May 4th, 2024 – Saturday of the 5th week of Easter
H O M I L Y
The readings that we have at Mass during this Paschal Season are exceptionally rich. On the one hand, we read, in the Gospel, Jesus’ last recommendations to his disciples during the last meal that he ate with them, as they are narrated to us by John. On the other hand, the readings from the Acts of the Apostles give us a very lively picture of the primitive Church, where everything evolved at a very rapid pace. One of the aspects of that evolution, that I find the most fascinating, is the fact that the whole future of the Church was bound with the personal history of a few individuals. (Actually, it will be like this during the whole history of the Church). Throughout the whole Book of Acts, the central figure is obviously that of Paul; but I find still more fascinating, on many aspects, the figure of Barnabas, without whom Paul would have perhaps never been known.