Friday of the Second Week of Easter
Reflecting on today’s Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (5:34-42) brought me to recent events involving Pope Leo and the Trump administration. Liturgically this week we’ve been reading about how Peter and the other Apostles have repeatedly been ordered to stop teaching in Jesus’ name, yet have continued, unafraid, even after being jailed and flogged.
Recently Pope Leo was verbally attacked and warned by the Trump administration for speaking out against the war. Pope Leo responded to reporters about this, stating that he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and is not afraid of “speaking loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.”
Our reading from Acts also tells us about a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a “teacher of the law”, who advised the rest of the Sanhedrin to “have nothing to do with these men,” referring to the Apostles whom they were trying to silence; wisely pointing out that if “this endeavor…is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
On Wednesday of this week, U.S. Bishop James Massa, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, posted a statement on their website in defense of Pope Leo by reiterating the Catholic Church’s teaching “for over a thousand years” on just war theory (referencing the Catechism, no. 2038). This teaching of the Church has stood the test of time and tradition (over a thousand years!).
I am grateful for Pope Leo’s witness of faith and courage, perhaps inspired by the first Apostles’ courageous witness. Today’s passage from Acts closes with the Apostles “rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name…and they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.”
May God grant us the same joyful courage, for as today’s Responsorial Psalm reminds us, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?” (27:1)
—Eileen Miller