1. -- Lanie LeBlanc OP -
2. -- Dennis Keller OP -
3. -- Fr. John Boll OP -
4. --
5. --(Your reflection can be here!)

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Third Sunday of Easter
May 4, 2025

Acts 5:27-32, & 40-41; Responsorial Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14;
Gospel Acclamation Christ is Risen, creator of all; John 21:1-19

This week again the first reading is from Acts of the Apostles. Luke presents the growth of the Church as thousands responding to the good news preached by the apostles. The apostles preaching did not conflict with the Law of Moses. But for the chief priests, members of the Sanhedrin, and Pharisees the apostles preaching and signs and wonders are a threat to their control and power. Divine intervention in the history of the Hebrew tribes historically resulted in liberation. From Pharoah, from the Assyrian threat, from the Hellenizing efforts of Antiochus IV Epiphanies freed by the Maccabees, and the liberation from Babylon by Cyrus of Persia. The work of Jesus and his rising from the tomb is the central theme of the apostles teaching. That work by God’s Son, also the Son of Man, marked the beginning of a new era, the final era of creation. The meaning and effects the ministry and work of Jesus on Calvary and the emptied tomb conflict with the power and wealth as the purpose of the hoped for Messiah. That meaning and purpose changes everything. No longer is life about accumulating things. No longer is it the greatest goal; no longer striving for control of people and all that is living. No longer is status dependent on fame. Now the freedom of each person is revealed as derived from the Creator. Each and every person has a God given dignity and worth beyond any personal or collective achievement. We are freed from the manipulations of the unfree. Evil has been conquered. A new path for personal and collective journeys of life are opened. The meaning and purpose of human life is described and the end of this Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus speaks with Peter. This is Peter’s mandate. In this dialogue Jesus overcomes Peter’s threefold denial. “Do you love me more than these?” Each time Peter answers, “you know I love you.” Jesus responds with words that apply to us as well. “Feed my lambs.” And the second time, “Tend my sheep.” And finally, “Feed my sheep.” To follow Jesus, to belong to the way revealed by Jesus we are to live according to Peter’s mandate. We fulfill that mandate by feeding the little ones nourishment for body and spirit. We tend to others as a shepherd tends his flock; we provide what is needed to help them flourish. And lastly Jesus instructs Peter and us to feed the sheep. This does not mean leaving everything and going out into the fields with sheep and goats. In our families, in our neighborhoods, in our work, in our play, in our study, in our prayer – that is how we follow the Jesus’ command.

Luke, in the first reading from Acts, writes about the conflict. Religious leadership then invested its energies in control, wealth accumulating, and status. It is a focus on gain for self. In recognizing and appreciating others there is achieved the freedom of the children of the Creator Father. Not only is that recognition and appreciation only of persons. That recognition and appreciation flows into all that has been created. There we can and will see the presence of God, here and now. When we have completed a personal journey of life, all we take with us is our spirits, our character, what we have become. Our life journey begins when that unique spark of God comes to us in our individual conception.

The second reading this Sunday from Revelation recounts the vision of the exiled John on the island of Patmos. It is a song of praise for the Lamb that was slain, that Servant of God Isaiah saw in his vision during the Babylonian Captivity. Because of his suffering, ministry, work, that Lamb is seated beside the One who sits on the throne – the Father Creator. He is deserving of blessing, honor, glory, and might forever. That achievement and the seat next to the Creator is attested to by four living creatures. Those four are the Lion, representing Mark; the Ox, representing Luke; the Man representing Matthew; and the Eagle representing John. These four living creatures first appear in the book of Ezekiel. In this reading they are the witnesses through their gospels of the life, work, and liberation by the Lamb, the Son of Man. It is through these four gospels we learn of the Work of God for humanity. We learn of our responsibility of caring for the world that is God’s creation just as much as we.

In the reading from Acts, Peter assigns blame for the sufferings of Jesus on the Sanhedrin. They concurred in Caiphas’ judgement that it was appropriate that one man die to save the nation. His meaning, of course, was the truth of salvation, but not as Caiphas fashioned it, not limited to Judaism but all nations. The Sanhedrin decided on the execution of Jesus and goaded the crowds into calling for his crucifixion. Peter minces no words: “you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.” That statement of fact could not be refuted. Peter’s statement of testimony replaced the authority of the Sanhedrin with the message and life of Jesus. They understood their loss and were envious. Luke’s choice of a Greek word for envy carries with it the desire to kill. In the part of this reading, not included, a noted expert in the law then, Gamaliel, recalls recent history of the ascendancy of the rebel leader Theudas who was killed. His followers fled and his movement disappeared. The same happened to Judas the Galilean, also an insurrectionist claiming to be Messiah. With his death his charism and his followers were forgotten. Gamaliel encourages the Sanhedrin to wait and see. If this movement is from God, it will endure. If it is of man, it also will die. It was apparent that the vast multitudes would rise up in revolt. Peter’s claim of a commission from God would be proven by the continuation of the Jesus movement. The numbers of followers of Jesus continued to expand and spread throughout the diaspora and, as noted in the first reading next week Sunday, to gentile nations. The message of the Christ overcame the boundaries placed there by Jewish hierarchy. And the Church flourished and grew in an amazing fashion.

This Easter season is a time to remember the messages of Lent. The Creation of the Kingdom of God in the here and now holds great promise for meaning and purpose of living in the way of the Lord. This is the final era no matter its length.

Dennis Keller Dennis@Preacherexchange.com

 

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Volume 2 is for you. Your thoughts, reflections, and insights on the next Sundays readings can influence the preaching you hear. Send them to preacherexchange@att.net. Deadline is Wednesday Noon. Include your Name, and Email Address.
-- Fr. John