Saint Rita Catholic Church and School in Webster, NY - An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings

“As The Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You”

In our readings today, we hear of the events and teachings of the very early days of the Church, both when Jesus was still with His disciples and immediately after His Ascension. We take this opportunity to celebrate God's boundless love in offering His only begotten Son for the sake of our sins.

Our first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:42-47), which is the story of the formation and spread of the early Church. In today's passage, we hear how, from the earliest days, the Church came together and “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.” It should be noted that the “breaking of the bread” (Eucharist) was a communal practice from the very beginning of the Church.

Our Epistle reading is from the opening of the First Letter of St. Peter (1 Peter 1:3-9). Peter wrote to the churches in Asia Minor encouraging them to fidelity in spite of their suffering. This is a letter filled with the joy, faith, and hope of the Resurrection. St. Peter’s words could never be more true than today, at Easter, “Although you have not seen Him you love Him; even though you do not see Him now yet believe in Him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy…”. This is us, this is now!

Our Gospel reading(John 20:19-31)has two distinct messages. One is the institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation through the priesthood. He said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” The other message is the story of the apostle Thomas, who demanded to touch the wounds of Jesus before he would believe that Jesus has risen. It is a call to faith, which by its very nature is a belief in someone or something we have not yet seen.

During this fifty-day season of Easter until Pentecost Sunday, we get to hear the continuing saga of the formation of the early church. We will hear of Jesus' appearances to His disciples after His resurrection and will hear again some of His final words to His disciples just before His passion and death. The Church gives us this time to reflect and pray on "What just happened" in Christ's death and glorious resurrection. May we take this opportunity to come to know and love Jesus, the person, all the more.

bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041226.cfm