The Good Old Days

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, April 12th, 2025:
Divine Mercy Sunday

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Acts of the Apostles
​2.42-47 

They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the Apostles.

All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread in various houses and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Our first reading makes it sound as if the world was a perfect place when the apostles began to enter fully into the life God called them to: prayer, preaching, almsgiving, healing. The reading focuses on how things were perfect and it is easy to get caught up in that one piece of the story. Don’t get me wrong; it is essential to recognize the beauty of this experience because it gives hope to all who seek to live the life God calls us to! 

An important reality is that when we continue to read through the Acts of the Apostles, we see that the life they lived was not always so peaceful and unified. There were those who feared this life, and others who condemned it and sought to stop the gospel from being preached. We read of dissent among believers and a need for change as they grew in numbers and spread out geographically. 

The beauty of today's reading, for me, is not found in some fairytale idea of perfection but rather in the awareness of such beauty and holiness in the midst of a world that was set against them and was determined to stop them from preaching. It is always easy to look back in history and see only the good, and then to believe that we must return to that way of life and no other. 

In truth, no time in history has ever  been perfect, because perfection is waiting for us in heaven. We may see something we find beautiful and confuse it for perfection, but we are called to set ourselves toward heaven: to live this life as a preparation for eternal life. In our reading we see the steps we are called to in order to prepare: prayer, faith formation, loving my neighbour, and taking care of those entrusted to me in this life. 

When my attention is focused on serving the Lord and my neighbour and not on my own wants and needs, I will see the very thing we read about in the Acts of the Apostles. It will not end the crosses we will carry or the suffering we will experience, but these are the very things Jesus experienced for me. Can I not take a small portion of it as well and walk with my Lord to Calvary on our way to eternal life? 




Sr Theresa MacDonald

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