Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
Acts 2:36-41  +  John 20:11-18
April 18, 2017

“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.”

On the day of Pentecost, Peter boldly proclaims to the Jewish people:  “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”  The response of these Jews is pretty easy to guess.  Acts tells us that “when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other Apostles, ‘What are we to do…?’”  You can almost imagine what they, in their fear, expect Peter to reply.

But Peter delivers to them Good News:  “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

And Acts then tells us that there were two groups in that crowd:  there were those who accepted this Good News—some 3,000 persons—and there were those who did not accept this Good News.

Here is the first lesson of the Gospel.  But unfortunately, it’s one of the most difficult lessons to put into practice:  that is, to choose to be in that first crowd, the crowd of 3,000; to accept the Good News about the love that God wants to give us:  the love that Jesus, from the Cross, in the Holy Eucharist, is dying to give us.