The Easter Season is 50 days long. Forty days after Easter Jesus ascends to heaven, he leaves the Apostles for the Second time, but promises he will return again. Ten days after that is Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles strengthening them to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In the Liturgy of the Word, there are 4 readings each Sunday. For the majority of the year we hear the first reading from the Old Testament, then the Responsorial Psalm from the book of Psalms, the second reading from the Epistles, and finally the last is from the Gospels written about Jesus’ life and ministry. One of the only exceptions to this pattern we see is during the Easter Season. For the next 50 days, our first reading will instead come from The Acts of the Apostles, not the Old Testament.
This is one of my favorite books in the Bible and possibly one of the most underrated ones as well. It captures the beginning of the Catholic Church as we know it today.
Let me pull out some lines from the first reading from this Sunday…
- “They devoted themselves…to the communal life“
- Our faith isn’t meant to be one that we live alone by ourselves in our home or bedrooms, it’s a life of community, found in the Church, and in one another.
- “They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and to the prayers“
- The Mass – the Liturgy of the Word (reading and listening to Scripture) and the Liturgy of the Eucharist (receiving Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of Christ) – is central to our faith. We too should be devoted to attending Mass as often as possible, and certainly on Sundays.
- “All who believed were together“
- We should surround ourselves with others who share our faith and beliefs.
- “They would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s needs“
- We are called to support our Catholic family and community. Donating to our parishes and supporting organizations such as Catholic Charities.
- “Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area“
- We need to make time for prayer every day. If you are unable to attend Mass every day, maybe you can still go to the Church to pray, or designate time in your day to pray with your family.
- “Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”
- If we live our faith out loud, if we are open to sharing about our faith with our friends, the Church will continue to grow. People will notice your joy, your light, and they will want to seek what you have. You can live your life in a way so that those who don’t know God, but know you, can come to know God, because they know you.
The readings from the Acts of the Apostles show us how the early disciples lived, what they were dedicated to, and how they practiced their faith and should be a model and inspiration to us now.
My initiation and challenge to you this Easter season, all 50 days, is to read the first reading of each day and let the beginning of the Church inspire you and motivate you in your own participation in our Church today.