Conpuncti Corde| Cut to the Heart

"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'" — Acts 2:37

 

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

 

 

Through the preaching of God's Word by Peter, people realized that Jesus was the Messiah, Son of God and they had crucified him. The word of God pierced their hearts, opened them up, and showed them the dark reality of what was going on inside themselves. They really saw who Jesus was, they saw who they were, and they saw how they had turned away from God. They had to feel fear and gross.

Seeing how evil they were, they said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). Peter told them to repent. They must turn back, they must repent. The first requirement to become a Christian is to have the courage to repent and open oneself to the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads people to realize about themselves and see who they are before God. "When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8, NIV).  I believe, the Holy Spirit accompanied Peter in his preaching so that people were moved and saw their sinful selves. Peter convinced them of their sin for crucifying Jesus who was Lord. This made them sad. Grief over sin is the beginning of a repentance.

They asked, "What should we do?". This is a reaction that must exist when a person is aware of his sins. He must want to do something to end that sin! Have you ever experienced grief caused by your sin? What's your reaction after being aware of your sin?  Let us follow the Spirit as he uses the Word to expose and convict us of our sin, and call us to turn to Christ.

 

 

Reflection on Acts 2:37-41 by Fr. Fransiskus Diaz, SVD.

(Listen to the Podcast here)

Promissio| Promise

“Jesus was given the Holy Spirit, just as the Father had promised... [He] has given the Spirit to us" — Acts 2:33.

Last Sunday on the 9th of January we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord. From this celebration which was described in the Gospel of Luke (3:21-22), we learn a lot for ourselves.

Jesus was able to perform many miracles because he was united with the Holy Spirit and the Father. He felt the strength and love of the Father during his mission on the earth. We as Christians also can make great things if we are in communion with the Holy Trinity. Moreover, all the people can receive such spiritual gifts because God the Father is omnipotent.

What kind of gifts are they? Apostle Paul reminds three of them: the gift of prophecy for sons and daughters, visions for young men, and dreams for old men.

At the beginning of the New Year, we would like to experience these supernatural gifts. Since there are so many doubts, anxieties, problems which we are to solve in this year. We know that sometimes miracles are necessary. Otherwise, we cannot manage everything.

The Word of God helps us to see these miracles in the sky above and on the earth below. It means in the spiritual and material world. Both in our soul and in our body. The Lord tells about the difficulties, darkness, and even blood which we must survive. But afterward, the wonderful day of the Lord will appear. That is the Good News.

My dear friends, sisters, and brothers in Christ Jesus, we can be saved if only we will ask our Lord for his mercy and grace. Let us work miracles, wonders, and signs in the name of Jesus. He is always near us and in our hearts. So we are to rejoice and to live in hope during the whole New Year 2022.

Reflection of Acts 2:14-36 by Fr. Józef Trzebuniak SVD.

(Listen to the Podcast here).

Connumeratus | Part of us

“...concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. In the past he was included in our number and took part in this ministry." — Acts 1:16-17

From today’s reading (Acts 1:15-26), I chose verse 16 and 17, which tell us about betrayal. Speaking of betrayal, we are invited to return to the past. The word “in the past” in verse 17, invites us to remember some memories when we were still with families, friends or relatives in the past. As humans, we have met a lot of people since we were kids. Some of them were good people but some were bad who sometimes only took advantage of friendship and togetherness. The betrayal experienced by Jesus tells how fragile our status as human beings is. Sometimes we easily fall, to the point of sacrificing other people who have taken part in our lives.

When we ourselves are betrayed, then as humans we will definitely feel a deep seated wound. At those moments, indeed we are not alone because Jesus had already experienced a heinous betrayal by his own disciple, Judas. Jesus accepted his betrayal with an open heart even though he probably felt deeply hurt when Judas kissed Him only to hand Him over to the executioners. Without saying a word, Jesus surrendered and gave himself wholeheartedly without trying to defend himself even though He was completely innocent. Because of Jesus' example, we are expected to be able to understand the situation of those who betray us and even we are asked to be able to forgive sins and mistakes that have been made. It is very hard but if with broken hearts we surrender everything sincerely to God, surely He will comfort us in time and will give recompense to those who hurt us in God’s own way. 

So in the course of time, if we are strong in facing difficult times, troubles and trials, we will be able to reminisce those stories with a smile of victory because those who planned something evil against us have found the answer from God.

Reflection on Acts 1:15-26 by Sr. Yanti Purnawati SFSC

(Listen to the Podcast here)