SATURDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK IN EASTER

Saturday May 9, 2009 of the Fourth Week of Easter

Readings: ACTS 13: 44-52 Psalm 98: 1-4 John 14: 7-14
Psalm Response: “All the ends of the earth have seen the power of God.”

When we consider Jews were the only race proclaiming One God and along comes some upstart proclaiming Jesus as equal to their concept of One God, they were hacked! How dare someone claim their exclusive right! They were really riled. So much they were about to do harm to Paul and his companions.
So, Paul straightened them out right quick!
"We were enjoined by Jesus to preach His salvation first to you. Since you have refused to believe the word of God’s son, we will be forceD to bring others into the fold, the dreaded Gentiles!"
As a sign of the disloyalty to God, Paul and his companions left the precincts of the Jews and brushed their dust from their clothes as a sign of disengagement!
They were indeed a “light to the Gentiles”. From this time on all were preached the loving salvation of God through His Son Jesus Christ!

The psalm response tells us of the reaction of the people of the time and down through the centuries. “All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God” becAme the byword for everyone given the faith of the fathers.

After spending three (3) years with Jesus, listening to His words and watching as He healed the sick, cured the lame, blind and crippled, you’d think, “How could they misconstrue He was other than the image of the Father”?
Philip was one of the first to recognize Him as the One Moses had proclaimed, and invited Nathaniel to join Him(John 2:45). Yet when the Faith was on the line, he hesitated to proclaim Him as his Lord and Savior.
How would you respond to His invitation?
If rationality was the criteria needed to believe, one would think the eyewitnesses to His vast array of Divine deeds would have convinced them. However, even after His resurrection from the dead some of His closest cohorts doubted.
Were it not for the Grace we receive at our Bapism, perhaps the belief we have would be as weak as was theirs. However, the Holy Spirit imbues in us a lively faith. We haven’t seen His works in person, but we’ve been privy to the Sacrament of the Eucharist full of grace and peace to all who believe.
Praise God from Whom all Blessings flow!!