The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the Early Church. During the daily masses in the Easter season, we hear first readings from Acts. For the last few days in the octave of Easter, we’ve been hearing about how the healing of a lame man gave Peter and John the opportunity to evangelize them about the risen Christ, about how our faith in Jesus can work miracles in our own lives. Besides getting the attention of the crowds, Peter and John attract the attention of the Sadducees, the temple guards, and the chief priests. The fear Peter and John have of the authorities are justified, as they are eventually are taken into custody. However, like Jesus himself, they use these opportunities for evangelization and as moments where they can minister to others. 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. They are great examples of evangelization for all of us. As all of us as Christians are called to evangelize in our little corner of the world, we can learn a lot from them.
No comments:
Post a Comment