Reflections on the Daily Readings 25th April 2022
Monday 25th April
Feast Of Mark, Evangelist
Hear him roar
Even though the Gospel of Mark comes second in the New Testament, it was the first one written and served as source material for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The author of Mark was not one of the 12 apostles but was a friend of Peter, who called him “son,” and Paul, with whom he had a bumpy relationship. Mark is depicted in art with the symbol of a winged lion—his gospel may be simple and to the point, but the “roar” of his words certainly took flight! Don’t underestimate the power of your own words about the Lord—they too may endure!
Today's readings: 1 Peter 5:5b-14; Mark 16:15-20
“Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
Tuesday 26th April
Easter Weekday
Martyrs for the poor
On this day in 1998, Guatemalan Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera was bludgeoned to death for daring to defend the nation’s indigenous people. Conedera was not the first Latin American religious leader—nor the last—to be martyred for championing the “least of these” as Jesus did. But the fate of all such martyrs shines a bright light on Catholic Social Teaching as it emerged from pivotal gatherings of Latin American bishops, for instance the Medellín (1968) and Puebla (1979) conferences. Quoting Puebla, how can you make a “preferential option for the poor” today?
Today's readings: Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7b-15
"So must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
Wednesday 27th April
Easter Weekday
The light outshines the darkness
Holocaust Remembrance Day begins at sundown this evening. The Holocaust was one of the darkest moments in human history. It seemed that evil might triumph over good, darkness over light. The Catholic Church of times past sadly watered the deadly seeds of anti-Semitism. Thankfully that has changed in recent decades. Pope John Paul II was instrumental in his visits to synagogues and reinterpreting the New Testament to avoid the anti-Jewish implications that dominated for centuries. Pope Francis has prayed at the Western Wall and Yad Vashem, denouncing anti-Semitism, standing up for Jews when anti-Semitism occurs. Just as Easter Sunday comes after the horror of Good Friday, the light does indeed prevail. We are an Easter people.
Today's readings: Acts 5:17-26; John 3:16-21
“But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”
Thursday 28th April
Memorial Of Peter Chanel, Priest, Martyr
The stuff that healers are made of
The martyrdom of Marist priest Father Peter Chanel, S.M. on the South Seas island of Fortuna could be an action movie. There’s a disgruntled king. A bloody fight. Peter Chanel, healer, steps in to treat the injured man, his enemy by any definition. Chanel momentarily turns, and the enemy rises up and strikes him dead. Chanel’s murderer much later undergoes a conversion himself and becomes Christian, as does most of the island. One of Chanel’s catechumens had said of him, “He loves us. He does what he teaches. He forgives his enemies. His teaching is good.” Your personal battles may be less cinematic, but in the communion of saints, Chanel is available to inspire right action against the odds.
Today's readings: Acts 5:27-33; John 3:31-36
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.”
Friday 29th April
Memorial Of Catherine Of Siena, Lay Dominican, Doctor Of The Church
Grounded in love
Saint Catherine of Siena, O.P. models for us balance in our life of prayer and social commitment. Early in her life, she stayed at home and focused fervently on prayer. But God had other plans. Catherine had a vision in which Christ reminded her of the call to love God and neighbor. Catherine’s spiritual director wrote that God spoke the following to Catherine: “It is the justice of these two commandments that I want you now to fulfill. On two feet you must walk my way; on two wings you must fly to heaven.”
Today's readings: Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15
“A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.”
Saturday 30th April
Easter Weekday
Live free of fear
John Dear is a Catholic priest and longtime peace activist, having been arrested more than 75 times in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience. But it wasn’t always that way. When he entered priestly formation, he couldn’t imagine himself as an activist. His inspiration was Father Daniel Berrigan, S.J., renowned peace activist, poet, and Jesuit priest who died on this day in 2016. Dear writes: “I first met Dan . . . in the early 1980s . . . I remember asking him how in the world I could ever work for peace. ‘What are you afraid of?’ he asked me. ‘Don’t be afraid. Don’t live in fear. Live in faith and hope and peace.’ I was shocked. No one ever said such things to me. I decided then and there to give it a try. Later, I realized: we all need a teacher who tells us not to be afraid.” Whatever your particular calling, don’t let fear keep you from being your fullest, Christ-like self.
Today's readings: Acts 6:1-7; John 6:16-21
“They saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid.’
