Acts 2:14, 22-33

Acts 2:14, 22-33

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,

raised his voice, and proclaimed:

“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.

Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

“You who are children of Israel, hear these words.

Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God

with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,

which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.

This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,

you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.

But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,

because it was impossible for him to be held by it.

For David says of him:

I saw the Lord ever before me,

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;

my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,

because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,

nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.

You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence.

My brothers, one can confidently say to you

about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,

and his tomb is in our midst to this day.

But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him

that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,

he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,

that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld

nor did his flesh see corruption.

God raised this Jesus;

of this we are all witnesses.

Exalted at the right hand of God,

he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit

that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I praise you and worship you. I truly believe in the Resurrection of your Son. I believe that you have the power to raise me up. Help me to give witness to the Resurrection through my words and deeds this day.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Gospel according to Peter: During the liturgical season of Easter, the First Reading at daily mass is taken from the Acts of the Apostles. This week, we will read Acts 2-4 and hear Peter preach three times. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter announces in Acts 2 the Good News of the Resurrection of Christ to those gathered in Jerusalem. He announces three things about Jesus. First, Peter recalls that Jesus worked mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, and announces that it was God who worked these signs through Jesus. The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus did these signs so that we would believe in him and in the one who sent him. The signs themselves point to something greater: the physical healings point to spiritual healing, restoring physical sight points to seeing with eyes of faith, and restoring someone to physical life points to the bestowal of eternal life on those who believe in Jesus. In the age of the Church, the Sacraments are these new efficacious signs of God’s grace and eternal life. 

2. Jesus’ Death and Resurrection: The second thing that Peter announced on the day of Pentecost was that Jesus was condemned to death. Jesus’ death on the Cross was not a failure but was in accord with God’s plan. After the fall of Adam and Eve, God promised a savior who would save us from sin and death. Isaiah revealed that this savior would take upon himself the sin of the people, destroy death, and reestablish justice in the world. Jesus, Peter says, was crucified by lawless men, and, in this way, Jesus freed us from sin and death. The Jewish authorities rejected the Messiah and condemned him to death. But Jesus has been vindicated by God and raised from the dead (Acts 2:24). Third, Peter proclaims to the people that God raised Jesus and released him from death. Peter proves this by quoting King David in Psalm 16 and applying David’s words to Jesus Christ: God did not abandon Jesus’ soul to the netherworld; he did not allow the body of Jesus to see corruption. According to Peter, David died and was buried centuries ago, but was enlightened to prophesy about the day when Jesus, his royal descendant, would rise from the dead.

3. Jesus’ Heavenly Mission: Peter uses quotes from Psalms 16 and 110 to show that Jesus is the risen Messiah. Paul will later employ the psalms in a similar way to preach the same message (Acts 13:16-41). Peter argues that the Messiah now reigns in heaven and is gradually subduing his enemies (Acts 2:35). “Peter understands these enemies primarily as the evil powers of the angelic realm (cf. 1 Pet. 3:22), though their earthly manifestation is all too human. The Messiah’s reign will continue until God has subjected all of these enemies and made them His footstool. The second half of Psalm 110:1 points to an expanse of time between the exaltation and the final judgment. God has appointed a period for the offer of salvation to go out through the Church, subduing unbelief through repentance and obedience to Christ” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, 46). In this way, Peter preaches about Jesus’ heavenly mission. Jesus is exalted at the right hand of God and sends forth the Holy Spirit to the Church. The Holy Spirit is the Counselor who guides the Church to the fullness of truth about God and his Christ. The Spirit helps the Apostles understand all that Jesus said and did. Having ascended into heaven, Jesus now intercedes for us before God. He is our merciful and faithful high priest and is preparing a place in heaven for his bride, the Church.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I believe in your Resurrection. Grant me a deeper faith in you as the Resurrection and the Life. Do not let my heart grow weary as I journey to you. Intercede for me before the Father so that I may overcome sin in my life and experience the resurrection to eternal life.

Living the Word of God: How is my faith and trust in Jesus as my heavenly king? Do I experience the effects of his royal and priestly intercession in my life? Do I often request the gift of the Spirit through prayer? How can I be more docile to the promptings of the Spirit in my life?