The first reading today is extraordinary because it says that the Apostles were glad for having suffered humiliation for the sake of the name of Jesus. What strikes us from the readings from Acts in this time of Easter is the level of opposition to the message of the Apostles. Ultimately it came down to who was in the right and who was wrong and so needed to change. For the Apostles, Jesus was sent into the world to show how it needed to change, turn from sin and be faithful to God and his love. For those opposed to that message, they believed that the message was wrong and so those who preached it needed to be punished or killed. This was the same with Jesus. He preached a message that was not accepted. He was not accepted and so to get rid of him and his message, they killed him. But because of the resurrection, the truth remains - we need converting and so does the world. The wounds of Jesus on his risen body are permanent signs that all is not well with us.
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