Overview:

Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

A Reflection for Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. (Jn 3:16-21)

Find today’s readings here.

Can we be like Peter and “obey God rather than men” ourselves?

This trial of the Apostles before the Sanhedrin may be easy to connect to current events for anyone following even headlines alone this week. 

We can take Peter’s response to the high priest’s indictment of the Apostles’ work after the resurrection—a response that demonstrates an absolute prioritization of God’s will and law in the public sphere—and map it onto the words of his current apostolic successor, Pope Leo XIV, in the back-and-forth between His Holiness and the President of the United States, Donald Trump. The president has offered extemporary criticisms; the pontiff has offered Gospel truth.

Like Peter’s commitment to his companions’ mission, Pope Leo XIV’s calls for peace have been unyielding in a storm of public scrutiny. But can we follow in their footsteps?

The revolutionary implications of the incarnation and of the resurrection are the spine of Peter’s and the Apostles’ testimony before the Sanhedrin: “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.” 

And the cosmic gravity of our salvation is rich in the short and humble clause that follows: “We are witnesses of these things.” As a concise statement of responsibility, the witness of Peter and the Apostles makes it clear their faith is not something manipulated by mortal men.

So what are we to do when we relinquish our commitments to our faith in any of the thousands of small ways we are tempted to in our daily, worldly lives? Our trials may not take place in the Sanhedrin, but surely we are pressed to make deeply personal decisions answering to man rather than God day in and day out.

In a moment precisely like this, has easy anger with a headline drawn you into a regrettable interaction with a stranger? A family member? Has a stubborn fixation on some imagined divide between yourself and someone else soured a whole week before? 

To remain faithful in a world that tempts us away from communion every day is difficult. To trudge through the differences between us towards a more loving faith-filled world is the same work of looking at Christ’s passion and resurrection, not rejecting the grotesque in his blood and suffering but witnessing it, and coming to know a love that conquers death. 

The passage from the Gospel of John in today’s readings provides consolation in this faithful work the Apostles believe the Holy Spirit accompanies: “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.”

Will we be caught in the manufactured cycles of rage that end in nothingness, or will we live out the mission of the church as the body of Christ? I do not know how many excuses we have if the Gospel says there is enough of the Spirit to go around.

Julian Navarro is America Media’s advancement manager.