April 22
3rd Sunday of Easter
Reading 1 Acts 3:13-15, 17-19:
Peter said to the people: “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
Christ’s message in this week’s Gospel is both inspiring and challenging. We’re asked to give our whole selves—our lives—over to God. Jesus says, “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.” Our devotion to St. Jude gives us the strength we need to trust in God, and turn ourselves over to Him.
In this week’s Gospel, Jesus miraculously appears before his disciples and asks them to trust in him and his resurrection. “Why are you troubled,” He says, “and why do questions arise in your hearts?” St. Jude also asks us to trust in him, especially in the face of doubt and difficulty.