Sunday, May 8th 2022 | By Rev. Michael P. Hanifin
Throughout the Easter season, our readings have given us glimpses into the life of the newborn Church and the bold witness of the early disciples in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to all who would listen.
The disciples were the first to live a Christian way of life, and their example is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago.
On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, in the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we catch up with Paul and Barnabas in Antioch, Syria. While they certainly had some success in reaching many people there with the message of salvation, others were downright infuriated by their words and sent them packing. Yet, we read that “the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” Overall, it seemed as if Saints Paul and Barnabas had failed in Antioch. But seeing failure had not robbed them of their joy. What’s more, they were filled to the brim with the abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit. How was this possible?
It is only possible because Paul and Barnabas saw themselves as nothing more and nothing less than ambassadors of Jesus Christ and His Good News. This realization brought them freedom — to offer themselves and their lives to others for the sake of the Gospel. The “results” of their efforts were up to God.
This Spirit-filled, joy-filled life is available to us all today. It can be achieved when we recognize, as did Saints Paul and Barnabas, that all we have and all we are is a gift, meant to be shared with others for the greater glory of God. Of course, living as God’s people and as Catholic Christians does not guarantee a life of ease or a life free of challenges and sacrifice. Sometimes our lives encounter challenges, requiring all the strength and love we have to give. In the end, there is simply no more satisfying way to live.