Acts 5:17-26

Acts 5:17-26

The high priest rose up and all his companions,

that is, the party of the Sadducees,

and, filled with jealousy,

laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.

But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,

led them out, and said,

“Go and take your place in the temple area,

and tell the people everything about this life.”

When they heard this,

they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.

When the high priest and his companions arrived,

they convened the Sanhedrin,

the full senate of the children of Israel,

and sent to the jail to have them brought in.

But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison,

so they came back and reported,

“We found the jail securely locked

and the guards stationed outside the doors,

but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report,

they were at a loss about them,

as to what this would come to.

Then someone came in and reported to them,

“The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area

and are teaching the people.”

Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them,

but without force,

because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I trust in your protection and care. No matter how difficult life gets, I know that you will be at my side. Help me to resist the temptation to pride and self-sufficiency. I choose to trust in you at all times.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Sin of Religious Envy: Two different responses to Christ are on display in the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles. The high priest and the Sadducees refused to accept the light of Christ. And they fell into the sin of religious envy. The Sadducees were envious of the great following the Apostles were gathering because of the signs and wonders they performed in the name of Jesus Christ. Their envy led them to persecute the Apostles and throw them in jail. Throughout the Bible, we see that this type of envy is a deadly sin (Mark 7:22; Romans 1:29; Galatians 5:21). Cain was envious of his brother Abel, whose sacrifice was pleasing to God. Cain rose up against his brother and killed him (Genesis 4:4-8). The brothers of Joseph became envious of him (Acts 7:9) and sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:11). Saul was envious of David and tried to kill him (1 Samuel 18:8-16). The Book of Wisdom teaches that: “through the devil’s envy death entered the world” (Wisdom 2:24). Jesus himself knew that he was delivered up out of envy (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). The tenth commandment requires that envy be banished from the human heart. Envy, the Catechism teaches, is a form of sadness at the sight of another’s goods and an immoderate desire to have them for oneself; it is a refusal of charity and often comes from pride. Christians combat envy through goodwill, humility, and abandonment to the providence of God (see CCC, 2554).

2. Trust in the Lord: The Apostles, unlike the Sadducees, trusted in the Lord and lived in the truth. They knew that the Angel of the Lord delivers those who fear the Lord. They were blessed because they took refuge in the Lord. They sought the Lord, and he delivered them. The Angel of the Lord commanded them to continue preaching in the Temple about the new life they had received through Jesus Christ. This new life was the beginning of eternal life and was lived in the light of Christ. We can imitate the Apostles and turn from envy through the grace of Christ and the desire for God as our supreme good. We are ultimately satisfied, not by material possessions or natural talents, but by God.

3. The Power of the Gospel: There is a comical contrast between the freed apostles and the convention of the Sanhedrin. “Luke uses humor to highlight the contrast between the powerful ministry of the apostles and the powerlessness of the assembled old leadership of Israel” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, 101). The Sadducees were powerless to hinder the advance of the Gospel. When the apostles were eventually brought in, the Sadducees had to do so “without force.” This was because the people were more sympathetic to the Gospel and the new leaders appointed by Christ than to their old leaders.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I praise you and thank you for your work of founding the Church. May I listen attentively to those in communion with the successor of Peter, your Apostle.

Living the Word of God: Have I fallen into the sin of envy? Do I know that the remedy for envy is mercy? Instead of being sad when others have good fortune, I need to be compassionate when someone suffers misfortune. Envy is rooted in the love of self. Mercy is rooted in the love of neighbor. How can I drive envy out of my heart today? How can I practice mercy and compassion?