A Jesuit Adventure

  My dear friends today we celebrate the sixth Sunday of Easter year B. I have chosen the readings for my reflection as per the ordo of the Archdiocese of Bombay which could differ from the readings in other regions. The first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles contains extracts from the encounter between Peter and Cornelius who both saw visions given by God. The important theme of this narrative is that God doesn’t show favouritism or partiality. The standard for righteousness in the past had been adherence to Jewish law. However, Peter says that he now understands that fearing God i.e. having reverence for God and doing what is right are now the criteria by which God will judge. As Peter was speaking God chose that moment to bestow the Holy Spirit on all including the Gentiles. God gives the gift of the Spirit as confirmation of his intention to accept Gentiles into the church without prior conversion to the Jewish faith. The speaking in tongues is a certain sign that th...

  My dear friends today we celebrate the fifth Sunday of Easter year B. In the first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear about the life of St. Paul soon after his conversion on the road to Damascus. After preaching there, he was forced to flee due to the danger to his life from the Jews. The interesting thing, however, is that instead of escaping into a safe unknown place, he goes to the one place we probably wouldn't expect him to go -Jerusalem. Jerusalem was a place where neither the Church nor the Jews would accept him. After the stoning of Stephen, Paul was returning to Jerusalem and essentially continuing the very work that Stephen had done in the promotion of the gospel. Just when things were beginning to go out of hand, God sent Barnabas, whose name means "Encourager" to convince the disciples in Jerusalem that Saul indeed had a genuine conversion and was now one of them. He however continued to face opposition from the Hellenists. The Greek Hellen...

  On December 14, 2012, Victoria Leigh Soto was teaching her first-grade class at Sandy Hook Elementary School, when a gunman named Lanza made his way into the school, and began to shoot staff and students. After killing fifteen students and two teachers in the first classroom, Lanza entered Soto's classroom. Once the bullets started flying, she tried to shield the youngsters from the bullets by jumping in front of them and that is how she was found later - Huddled with her children. Stories like this make us wonder- how are people able to lay down their lives for others? My dear friends today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter. The first reading taken from Acts of the Apostles is part of Peter’s speech to the council following the arrest of Peter and John. The religious authorities ask Peter by what power or by what name did he heal the crippled beggar. We need to keep in mind that this is the same Peter who had just a few days ago abandoned Jesus in the garden of Gethsema...

  My dear friends today we celebrate the Third Sunday of Easter Year B and the readings take us deeper into the mystery of the resurrection. In the first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we have excerpts from the speech of Peter after a crippled beggar is healed. Peter insists that it is God who has performed the miracle and not himself. By recalling the names of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he reminds the people of the long relationship that Israel enjoyed with Yahweh and how it was God who was faithful even when the people were not. Peter points out that the people were responsible for handing Jesus over to death despite Pilate’s verdict that Jesus was not guilty. Instead of the Messiah, the people demanded the release of Barabbas, a murderer. Though the early Christians saw the suffering and death of Jesus indicated in Old Testament prophecies, the Jews did not expect a suffering and dying Messiah. In the latter part of the reading, Peter calls the people ‘friends’ and ...

  My dear friends today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter Year B and also Divine Mercy Sunday. The readings reveal to us the significance of the resurrection or the answer to the question what does the resurrection of Jesus make possible? In the first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we get a glimpse into the life of the early Christian community which had grown rapidly. The book of Acts tells us that three thousand were baptized on the Day of Pentecost (2:41) and shortly later those who heard the word and believed “they were numbered about five thousand” (4:4). Therefore, we should not think of the early church as only a small group of believers who stayed together in one house. The early church was a fast-growing community that achieved remarkable unity and harmony, cooperation and interdependent identity – they were of one heart and soul. A key feature of this community was that everyone was included. Each member was an equal. The text tells us “no one ...