Homily: Second Friday of Easter

Second Friday of Easter (Acts 5:34-42) “Nothing Can Block The Way”

I have often heard it said that if God is smiling on a ministry it will prosper. But is that always the case? In the reading we have from the Acts of the Apostles today we hear Gamaliel the Pharisee make that same argument about the Christian movement that has taken root in Jerusalem.

Clearly Gamaliel feels that the apostles will fail in their attempts to maintain the ministry of Jesus. He also thinks that the faith of the Apostles is not strong enough to sustain them. He decides to flog them and send them on their way.

We know what happened. The Apostles had a zeal that would not fade away. Even though they are whipped and told not to preach about Jesus they continued to tell others about him.

The apostles went from being weakly committed to being deeply committed. A group of men who denied Jesus on Good Friday because they feared for their life were willing to sacrifice their life to witness for Jesus.

We believe as Christians that Gamaliel was more accurate with his assessment of the early church than he thought. The work of the Apostles was the work of God and God would not allow them to fail. Time after time they ran into obstacles and repeatedly would not let things hold them back when they promoted the way of Jesus.

We remember how the first ministers in the church were beaten, imprisoned and even martyred for the faith. But when one leader was killed another picked up the mantel and went forward.

The stories we read in the Acts of the Apostles are meant to inspire us and give us confidence that ministries of Jesus are the work of God.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Have I ever questioned my Christian faith? Why did I get discouraged?

2.   Why has the church survived 2,000 years? What proof could I offer that the Holy Spirit is at work?

 Dear Parishioners:

           Warmer weather is upon us. It is time to get our grounds in shape. Some may wonder if we have a professional landscaping service that takes care of our landscaping and mowing. The answer is no. Volunteers take care of everything.

          Two people who do a lot of the work are Jesus Vargas and Cliff Zerull. If you would like to volunteer to take a garden plot, please call our office and we can put you in touch with one of these men. We are always looking for new talent.

          May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,

          Fr. Mark