God's Word is Alive

There is no true refuge outside God. David bears witness to God as his refuge in many of the psalms. In today's Psalm 34, he states: The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good the LORD is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him. Today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles ( Acts 5:17-26 ) shows how the angel of the Lord delivers Peter and the Apostles from prison unbeknownst to their captors. They are instructed by the angel to return to the Temple – the place of their arrest: “ Go and take your place in the temple area,  and tell the people everything about this life.” Peter and the apostles obey. God their Refuge has delivered them, and the following morning, they are found preaching in the Temple. Once again taken into custody, but without force, for fear that the people might stone the Temple guards. Nothing can stop the word of God from bearing fruit in due season, though many have tried. In today...

Today's readings present a freedom that only God can give. This freedom does not make sense to the carnal mind that outwardly defines us by worldly accomplishments, possessions and prestige. The freedom of God's Spirit, poured into our hearts (Rom 5:5), defines us from within. The Gospel reading ( Jn 3:7b-15 ) presents Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a member of the ruling Sanhedrin, a Pharisee and secret believer in Jesus. Jesus tells him, “You must be born from above.” The Lord continues: “ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Jesus, the Son of Man, must be “lifted up”, “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert... so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” The Holy Spirit, like the wind, blows where it wills – the Holy Spirit is free! The first reading ( Acts 4:32-37 ) tells us somethi...

Today's readings provide a set of instructions for a victorious people. The Risen Jesus sends out His disciples to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” The power of His Name “will drive out demons; ” Believers “will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (See Mk 16:15-20 ) This is our heritage as followers of Jesus. His victory over sin and death is our victory – we who are members of His body. The first reading ( 1 Pt 5:5b-14 )  reminds us to “cast all our worries on [God], because He cares for [us].” God is our strength. It is He Who enables us to walk amid the storms of life without getting swept away by fear, hopelessness or despair. This message is imperative in every age, because while we are on this earth, evil will use whatever means it can to destroy our faith, hope and love for God and one another...

 Post-resurrection and before Jesus ascended into heaven, Peter and the apostles were in a liminal (threshold) phase: standing at the dawn of something new, but not yet knowing what it might entail. In today's Gospel, ( Jn 21:1-14 ) Peter announces, “I'm going fishing.” James and John, Thomas and Nathaniel go with him. They perhaps didn't yet realize they were no longer just fishermen, but fishers of men and women. We read that after a long night on the lake, their boats are empty. The Risen Jesus calls out from shore, “Children, have you caught anything?” He invites them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” The Gospel continues, “ So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord.' When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in ...

  Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets; He fulfills creation's destiny and humanity's destiny. In Him, we find true purpose and everlasting meaning for our lives. The Risen Jesus tells us that the deepest God-given desires of our hearts are attainable in Him. Today's first reading ( Acts 3:11-26 ) recounts Peter's speech before an amazed crowd at the Temple after a paralyzed beggar is healed by their invocation of Jesus' Name. People would have known this person as a regular presence at the Temple's “beautiful gate.” Now he is jumping up and down, praising God. Jesus the miracle worker has been crucified and absent from the Temple. Though reports of His resurrection circulate, it is likely everything has gone back to normal. The hopes of the people must have been re-kindled when Peter stood up and announced that this mighty work had been done in Jesus' Name. Peter announces that the law and prophets, so sacred to their faith and hopes for a messiah, all...

Today's readings continue to proclaim the Easter joy that washed over Mary Magdalen, the Apostles, disciples and spread outward like an unstoppable wave. Our first reading from Acts 3:1-10 recounts what happened when Peter and John encountered a paralyzed man begging at the Temple gate in Jerusalem: “ Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, 'Look at us.' He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, 'I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.' Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.” The people who saw the man are filled with “amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.” All in the name of Jesus, spoken in faith. The psalm response (Ps  105:1-2, 3-4, 6...