for April 13
Monday in the Octave of Easter

Yesterday we celebrated Easter Sunday, the beginning of the fifty-day Easter season. But today’s first reading takes place on the first Pentecost, our Pentecost Sunday of course being the end of the Easter season. It is a good reminder that just as it took a while for the disciples, and therefore the early church, to grasp the full meaning of the resurrection of Jesus, so we need to remain open to deepening our understanding of its effect in our lives.

The way Peter structured his proclamation in that first reading from the Acts of the Apostles is helpful here. His first point is that Jesus on earth was doing God’s work, referencing the deeds, wonders and signs God worked through him. The context remains the same as he describes Jesus delivered up by the set plan and knowledge of God. Then as you would expect he climaxes this section of his sermon mentioning that God raised Jesus up, exactly what Easter and its season celebrate; it’s all part of one divine plan.

Quoting Psalm 16 as in some sense prefiguring the resurrection would have struck home for his Jewish listeners, but it also gives us an opportunity to rejoice that Jesus whom we call the son of David was not abandoned, did not suffer corruption. The suggestion from the psalm about dwelling in hope encourages us to recall that we too have not been abandoned by God even during these difficult times, the same God who is support for us spiritually now and eternally hereafter.

But ultimately it is a question of faith. When Peter says that he and the other disciples are witnesses to the resurrection, keep in mind that this is fifty days after that resurrection, fifty days during which there had been a variety of resurrection appearances, all of which had been to believers only. One such appearance is today’s gospel. The two Marys, the same two who had seen Jesus die and where he was buried, went to the tomb, found it empty, and received a message from an angel. As they are running to share the news with the other disciples, they are described as fearful yet overjoyed. Can something wonderful make us nervous about its implications?  

When they meet Jesus, they did him homage, yet he still has to tell them not to be afraid. Perhaps it is often the same with us. Even in good times we can wonder, hesitate, doubt, question whether it is too good to be true. In these times that are not so good, we can turn to the psalm Peter quotes which tells to take refuge in God.

Finally let us allow Peter to have the final word. Jesus is not only the exalted one, but the one who has poured forth the Holy Spirit upon us, the Holy Spirit first received in Baptism.  The water with which we are often sprinkled during this season recalls that, but even without the water it is a good time to recommit ourselves to living out our baptismal promises.
—Edward O’Donnell SJ

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website.