Acts 6:1-7/Ps. 32:1-2,4-5,18-19/Jn. 6:16-21

The first reading puts before us a troubling moment in the life of the church, a conflict between the Greek speaking and Aramaic speaking Jewish Christian widows regarding the distribution of food.

This conflict in the church required the Twelve to clarify for themselves and for the other members of the church what their priorities were to be, ‘We will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word’. The clarity with which the apostles could identify their priorities amid competing claims on their time is admirable.

The Apostles understood, as Jesus did, that being prayerful and attentive to God’s word would allow their lives to be shaped by God’s purpose and would best serve the life of the believing community.

Dear friends, being prayerful and attentive to God’s word needs to be at the heart of each and every one of us and of our own lives as individual disciples.

In the gospel reading, we are told that darkness came over the disciples in the boat, and they found themselves facing a strong wind and having to sail through a sea that was getting rougher. Whenever we take on some new enterprise, or go in a new direction of some kind, we will sometimes find ourselves battling with the equivalent of a strong wind and a rough sea, perhaps with a kind of darkness coming over us.

 It was at that moment when they were battling with the elements in the darkness that the disciples saw Jesus coming towards the boat, saying to them, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid’. The Lord comes to us all in our moments of struggle, when we sense our vulnerability, our frailty, when a darkness of spirit threatens to engulf us.

The Lord’s presence to us and our awareness of his presence always makes the journey to the other side, the far shore, seem a bit shorter. Like Saint Paul, we can find ourselves saying, ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’.

May the Risen Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey of faith through life, and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may continue to strive and persevere through the many challenges and trials that we may have to endure as faithful disciples and followers of the Lord.

May God be with us always and may He bless our every effort and endeavour, our every good work for the greater glory of His Name. May all of us have a most blessed and wonderful Easter season, have a most fruitful time in our obedience to the Lord.

Rosary Prayer: Joyful Mysteries

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