peter preached. On Good Friday, we heard the crowd cry out in the midst of Christ’s passion, “crucify him.” Some of those in those crowds who wanted Jesus to die could have been the very ones who responded to Peter’s call of repentance and baptism in our reading today. The people “were cut to the heart” when they realized that Jesus, who was just crucified, was made Christ and Lord by God.
As the Church grew in the ancient world, there were many martyrs who gave up their lives for the faith. St Abdiesus was a deacon serving in Persia when he was martyred in the year 342 under King Shapur II. Others were martyred with him. His feast day is today. We unite our prayers with the martyrs and the community of saints as we commemorate the Octave of Easter.
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