04/04/2005: "Reflections on Sunday's readings"

I will restrict myself to talking about the readings in this post and discuss the passing of our Pope in another one.

I unfortunately didn't make it to Mass on Sunday. I was sailing. I really have no excuse and need to make sure I am more strict in my Sunday observance. There are plenty of Masses that get done before I need to be at the yacht club. Forgive me father!

Yet even when the readings are read outside of Mass, they make quite an impact. What an important time in our Church year Easter is!

What struck me in these readings is just how much the Catholic Church is apparent in them. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles very much speaks to our goals as Christians. Whenever I read from that book it amazes me how well the current Church is striving to be the same Church that is in Acts. The second thing that struck me is Christ's command to the Apostles in John 20:21-23:

'(Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."'

It speaks to both confession and to the Holy Spirit's guidance of the Church through the successors of the Apostles, the bishops in such a profound fashion!

Finally, the "first" end of John's Gospel was what I chose as the quote of the week because of how strongly it speaks to the falacy of Sola Scriptura. Right in scripture we see an admittal that scripture is not complete of its own right but that it was written "that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name."

May we remember that important goal of scripture whenever we pick it up to discern God's will.