“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
From Fear to Proclamation
Acts 4:1-12
While they were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them, disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word came to believe and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes were assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly class. They brought them into their presence and questioned them, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is ‘the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.’ There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
Grace Prayed For
The grace to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to proclaim Jesus with boldness, tenderness, and joy.
Reflection
Notice the boldness of Peter. Just days or weeks before, he trembled before a servant girl and denied Jesus. Yet here he is, standing unflinching before the very men who orchestrated Jesus’ death. What changed? The resurrection. The living Christ had appeared to him, breathed His peace into him, and filled him with the power of the Holy Spirit. Now Peter sees reality clearly: Death is defeated. The grave has no claim. Jesus, whom they crucified, is alive and reigning.
The power that raised Jesus from the dead now courses through Peter and the early Church. This same power has been entrusted to you. Like Peter, you have been given the Holy Spirit, not for comfort alone but for mission. “There is no salvation through anyone else.” The world is waiting to hear this, just as the five thousand in Jerusalem were. You are sent to them—not by your own strength—but by the power of the name above every other name.
But notice also the tenderness hidden in Peter’s words. Even in boldness, Peter offers an invitation to his accusers: the very ones who rejected the stone can still recognize Him as the cornerstone. The Great Commission is not an obligation of guilt, but a gift of intimacy with Jesus. You are called to make Him known because you yourself have known Him, risen and glorified. You, too, are invited to stand boldly yet tenderly, proclaiming that Jesus is alive.
Growing in Intimacy/Union with Jesus
By meditating on Peter’s transformation and his boldness in proclaiming the resurrection, the passage invites you to encounter the Risen Lord personally. It reminds you that mission is not simply a task but the overflow of intimacy. As you grow in awareness of Jesus’ living presence and the power of His name, you will naturally be drawn into deeper union with Him and be moved to share Him with others.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post