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The Acts of the Apostles describes the highs and lows – the life, ministry, and persecution – experienced in the early Church.

Today, for example, is a good day.

Philip, one of the earliest Christians, is leaving Jerusalem when he comes across an Ethiopian court official reading the prophet Isaiah.

“I beg you,” this man says, “about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself or about someone else?”

Because Philip knows his faith, he’s able to break open the scriptures and explain to him that Jesus is the Messiah, the one whom the Jews longed to see. He is truly God in the flesh.

Immediately, this Ethiopian man believes and is baptized. 

Tradition claims that this man went on to evangelize Ethiopia, which became home to one of the earliest Christian communities, one that is still active today.

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How many people do we know who are like this Ethiopian man, searching for God or are on the fringe of religion?

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Even millions of fallen-away Catholics could fall into this category.

If we are to bring them back or convert them like Philip did, then first we must know our faith – only then can we explain it to others.

As Saint Peter says, “Always be ready to give a reason to anyone who asks you about your faith in Christ Jesus.”

So if someone asked you today, “Who is Jesus? Why do you believe in him?”  

What would you say? 

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger” (John 6:34).

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I’m sure most of us have heard Bruce Springsteen’s famous song, “Everybody’s Got a Hungry Heart.”

We can sing along because we know it’s true! Everybody’s got a hungry heart.

But not everybody knows how to satisfy it.

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The only way to satisfy that deep hunger within us is to love.

It’s a strange and uncomfortable truth, but the more we give ourselves away, the happier we become.

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Nobody embodied this truth better than Jesus.

From his birth until his death, he gave himself away. How happy he must’ve been.

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The same is true for us. The more we share our lives with others – the more we love, the more we forgive, the more we serve – the happier we become.

How might we grow together in happiness today?

“The high priest rose up, and all his companions filled with jealousy laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail” (Acts 5:17-18).

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Throughout the Easter season, we read from the Acts of the Apostles, which in many ways could be re-titled: The Early Church Meets Trouble.

For example, this is the second time the Apostles have been arrested by the religious authorities for preaching the truth – and they don’t seem to care!

What a change!

Within a matter of weeks, they’ve journeyed from being cowards to heroes for one reason only: They’ve seen the Risen Christ.

Now they see their own destiny caught up in Jesus.

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We might say these earliest Christians exhibited three important qualities, qualities we all can emulate:

(1) They had courage. They knew they were putting their lives in their hands by preaching openly about the Lord – but they did it anyway.

(2) They were obedient. They never seemed to ask, “Is this particular choice going to get me in trouble or even killed?” No. They only asked themselves, “Is this what God wants me to do?”

(3) They knew their destiny. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, they knew they would rise, too. That knowledge gave them the courage they needed to wake up each morning and fight the good fight.

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That’s the type of faith that moves mountains.

It’s the same faith that Christ offers us – a faith that is courageous, obedient, and resurrection-centered.

It is ours if only we open our hearts and believe.