4/5/2013 – Friday of first week of Easter – Acts 4:1-12

     Yesterday, we heard how the healing of a lame man gave Peter and John the opportunity to address the crowds about their need for repentance. Peter and John brought the reality of the risen Christ into the lives of the people. They should the crowds how our faith in Jesus can work miracles in our lives.  Not only did Peter and John attract the attention of the crowd, but they also attracted the attention of the Sadducees, the head of the Temple guards, and the chief priests of the Temple.   Even though the authorities take Peter and John into custody, this gives Peter and John the opportunity to address the elders and to proclaim the message that the name of Jesus is the only name that truly saves.  We might recall how just immediately after Christ’s death and resurrection, the apostles were terrified and fearful for their own lives, how they tried to make sense out of all that had happened.  Yet, after the risen Christ appears to them and they start making sense of the resurrection, they become energized and confident.  They gain the courage to bring the message of Christ’s resurrection to the world, even to those important elders of the Jewish community in Jerusalem who hold all of the power and influence in that society, even when those elders were so reluctant to hear this message. 

     Right now, there seems to be such a clash between Christianity and our modern Western world.  So many in our world today do not see Christianity as relevant to their daily lives.  So many have left the faith and so many do not see themselves as being identified with any religious tradition at all.  It is a hard time being a Christian right now, but hopefully this will really help us examine our lives and examine the way we approach our faith. 

     May we feel the presence of the risen Christ with us in our own lives today.  May we gain the confidence and courage to live out and proclaim his message to our world.  As I mentioned - this certainly isn’t any easy task.  But we must remember that if we don’t feel the responsibility to evangelize our world through our witness and example, the resurrection of Christ will not truly live in our hearts.