First Sundays of Easter Year A

Introduction

According to the liturgical tradition of our Church, the later books of the New Testament are read during Easter time - the gospel and epistles of St. John , the Book of Revelation, 1 Peter.

Easter is also the season for meditating on the Acts of the Apostles which is read as the First Readings at Masses both on weekdays and on Sundays. During these weeks then there is no special link between the First Readings and Gospel Readings, which means that it is a good time for us to study and meditate on the Acts, a very wonderful book of the Bible that is often neglected.

It is generally agreed among bible scholars that the Acts of the Apostles was the work of St Luke the evangelist even though he is not mentioned by name in the text. It is St Luke's gospel which is referred to as "my earlier work" in chapter 1, verse 1. The two books are often called simply "Luke-Acts".

We read Acts then as the "story of Jesus", lived out in the first Christian community. This is an important perspective as it invites us to read the subsequent history of the Church, (including the Church of 2002), as the further story of Jesus. The circumstances of each age are new, the challenges new, but it is always the ancient story lived again - the Word continues to "become flesh". The relationship between Luke and Acts is lived out in a new way; the two books throw light on our experience and our experience helps us interpret them.

Acts is a fitting book for our meditation during Easter. We are celebrating the new era which began with the resurrection of Jesus and Acts tells the story of the beginnings of the Church - the first community of Jerusalem, the one of Antioch where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians and then those founded by St. Paul on his missionary journeys. Through meditating on Acts then, we celebrate our new beginnings as individuals and as communities - family, parish or diocese, nation, the entire human family.

As always with bible texts, memories of good times we have gone through do not draw us away from the present; they point the way forward and remind us that choosing a bright future is an option for today.

The readings follow the usual three-year cycle with 2001 as year 1. The selections for the year are not in chronological order, but they represent stages in the growth of the young Church which we are invited to recognise from our experience. We have all gone through similar stages in our various new beginnings.

1 st Sunday, 10: 34 , 37-43. Peter addresses the faithful in Caeserea.

2 nd Sunday, 2: 42 -47. The first fervour: wholeness, fidelity, unity.

3 rd Sunday, 2:14 ,22-28. Celebrating the victory of grace over sin.

4 th Sunday, 2, 14, 36-41. A further look at how far we have come.

5 th Sunday, 6: 1-7. The pain of growth.

Acts 10, 34, 37-43.

Verse 34 is there to introduce the rest of the text.

Peter did not speak with the entire community but with one group of them. They were made up first of Cornelius, "one of the centurions of the Italica cohort". He had been "stationed in Caesarea ". He and "the whole of his household" were "devout and God-fearing". He "gave generously to Jewish causes" and then the text goes on, "he prayed constantly to God".

Cornelius had received an appearance of a vision of an angel who told him about Peter and his band of apostles. Cornelius sent some of his companions to see and they went to speak with Peter. They met with him and he told them that he himself had just had a vision, telling him that he must not be afraid to eat with a group of Gentiles.

They for their part told him about Cornelius "an upright and God-fearing man". He was "highly regarded by the entire Jewish people". He was "directed by a holy angel to send for you to bring you to his house"; the purpose was all "would listen to what you have to say".

Peter therefore "asked them in and gave them lodging". The next day he "was ready to go off with him. Once they reached Caesarea "the following day", and there Cornelius was waiting for them. "He had asked his relations and close friends to be there". Once Peter arrived, "Cornelius went out to meet him, knelt at his feet and prostrated himself". Peter then told him, "I am only a man after all".

He then brought him to meet "all the people assembled there". Peter first explained that they thought that God had prevented them from "mixing with other people" but he now realised that this was wrong. Cornelius welcomed him, and they opened themselves to him. They now wanted to hear more about this Jesus who had commissioned them.

Peter was therefore now addressing one group which had asked him to come and speak with them. He first told them about Jesus, what he had meant for them and then how they had come to believe in him as Saviour of the whole world.