Paul had extraordinary courage.  In the first reading we read that he was nearly killed for his preaching … in fact … he was left for dead … but … one thing Paul knew was … that there was nothing that he couldn’t do if he relied on the Lord.  Paul had a courage that came from within.  Just when things looked really bad … he gets up and continues to proclaim salvation through Jesus.

In today’s Gospel … Jesus prepares His apostles for His upcoming death.  Jesus knew they were fearful … it was not an easy message for them to hear … but He gives them assurance … and gives them a gift … the gift of peace … to assure them that the Holy Spirit will guide and lead them.

For us … like the apostles … and like Paul … this peace … this inner sense of security … gives us the courage that comes from the conviction that God is with us and in us … and that we need not fear as long as we rely on the Lord.

Every day we offer each other a sign of God’s peace.  May that be a reminder of how powerful the blessing of the peace of Christ is for each of us.

May we live our lives in fullness of peace and hope … trusting that God’s love and care for us will give us the courage we need to live holy lives.

As the early Christian community grew … there were struggles and tensions that had to be resolved.  The early Christians were Jews … and they maintained many customs of their “Jewishness”, even as they became a Christian community.  Peter himself needed convincing and conversion … to see customs and rituals in a different light.  In today’s first reading … Peter has that opportunity through a vision to help him along with this process.  It became clear to Peter that salvation was for all … and as leader … he needed to bring new light to old ways of thinking.  He needed to open up the church to all who were willing to follow.

Peter indeed … was shepherding the early church … the followers listened to him.

In the Gospel … Jesus uses the images of a shepherd and gate … to get His message across.  A shepherd and gatekeeper open things up for those who follow … give followers the path and protection they need to thrive.  A shepherd and a gate are both protectors … and opportunities for expanding horizons.

The analogies seem obvious to us … but to those early Christians … it was a struggle for understanding … a departure from what was familiar … it was a new way of thinking and acting.

There are messages of love … trust … gentleness … and openness in these readings today.

We need to embrace … and learn from the imagery … so that we can be secure and faithful as we follow the Lord.

May we realize that God works in ways we do not always understand … but … we have Jesus … the shepherd and gate to protect us and show us the way we need to follow.

Most often, we use the word hunger in reference to a desire or need for food.  Jesus, in today’s Gospel acknowledges that the crowd is hungry … so He goes about finding a way to satisfy their hunger.  HOWEVER, there is a nuance to the word hunger that plays out in the Gospel story.  Yes, there is the physical hunger … but there’s also the hunger on the part of the crowd to experience more of the signs that Jesus was performing.  The Gospel even says … “A large crowd followed Him, BECAUSE they saw the signs He was performing on the sick.”

Jesus does not disappoint.  He satiates their physical hunger … AND … gives them so much more … a superabundance … leftovers!  They hungered for more!  So … Jesus takes what was available … and distributes life-giving food … enough for all!

The crowd may have missed … or misread the sign … staying only on the physical level.  BUT … we … knowing what the Eucharist is … can hardly miss the deeper sign that Jesus is giving in this story.  We recognize the breaking and sharing of bread as a sign of the Eucharist.  Jesus is satisfying those other hungers … spiritual hunger … hunger that can only be filled by dependence on God.  Jesus calls Himself the “bread of life” … let us not miss the sign.

May our understanding of being nourished by the bread of life … in Word and Sacrament strengthen and satisfy the hunger in our hearts.

In the Gospel … Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must have life in the Spirit … he must have a re-birth in the Spirit.

That’s a message for us, too.

Our re-birth happened at Baptism when we were given new life in Christ … but it didn’t stop there.  We each need to renew this life in the Spirit in order to live our Christian life to the full … just like those early Christians did.

We have the same opportunities to live lives of great love and unity … to live our lives in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.

The early Christians gave us an example of letting go … and letting God work through them.  What an example for us to follow.  Jesus tells us that our rebirth calls for hope … generosity and fearlessness … just like the early Christians.

May we believe and start anew … to let go … and let God!

Peter and John drew crowds … after all … there were incredible things happening around them … miracles … cures!  Peter uses the teachable moment to refocus and bring the crowd to recognize and understand the truth … that there would be no miracles EXCEPT through the power of Jesus.

Jesus … in today’s Gospel … also brings people (His disciples) to the truth that He is alive and among them.  The women saw Him … Peter and John saw the empty tomb … the disciples on the road to Emmaus walked with Him … yet … all had to experience Him in terms they could understand before they finally “got it”.

Resurrection is not an easy concept … let alone encountering the resurrected one in the flesh.  We read these stories and wonder how these people could have missed Jesus.  Yet … what if we had been there … would we have recognized Him?

Spiritual truths are difficult to understand … BUT … refocusing reality … like Peter and Jesus did in these readings … helps us see the bigger picture through our eyes of faith.

The resurrection becomes real for us in our everyday lives when we start seeing the miracles and amazing things … the many blessings among us in our daily lives … happening all through the power and mercy of our loving God.

That is the truth!

May we refocus and rejoice in the resurrected Jesus … who is alive and among us … Alleluia!

He said to them,
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.”

Over the last few days of Holy Week … in the retelling of the incredible love of Jesus for us through His suffering and death on the cross … we saw the reactions of different people.  Peter was one … we heard Peter deny Jesus.  The Mary’s were there too … agonizing and witnessing to the Lord.

Today … the story is different.  In the first reading … we see Peter … enthusiastically proclaiming that Jesus was raised from the dead.  He believes and preaches that the prophecies are now fulfilled … Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan for the salvation of humankind.

Today … Peter demonstrates to us what being a believer means.  He is enthusiastic and unafraid!

He proclaims what he believes.

In the Gospel … the Mary’s agonize no more … the tomb is empty … they too believe … and … they encounter Jesus.  They are filled with joy … and announce the good news.

So where do we fit in this story?

If we truly believe in the Resurrection … we too will let this truth shape our lives … and let it encourage us to be unafraid to share the Gospel … the good news … with others.

That’s what makes us Easter people!

Today may be April Fool’s Day … but … we’re no fools.  We know that Christ is Risen … Alleluia!