Homily: Second Wednesday of Easter

Second Wednesday of Easter (Acts 5:17-26) “Forces to be Reckoned with”

The stories in the Acts of the Apostles reminds us that Jesus’ mighty deeds did not end when he ascended into heaven. The work of Jesus continued. And there was a momentum to that work that would not be slowed. Two forces were at work that kept the Gospel mission moving forward.

One force was a supernatural one. Whenever it seemed like the nascent Christian community seemed in danger of being crushed there would be divine intervention. We see that when the apostles were put in jail. The angel of God comes to set them free. The angel does not tell the apostles to be cautious. No, the apostles were told to go out to continue their preaching.

Another force that kept the church’s mission moving forward was the desire of the people to hear the good news. When the temple guards go out to arrest the apostles after their escape the guards are afraid of the people in the street. If they arrest the apostles, they are afraid they might be stoned to death by the crowd who are listening to the preaching. They meekly ask the apostles to come back to the Sanhedrin.

We can draw inspiration from these stories. We might have doubts about the church given all the stories we hear about the growing numbers of people who claim to be agnostics or atheists in our society. We can lose heart.

But supernatural forces that impacted the early church are still at work. The Holy Spirit will not let the Gospel message die away completely. People still hunger for purpose and inspiration in their lives.

The question is whether we are willing to take risks for the sake of evangelization. We can give into discouragement and despair. On the other hand, we can trust that God will walk with us as we seek to do what is right and good.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Do I get discouraged about the state of church today? What is the thing I worry about the most?

2.   What is one thing I could do for Jesus today? Do I play it safe?

 Dear Parishioners,

           Our diocese continues to move forward with its strategic planning. The planning is called “Growing Disciples.” The Diocese of Peoria is facing the same challenges as other diocese in the Midwest and Northeast. We have a lot of buildings and a declining Catholic population. There is also an acute need for priestly ministers. Pastors are in short supply.

          We are not much different than other mainline Protestant churches. There are not a lot of ministers in those churches either. How do we move forward.  It looks like we will have to be like the early Apostles. We will need to come up with new tactics and strategies. We will have to experiment with new models for leadership.

          All this is daunting, but we need to trust that the Holy Spirit is at work today just as much as it was twenty centuries ago. I will try to keep you informed as the diocesan study moves forward.

          May our Lady pray for us,

          Fr. Mark