Saturday within the octave of Easter year A
Theme: God is still God
The encounter between the leaders of the people and the Apostles Peter and John, finally came to an end today. When the people realized that the Apostles were not educated men and were able to speak fluently and perform the miracle of healing the lame man, they were greatly astonished. The Apostles at this point, has gotten the confidence of the people, so they could not harm them. They just warned them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus and released them. One thing that is obvious from everything that has happened since the resurrection is the fact that there is a struggle between good and evil. Jesus and his followers represent the light and what is good, while the elders are more concerned about what they will lose with the popularity of Jesus. Interestingly, light and darkness cannot coexist, when there is light, darkness will naturally disappear; it may take some time.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all children of the light, and we must stay away from all the works of darkness. Just like in the case of Peter and John, the God we serve will always speak for all those who stand for the light in their daily lives. He says, my grace is sufficient for you, he will always stand by you. Just trust in him and remain upright in your dealings, he will not fail or disappoint you when it matters most.
In the gospel reading of today, we see Jesus admonishing his followers for their hardness of heart. This is because even with his visit to different people after his resurrection, some of them were not yet convinced that it was real. When he was done, he mandated his followers to go and make disciples of all the nations. This is the same thing Jesus is saying to Christians all over the world, go and make disciples of all the nations. But it must begin with you as an individual because what you do not have, you cannot give. No wonder Jesus had to admonish them, before sending them out to go and make disciples. This is an invitation for us to re-evaluate our lifestyle as children of God, and make all the necessary amendments, as we take up the invitation of Christ today in our daily lives.
As you continue to strive to witness for Christ, may almighty God bless you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.