Apr 27 - 3rd Week of Easter - Monday

+ Our gospel passage today makes a very important distinction: we must be clear about why we “go to the Lord” – why we are attracted to Jesus; just exactly what it is that we expect from him? A great number underestimate Jesus: they think him just as a nice guy, a good teacher, a worker of wonders – a good person to know in times of trouble: but they fail to see him as the one sent from God, who is both God and man at the same time, who is goodness itself, who teaches what he himself has created, and who has ultimate power over nature and can do whatever he wants. And so the one great requirement is that people come to believe in Jesus as the one sent from God – and he is to be respected, and honored and loved as such!

Proof of the possession of belief is found in a strong desire to tell about this God-Man, this Lord, Savior, King to everyone. Stephen believed – much to the dismay of those in whose jurisdiction he was telling the Jesus story – and they could only counter him by lies and false testimony because they knew he was telling the truth about Jesus – and so they did lie, they twisted what he was saying to incite the Sanhedrin to charge and condemn him to death; this they will do: but through it all: the face of Stephen will remain like that of an angel: when one is beholding the face of God – while under fire – nothing can interiorly harm any of us!

May we fearlessly be your apostles and “tellers of your story” today, Lord – to all we meet – someway, somehow – if only virtually, by internet, phone, or snail mail. Let us make the real “captivity” of our groundedness, our seeming prison of “house-arrest” – into an adventure in creativity, kindness and fun, yes, even fun: now is the chance for us all to learn what it means to “make lemonade, when life gives you lemons” – the produce of lemonade we could combine to make would fill a lake, no doubt – but our inner attitude can make it a “gloom and doom” scenario, or a “Disney Wonder Adventure!” It is up to us, and the God living within us to coordinate a HAPPY, HOPEFUL, PRODUCTIVE result!

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord, he who does his best to believe this and live it, will live forever in close relationship with me and my Father! Amen.