"By what power or by what name have you done this? [...] it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead." - Acts 4:1-12; John 21:1-14
Why does the Church do all these amazing works of charity? Why does she build all these schools and hospitals? Is it only to help the poor? Is that the end that these awesome works seek to achieve? The simple answer is no. We can ask the same question about why Peter and John healed the crippled man. That was not the miracle in today's First Reading. The miracle was the conversion of almost five thousand souls to the young faith. This is the primary purpose of the Church: to proclaim the Easter message. When brought before the high priests, Peter and John were asked "by what name have you done this?" The answer was Jesus Christ.
We as the Church must never lose this fundamental mission, to proclaim the Risen Christ and that only through Him are we saved. We are now in the Easter season and are celebrating and feasting with our Risen Lord just as the disciples did in today's Gospel. No one dared ask who He was because they all knew that He was the Lord. And it was this knowledge that fueled their evangelization.
How can I proclaim the Easter message as my purpose in everything I do?
Lord Jesus, help me to recognize you as the Risen Lord and to proclaim this in my daily life.
Reflection by:
Spencer Grant
Did you know...
Spencer Grant is currently in his first year of seminary at St. John Vianney College Seminary as a junior. Born and raised in Tampa, his family joined the Catholic Church when he was eleven years old and have been parishioners at St. Timothy in Lutz since then. He enjoys his time on the golf course and is an avid Bucs, Lightning and Rays fan.
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