Like the first disciples, the gift of the Holy Spirit and encountering Jesus in the Eucharist enable us to put our faith into action. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.
Readings for Easter Wednesday can be found here.
Have you ever thought about doing some exercise but never actually got round to it? If so, then you are in good company. In 2023 the British Journal of Sports Medicine published a study on what they termed “the intention-behaviour gap in physical activity”. Of 30,000 people questioned, 33% were “unsuccessful intenders” – they planned to exercise but didn’t follow through. What would make the difference? Perhaps having a friend who was already exercising would be the encouragement they needed – someone who could go with them to the gym, show them the equipment, or even just go out for a walk together.
In our readings today we see people being led from faith in God to action, and we discover what the decisive factor is. In the beautiful Emmaus Road story, the two disciples are on a physical journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus. But they also experience a spiritual journey as well. Originally downcast following Jesus’ death, they meet the risen Lord but don’t recognise him. He opens the Scriptures to them and then reveals himself in the breaking of bread. At that moment the two are prompted to action: they rush back to Jerusalem (a 7-mile trip) to tell others that Jesus is risen. In the reading from Acts, the apostles have recently received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Now we see Peter and John acting in the name of Jesus by healing a lame man in the Temple.
Like Peter and John we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit through baptism and Confirmation. Like the two on the Emmaus Road, we encounter the risen Jesus in this and every Eucharist, who opens the Scriptures to us. May these precious gifts, given by God, be the factor which overcomes the “intention-behaviour gap” in our life of faith. Filled with the Holy Spirit, and fed by the Lord himself at the altar, may we go out into the world to act in Jesus’ name, spreading the news of his resurrection and continuing his healing work.
Mass today is in St Paul’s at 10am and St Mary’s at 11am.
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our Day by Day pages.
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