Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, April 26, 2026

In this weekend’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter says, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you…you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…For the promise is made to you and to your children.”  Three thousand men, women, and children were added to the Church that day.  By way of comparison, since I arrived here at St. Edward the Confessor, about 300 persons have been Baptized.  Don’t get me wrong, adding 300 people to the Church is impressive, but it is not close to adding 3,000 in a single day.  How did Peter do this?  I think that he touched their hearts by emphasizing several important relationships that exist within the Church.

1.     Evangelization: Peter preached the Good News of Jesus Christ.  He drew the people into a personal relationship with Jesus by telling them stories about His life, death, and resurrection.  He wanted people to know Jesus!

2.     Education: Peter taught the people that their own scriptures foretold of Jesus.  He wanted them to a better relationship with those scripture passages so that they could fully embrace Jesus as the one who the prophets foretold.

3.     Fellowship: Peter emphasized that his relationship with Jesus was based on love and invited them into that same kind of relationship with Jesus and with all those who were called on that day to be members of the Church which would become the Body of Christ.

4.     Worship: Peter invited the people to be in relationship with God through communal worship.  As members of the Church, people felt a more intimate connection to God when they worshiped together.

5.     Service: Peter inspired the people to serve one another and even to serve those in need who were not members of the Church.  Jesus expected His followers to be in relationship with friends, strangers, and even enemies.  The tougher the relationship, the more we depend on the light of Christ to navigate and nurture that relationship.

Peter was not just preaching, he was testifying.  Through his witness to Jesus, he was able to persuade the people to change their lives and to recognize the importance of these relationships.  His preaching was based on the love of Jesus, not information about Jesus. The people joined the Church because they felt an emotional connection, more than an intellectual connection.  It’s about relationships!

Fr. Mike