Signs of Full Life

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to attend to the people we meet that may present ideas that are foreign to our understanding and life experience.

Full Life on our Way

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents the Accusation against Stephen by members of the synagogue of Freedmen.

* [6:8–8:1] The summary (Acts 6:7) on the progress of the Jerusalem community, illustrated by the conversion of the priests, is followed by a lengthy narrative regarding Stephen. Stephen’s defense is not a response to the charges made against him but takes the form of a discourse that reviews the fortunes of God’s word to Israel and leads to a prophetic declaration: a plea for the hearing of that word as announced by Christ and now possessed by the Christian community. The charges that Stephen depreciated the importance of the temple and the Mosaic law and elevated Jesus to a stature above Moses (Acts 6:13–14) were in fact true. Before the Sanhedrin, no defense against them was possible. With Stephen, who thus perceived the fuller implications of the teachings of Jesus, the differences between Judaism and Christianity began to appear. Luke’s account of Stephen’s martyrdom and its aftermath shows how the major impetus behind the Christian movement passed from Jerusalem, where the temple and law prevailed, to Antioch in Syria, where these influences were less pressing.

* [6:13] False witnesses: here, and in his account of Stephen’s execution (Acts 7:54–60), Luke parallels the martyrdom of Stephen with the death of Jesus. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 proclaims “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!”

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents an introduction to Jesus' discourse on the bread of life.

* [6:22–71] Discourse on the bread of life; replacement of the manna. Jn 6:22–34 serve as an introduction, Jn 6:35–59 constitute the discourse proper, Jn 6:60–71 portray the reaction of the disciples and Peter’s confession.

* [6:23] Possibly a later interpolation, to explain how the crowd got to Capernaum.

* [6:27] The food that endures for eternal life: cf. Jn 4:14, on water “springing up to eternal life.” (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Jeremy Graney comments that we parent in hopes that our children grow to be persons for and with others and we accompany others on this journey, creating a message and a space for hope.

I have been in education my entire professional career, accompanying youth on their journey, hopefully helping foster some hope along the way. As an educator, I am but one chapter or verse in another’s journey. I hope that I give space and time to reflect beyond their immediate needs and desires, to not only focus on the food that perishes but on a life that goes beyond the need of the now. I try to take this time for myself as I navigate the immediate (food that perishes) with the Holy. (Graney, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “God is our landlord,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Our wish, you see, is to attain to eternal life. We wish to reach the place where nobody dies, but if possible we do not want to get there via death. We would like to be whisked away there while we are still alive and see our bodies changed, while we are alive, into that spiritual form into which they are to be changed when we rise again. Who wouldn't like that? Isn't it what everybody wants? But while that is what you want, you are told, Quit. Remember what you have sung in the psalm: 'A lodger am I on earth'" If you are a lodger, you are staying in someone else's house; if you are staying in someone else's house, you quit when the landlord bids you. And the landlord is bound to tell you to quit sooner or later, and he has not guaranteed you a long stay. After all, he did not sign a contract with you. Seeing that you are lodging with him for nothing, you quit when he tells you to. And this, too, has to be put up with, and for this, too, patience is very necessary." (excerpt from Sermon 359A,8) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:22-29 asks how do we respond to this “work” of God? First and foremost, we turn to the Lord in prayer. All relationships require time, effort, and attention, and if that’s the case for our relationships with other people, it’s even more true with God. Our belief in the Lord grows and deepens as we sit at the feet of Jesus each day and listen for his voice speaking to us. At the same time, our hearts become more and more attentive to him and willing to follow his commands.

Another work God does in us is to open our eyes to the needs of our neighbors. When we are able to see Jesus in the faces of those who are poor or suffering, we want to console and care for them or just be available to listen and encourage them.

God is always working in you! Today in prayer, thank him for the gift of your faith. Ask him to help you believe in him ever more deeply each day. Be sure to ask him for the grace to respond to his work in you with all your heart. Then believe that he will do it!

“Jesus, I believe in you! Thank you for the work you are always doing in me to strengthen my faith.” (Meditation on John 6:22-29, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the reading from Acts we hear about Stephen and  the ministry of charity to the Greek speakers. Ironically the synagogue of Freedmen, from the distant areas of the Empire remote from Temple worship attacked him ironically about the nature of his worship. The Temple and the Law were far away and it may be explained that they may have become super traditional, guardians of Jewish tradition. He is accused of things that they might have said. The crowd realizes there is only one boat and they are concerned how Jesus crossed the sea. Jesus accuses them of not looking for signs that point to a greater reality like the deepest hunger of their heart. They seek food and miracles and He wants to reveal the love of God and how much God wants them to live in that Love.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Black farmer and author Leah Penniman who celebrates the faith of agricultural scientist and inventor George Washington Carver (1864–1943). In conversation with Penniman, Chris Bolden-Newsome, co-founder of Sankofa Community Farm in Pennsylvania, shares:

I am a practitioner of in-cultured African (American) Catholic Christianity…. So much of Catholic Christianity has its origins within an earth-based African context that existed way before its settling and redefinition in central Europe. The Catholic Church as a whole is catching up to its origins. Starting in 1971, with Pope Paul VI, the church has expressed ecological concern, which was amplified to an urgent appeal by 2015, with Pope Francis writing:

If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)

[1] Pope Francis, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Read here for the full text of this encyclical.

We seek the inspiration of the Spirit to literally ground our relationship with people of different aspirations in life in the sanctity and sign of our common home as lately observed by the Artemis II crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/6? 

Graney, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 20, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-20-2026 

John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?22 

Meditation on John 6:22-29. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 20, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/20/1547134/ 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?23 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). All that Breathes Gives Praise. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 20, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/all-that-breathes-gives-praise/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Labor for the Food Which Endures to Eternal Life. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 20, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Walk with Word and Sacrament

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the New Life that we experience when walking with friends on our path to His Way.

Walk in Contemplation

In the Reading from the Book of Acts, Peter teaches the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic import.

* [2:14–36] The first of six discourses in Acts (along with Acts 3:12–26; 4:8–12; 5:29–32; 10:34–43; 13:16–41) dealing with the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic import. Five of these are attributed to Peter, the final one to Paul. Modern scholars term these discourses in Acts the “kerygma,” the Greek word for proclamation (cf. 1 Cor 15:11).

* [2:33] At the right hand of God: or “by the right hand of God.” (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 16 reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God.

* [Psalm 16] In the first section, the psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods (Ps 16:2–5), preferring Israel’s God (Ps 16:1), the giver of the land (Ps 16:6). The second section reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God (Ps 16:7–11).

* [16:1] Miktam: a term occurring six times in Psalm superscriptions, always with “David.” Its meaning is unknown.

* [16:10] Nor let your devout one see the pit: Hebrew shahath means here the pit, a synonym for Sheol, the underworld. The Greek translation derives the word here and elsewhere from the verb shahath, “to be corrupt.” On the basis of the Greek, Acts 2:25–32; 13:35–37 apply the verse to Christ’s resurrection, “Nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.” (Psalms, PSALM 16, n.d.)

The reading from the First Letter of Peter presents Reverence for God calling us to mutual love.

* [1:13–25] These verses are concerned with the call of God’s people to holiness and to mutual love by reason of their redemption through the blood of Christ (1 Pt 1:18–21).

* [1:19] Christians have received the redemption prophesied by Isaiah (Is 52:3), through the blood (Jewish symbol of life) of the spotless lamb (Is 53:7, 10; Jn 1:29; Rom 3:24–25; cf. 1 Cor 6:20). (1 Peter, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke proclaims Jesus Appearance on the Road to Emmaus

* [24:1–53] The resurrection narrative in Luke consists of five sections: (1) the women at the empty tomb (Lk 23:56b–24:12); (2) the appearance to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Lk 24:13–35); (3) the appearance to the disciples in Jerusalem (Lk 24:36–43); (4) Jesus’ final instructions (Lk 24:44–49); (5) the ascension (Lk 24:50–53). In Luke, all the resurrection appearances take place in and around Jerusalem; moreover, they are all recounted as having taken place on Easter Sunday. A consistent theme throughout the narrative is that the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus were accomplished in fulfillment of Old Testament promises and of Jewish hopes (Lk 24:19a, 21, 26–27, 44, 46). In his second volume, Acts, Luke will argue that Christianity is the fulfillment of the hopes of Pharisaic Judaism and its logical development (see Acts 24:10–21).

* [24:13–35] This episode focuses on the interpretation of scripture by the risen Jesus and the recognition of him in the breaking of the bread. The references to the quotations of scripture and explanation of it (Lk 24:25–27), the kerygmatic proclamation (Lk 24:34), and the liturgical gesture (Lk 24:30) suggest that the episode is primarily catechetical and liturgical rather than apologetic.

* [24:13] Seven miles: literally, “sixty stades.” A stade was 607 feet. Some manuscripts read “160 stades” or more than eighteen miles. The exact location of Emmaus is disputed.

* [24:16] A consistent feature of the resurrection stories is that the risen Jesus was different and initially unrecognizable (Lk 24:37; Mk 16:12; Jn 20:14; 21:4).

* [24:26] That the Messiah should suffer…: Luke is the only New Testament writer to speak explicitly of a suffering Messiah (Lk 24:26, 46; Acts 3:18; 17:3; 26:23). The idea of a suffering Messiah is not found in the Old Testament or in other Jewish literature prior to the New Testament period, although the idea is hinted at in Mk 8:31–33. See notes on Mt 26:63 and 26:67–68.

* [24:36–43, 44–49] The Gospel of Luke, like each of the other gospels (Mt 28:16–20; Mk 16:14–15; Jn 20:19–23), focuses on an important appearance of Jesus to the Twelve in which they are commissioned for their future ministry. As in Lk 24:6, 12, so in Lk 24:36, 40 there are omissions in the Western text.

* [24:39–42] The apologetic purpose of this story is evident in the concern with the physical details and the report that Jesus ate food. (Luke, CHAPTER 24 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Jim Caime, SJ, comments that along the road, the disciples speak of all that has happened. They tell their story. They have already heard from others—the women told us…—and still, they could not believe it. The truth was not absent. It had already been spoken, already shared, already alive among them. But they could not yet receive it.

How often is it the same for us?

We do not listen because we think we already know. We do not listen because we assume we bring the truth. We do not listen because we struggle to trust the voices speaking to us.

And still, Jesus draws near. Not to replace what is there, but to open it, to reveal it, to let it be seen.

Only later do they recognize what had been happening all along:

Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way?

Perhaps the question for us is not whether God is speaking.

But where—already—has something stirred, something warmed, something quietly begun?

And have we been listening? (Caime, n.d.)

Rev. Jim introduces a poem, Old Maps No Longer Work, by Sr. Joyce Rupp as a gentle companion for your prayerful reflection. 

Don Schwager quotes “The Easter Alleluia,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Now therefore, brethren, we urge you to praise God. That is what we are all telling each other when we say Alleluia. You say to your neighbor, "Praise the Lord!" and he says the same to you. We are all urging one another to praise the Lord, and all thereby doing what each of us urges the other to do. But see that your praise comes from your whole being; in other words, see that you praise God not with your lips and voices alone, but with your minds, your lives and all your actions." (excerpt from commentary on Psalm 148) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 24:13-35 invites us to notice how the story of the two disciples meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus looks a lot like the way we meet Jesus at every Mass.

The next time you’re at Mass, imagine that Cleopas and his companion are with you. Share their excitement as, throughout the liturgy, your heart begins to burn with love as you come to recognize Jesus, present in the breaking of the bread.

“Jesus, thank you for making yourself known to me!” (Meditation on Luke 24:13-35, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Acts the kerygma, or first teaching, that Peter proclaimed in Jerusalem is a very Jewish form of reminding them of how the history of David is linked to Jesus. Luke understood that David wrote all the Psalms. Recently scholarship indicates that many are only dedicated to David. The First Letter of Peter speaks of being brought back to show how much God has loved us in existence in all eternity. Franciscan theology presents that Jesus was coming to be part of our condition and healing our flaw was a consequence of His Incarnation. In Dominican theology, the healing of our flaws is more of Jesus' purpose than a consequence. In the second resurrection narrative, in the Gospel of Luke, Cleopas and the unnamed companion who likely is not his wife (as Luke often refers females to by name), are caught up in their own thoughts. In all three narratives in Luke, Jesus explains the events as part of God’s plan. This fits the philosophic outlook of Luke, as a Stoic, the events of Jesus' life were always planned. The disciples recognize Him in the breaking of the bread. Friar Jude comments on the resonance we have with the disciples in the experience of “Didn’t our hearts burn as they encountered Jesus in Word and Sacrament.”

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, encourages us to recognize how the soul of nature mirrors our own.

When God manifests spirit through matter, then matter becomes a holy thing. The material world is the place where we can comfortably worship God just by walking in it, loving it, and respecting it. Everything visible, without exception, is the outpouring of God. What else could it really be? When we can enjoy all these things as holy, “we experience the universe as a communion of subjects, not as a collection of objects,” as the “geologian” Fr. Thomas Berry said so wisely. [2]

When we love something, we grant it soul, we see its soul, and we let its soul touch ours. We must love something deeply to know its soul (anima). Before the resonance of love, we are largely inattentive to the meaning, value, and power of ordinary things to “save” us and help us live in union with the Source of all being. In fact, until we can appreciate and even delight in the soul of other things, even trees and animals, we probably haven’t discovered our own souls either. Soul knows soul through love, which Jesus teaches as the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37–39). [3] (Rohr, n.d.)

As the Season of Spring slowly arrives, let us respond to the invitation of the Spirit to walk in solitude or the company of close friends along paths in Nature where we are open to the universal call of mutual love for all Creation.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/2?14 

Caime, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-19-2026 

Luke, CHAPTER 24 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24?13 

Meditation on Luke 24:13-35. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/19/1546454/ 

1 Peter, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1peter/1?17 

Psalms, PSALM 16. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/16?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Soul and the Natural World. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/soul-and-the-natural-world/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Did Not Our Hearts Burn While He Opened to Us the Scriptures. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/