Holy Priest-Martyr Antipas, Bishop of Pergamos in Asia (81-96).
Acts 4:23-31. John 5:24-30.
Read Acts 4:23-31
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
In today’s reading, we hear what happened after Peter and John were arrested after healing a lame man and preaching Christ’s resurrection. They returned to their companions, reported what had happened to them, and prayed. The reading preserves their prayer which is structured following a traditional liturgical formula: praise of God, remembrance of His works, and then petition. God answered their prayer by sending them the Gift of the Holy Spirit: “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).
God listens to our prayers. God is active and involved with His creation. He isn’t a disinterested witness to the events going on in our lives and in the universe. Jesus Himself is God incarnate! God so loved the world as to take flesh and enter into the world. We can recall Jesus’ teaching about God’s goodness and prayer: “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Lk. 11:11-13). We know that God heard the prayer of Peter, John, and their companions. For the glory of Jesus Christ, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to them to empower them to preach and heal. As we look forward to the Feast of Pentecost, let us remember that the Holy Spirit is already here with us and active in the world.