The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the Early Church's growth and development. During the daily masses in the Easter season, we always hear first readings from Acts. For the last few days in the octave of Easter, we have been hearing about how the healing of a lame man gave Peter and John the opportunity to evangelize, about the reality of the risen Christ, and about how our faith in Jesus can work miracles in our own lives. Not only did Peter and John attract the attention of the crowd through their miracles and their preaching, but they also attracted the attention of the Sadducees, the temple guards, and the chief priests. Peter and John were afraid for their lives after the death of Jesus. Their fears were justified, for the authorities eventually take Peter and John into custody. However, like Jesus himself, they use these opportunities for evangelization and as moments where they can minister to others. They address the elders, explaining to them that the name of Jesus is the only name that truly saves. Little by little, through their experiences, Peter, John, and the other first disciples become energized and confident, courageously bringing the message of Christ’s resurrection to the world, even to those important elders of the Jewish community in Jerusalem who held all of the power and influence in that society, those who were reluctant to hear this message.
Today also happens to be the feast day of St Anselm, Abbot of a Benedictine monastery in France in the 11th century, Archbishop of Canterbury in England, and proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1720. During his time as Archbishop in England, he went into exile twice due to the tension between the King and the Church in England. Anselm is remembered today as not just a wise, patient Church leader, but also as one of the Fathers of Scholasticism, the theology movement he described as “faith seeking understanding.” Anselm once said, ““For I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe: that unless I believe I shall not understand.” We live in an age when faith is sometimes mocked, when many are persecuted or discriminated against because of their faith. With the example of the early disciples and the saints throughout history such as St Anselm, may we feel encouragement and edification as we live out our lives as modern disciples of Christ.
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