A Reflection for Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
Find today’s readings here.
Today’s readings offer a pertinent progression of lessons:
1. Stand up.
2. God hears you.
3. You are enough.
As they build on each other, they build us up. They are exactly what we need to hear in these turbulent times—when we feel overwhelmed, when we aren’t sure of the right course, and when we are sure our puny efforts will fail.
Let’s dig in: In the first reading from Acts, the Apostles have found their backbones. No longer obfuscating about even knowing Jesus, or cowering in the Upper Room, they are downright audacious in their defense of Jesus and their appointed work. They assert that they must obey God, which means they must disobey the authorities. They must witness, no matter the consequences. The spark of the Holy Spirit has set their hearts aflame. They are showing us how to stand up for our beliefs.
If we’re having trouble standing up, today’s responsorial psalm reminds us that no matter how bad things may seem, God always hears us. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves,” sings the psalmist, and we suddenly feel both heard and seen. God is a refuge for us in our distress, and the grace of God’s attention can mend the cracks in our besieged and broken hearts. In the process, God can straighten our backbones.
Then John’s Gospel fortifies us further, promising us that as long as we have faith in Jesus, “the one who comes from above,” we are setting out on the right path. As we search our hearts for the holy map to follow God’s will, we’ll find that God “does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” There are no limits to God’s grace and love. There are no limits to our response to God’s grace and love.
Just as the Apostles are compelled into courage by the unrationed gift of the Holy Spirit, we too are born into bravery this Easter season. It may be hard to believe it of ourselves, but God is assuring us that we are enough, just as we are. We are exactly what God had in mind when God made us, to paraphrase the words of Father Greg Boyle, S.J., of Homeboy Industries.
No matter where we’ve come from, in the sight of God, we can stand up. We can stand for something. We can witness. We can walk in faith, confident that God hears us and will imbue us with the strength we will need. The road is not smooth. Our times are not easy. But in God’s eyes, we are enough.
