Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Acts: 8: 1-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

The Word of the Lord.

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The Acts of the Apostles, which we’re reading from throughout the Easter Season, describes the life and liturgy of the early Church, answering questions like: 

“What did the first Christians do after the resurrection? How did they worship Christ? What were their lives like?”

Often, it wasn’t pleasant. 

As we just heard, “There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria…Devout men buried Stephen [the first martyr] and made a loud lament over him.”

Life for these first Christians was hard and often dangerous.

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But we also see the responsiveness of the Holy Spirit.

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Because the first Christians were persecuted for their faith, they were forced to flee Jerusalem. As a result, the Gospel message begins to spread to new lands.

Soon enough, God will also transform the hardened heart of Saul, who becomes the Apostle Paul. After having his own experience of the resurrected Christ, Paul becomes the most traveled missionary of his era.

He walked more than 10,000 miles on foot, sailed the open seas, preached the Gospel in synagogues, in public, even in prison. God took Paul’s past and passion, which was once used to persecute Christians, and transformed into an unstoppable zeal for the Gospel.

Towards the end of his life, Paul writes about his belief in a profound and mysterious truth: “All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”

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While God allows evil to unfold in our world – take these first Christian persecutions as an example, which Paul once participated in – somehow God can bring good out of it.

“All things work together for the good of those who love God,” because nothing and no one can separate us from the love of Christ.

What might that mean for me today?

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Image credits: (1) Fine Art America (2) Judeo-Christian Clarion (3) Pin on Faith Quotes, Pinterest

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Gospel: Mark 16: 15-20

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
“Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they 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.”

Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In the Gospel, Jesus promises to give us the power to speak new languages. But out of the 6,500 languages spoken on this planet, there is one we all must speak:

Love.

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Love is what drives out the demon of hatred; the demons of pride and prejudice; the demons of jealousy, envy and greed. 

As it’s written elsewhere, “Love covers a multitude of sins.”

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Some say there are five primary ways we speak the language of love:

Words of affirmation; acts of service; offering gifts; spending quality time with others; and through physical touch.

How do I show my love for others?

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Maybe I prepare a home cooked meal for my family each night; an act of service. 

Maybe I insist on telling my family I love them before ending a phone call; words of affirmation.

Maybe I show my love by offering a hug. Or I find delight in finding the perfect gift.

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In whatever way you show love for other people, find a way to do so today.

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Image credits: (1) gurmentor.com, Encore!!! (2) ThoughtCo (3) iStock

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Gospel: John 6: 22-29

[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you. 
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” 
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Imagine hosting some of your closest friends for dinner. 

You really put out a good spread: steaks grilled to perfection, steaming baked potatoes with cheese, chives, and sour cream, a tossed green salad, a California Cabernet, and apple pie à la mode for dessert.

There’s laughter throughout the meal and the sharing of old memories. Both your heart and your stomach are full.

Then when it’s time for your guests to leave, they take out their wallets, put several twenties on the table and ask, “Now, how much do we owe you?”

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It’s an absurd image, really. So absurd I’m sure it’s never happened. Hosting is an act of love. All your dinner guests can be is grateful for the meal.

Maybe write a “thank you.”

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In a sense, that’s what the LORD is asking of us.

We’re two weeks into the Easter season, celebrating the life-changing, mind-blowing reality of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. 

We can’t lay down a “twenty” to thank Jesus for his sacrifice. But we can lay down our lives, little by little, as an act of gratitude.

I wonder, how might we thank the Lord today?

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Image credits: (1) Christ Triumphing Over Sin and Death, Rubens (2) Outdoor Entertaining by Eye Swoon, Pinterest (3) LoveThisPic