Word to the Wise
Friday, April 26, 2019 - Octave of Easter - Fri
[Acts 4:1-12 and John 21:1-14]"Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." [Acts]
The Acts of the Apostles serves as Volume Two of the Gospel According to Luke and it tells the story of the early Christian preaching from the Ascension of the Lord through the final days of St. Paul in Rome. There is a "background story" as well, i.e. current events in the community for which Luke wrote his account since they would be applying his words to their own situation. Many scripture scholars place the time of composition to 80-90 A.D., which would mean some years after the destruction of the temple by the Romans in 70 A.D.. By the time ACTS was written, the early Christian community had began to reflect on the full significance of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Peter's speech before the Jewish leadership shows a title - Jesus Christ the Nazorean - that does not appear in the gospel itself, where Jesus is more commonly called Jesus of Nazareth. The last lines of today's passage show a broad understanding of Jesus' mission: the salvation of the whole human race and not just the Jewish people!
This understanding of the universality of the offer of salvation is not to be understood as meaning explicit profession and membership in the Catholic Church or any other Christian denomination. Faith takes many forms and while the fullness of Jesus' offer of salvation is found in the profession of faith and baptism, we cannot issue judgment on all those who do not make this profession. We must leave that to God's mercy. Our challenge is to proclaim the offer and invite others to join us. The enthusiasm of the preaching in the Acts of the Apostles can serve as our inspiration. AMEN