Monday of the Second Week of Easter

Lectionary: 267

And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

The Acts of the Apostles is the traditional name for Saint Luke’s sequel to the Gospel. But it might also be called “The Acts of the Holy Spirit,” a sequel to the Acts of Jesus. In this second book the last words of the Risen Lord from the first book are fulfilled: “And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father.”

The promise animates the disciples. We know it as the Holy Spirit; we know it also as "that hope which springs eternal within the human breast" -- to quote Alexander Pope and Ernest Lawrence Thayer. But whereas Pope's and Thayer's hope comes with our human ability to anticipate the future, the Virtue of Hope is God's gift. It enables to practice our faith in trying times and despite the ever-present temptation to cynicism. 

Although the time after Jesus' resurrection is quite different, the Holy Spirit will do the same wonderful works of Jesus. Those chosen for salvation will repeat his message of great joy for all the people. Where the disciples were bewildered and confused, they now enjoy the Master’s courage, confidence, and energy. As Saint Luke says, “…they were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

Like their Master, the disciples encounter much opposition as they announce the Gospel. Where Jesus suffered torture and crucifixion, they meet floggings, imprisonment, stoning and beheading. Under ordinary circumstances these methods are very effective; they squelch philosophical movements and political upheavals. But they don’t work so well against the Holy Spirit, as the Books of Maccabees had shown a century before. Gamaliel knew that, though he couldn’t persuade his fellows.

In today’s first reading we hear the prayer of the early church as they cope with Jerusalem’s hostility. At this point in the narrative the authorities are confused. They don’t know what to do with Peter and John, the apparent leaders of this new disturbance in Jerusalem. Not until the disciples are arrested a second time will the officials punish them with flogging. We can imagine the elation of the church as the disciples returned to them and reported the distress of the city fathers. But their delight might be premature as the empire will strike back.

Can we find a common thread in our present distress with this ancient story? The Bible of both Testaments repeatedly tells us, "Do not be afraid." The earliest Christians might have despaired when Peter and John were beaten. They might have quit altogether when Stephen was stoned and James beheaded. But the Spirit whispered to them, "Do not be afraid!" The same reassurance calmed the young virgin in Galilee when Gabriel called upon her. 

We don't know the future. We should expect the coronavirus is altering our world even as we watch. A "new normal" will appear eventually, bearing only some resemblance to the normal we have known. It might not be "beyond recognition," but it will be different.

Given the cultural, economic, political, social, religious, and technological revolutions we have experienced throughout our lives -- if you're old enough to read you've already seen dramatic changes -- we know the Spirit of Jesus will remain with us. I like to remember Atticus Finch's word to his daughter, Scout: "It's not time to worry yet."