Daily Readings - Wed Apr 27 2022
Acts
17Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.20"Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life."21At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.22When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin--the full assembly of the elders of Israel--and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported,23"We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside."24On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.25Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people."26At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
John
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
Sermon
The first reading from Acts tells the story of the Apostles being imprisoned by the Sadducees, only to be miraculously freed by an angel of the Lord. Despite the authorities' attempts to silence them, the Apostles are found teaching in the temple the next morning. This passage highlights the early Christian community's courage and obedience to God's will, even in the face of persecution. The Gospel reading from John is one of the most famous passages in Scripture, John 3:16, which speaks of God's immense love for the world and the gift of eternal life through belief in Jesus Christ. It also contrasts light and darkness, emphasizing that those who reject the light do so because their deeds are evil, while those who act in truth are drawn to the light.
The readings are connected by the theme of obedience to God's will and the struggle between light and darkness. In Acts, the Apostles obey God's command to preach, even when it means defying human authority. In John's Gospel, Jesus speaks of the ultimate act of obedience—God sending His Son to save the world. Both readings remind us that following God often requires standing against the forces of darkness, whether they take the form of religious persecution or the pull of sin in our own lives.
In our daily lives, these readings call us to reflect on where we stand in the struggle between light and darkness. Are we courageous in sharing the Gospel, even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular? Do we act in truth, allowing God's light to shine through our actions? The moral lesson here is clear: our faith must be lived out in obedience to God, even when it challenges us. Like the Apostles, we are called to stand firm in our commitment to Christ, trusting that God's grace will see us through any trial. Let us embrace the light of Christ and allow it to guide us in all we do.