Jesus, the Good Shepherd
Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles takes us into the middle of a story. The story begins with a healing miracle, when Peter and John in the Temple courtyard cured a man crippled from birth. As you can imagine, this incident causes quite a commotion, so Peter—as he so frequently does in the Acts of the Apostles—delivers a speech explaining by what power this miracle has been accomplished. This in turn attracts the attention of the authorities who immediately arrest Peter and John and put them in jail overnight, awaiting a court appearance the next day. Today’s reading will pick up the story with Peter speaking in court, explaining his actions. Luke sets the stage with his customary description of Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Peter then provides the court with a beautiful summary of Christian faith about Jesus of Nazareth, making a point that will be emphasized in my homily today: there is no other name under heaven “by which we are to be saved.”
Today’s second reading is a beautiful proclamation of Easter faith. Speaking of our future, the author looks forward to the time when we shall see the risen Lord as he is. This is the vision that gives hope to all believers.
—Walter Modrys SJ
Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.
believe. teach. practice. 