B: 3rd Sun of Easter (18 Apr 2021) - SHARED LEADERSHIP (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19)

Our first reading today is related to last Sunday’s reading on the growth of the Christian community (Acts 4:32-35), that fed off of the famous speech of Peter on the day of Pentecost. Accordingly, filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter went to the open to witness on Jesus’s lordship, extending his good news to everyone (2:14-36). Evoked by his eloquence, many believed in his words (v. 37) and, on that very day, some 3,000 persons were baptized and added to their group (v. 41). Subsequently, Peter continued his audaciousness in proclaiming Jesus in Jerusalem by healing the sick (3:1-10), defending the faith against doubters (3:12-26), facing bravely the religious authorities (4:8-12), and even embracing imprisonment (5:17-18). At the onset of the Christian movement, we can, then, say that Peter took the helm of leadership, continuing the ministry that was performed by Jesus when he was still on earth.

While Peter is biblically acknowledged as having a pronounced leadership role, it was not he alone who acted as the leader of the Jesus-movement in the Acts of the Apostles. In Acts 6:8–7:60, we encounter Stephen, one of the deacons serving the temporal needs of the widows and the poor (cf. 6:1-2). He courageously confronted some ardent Jewish leaders on their accusation of blasphemy against him (7:1-53), unfazed by their number and their threat of killing him (6:11-14). He was later stoned to death on account of his belief in Jesus (7:58-60), becoming the first martyr of the Christian faith.

In Acts 8, we read the story of Philip, who opted to travel alone to Samaria (8:5), a region known to have a socio-religious animosity with the Jews (cf. Jn 4:9). After his preaching about Jesus and performing some signs (vv. 5-6), a great joy was experienced by the whole populace (v. 8). The apostles in Jerusalem, in effect, sent Peter and John to the locale to give the Spirit to those who had embraced Jesus (vv. 14-17). Later, following the command of an angel of the Lord (v. 26), Philip sojourned to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza. There, he explained the scripture to an Ethiopian eunuch (v. 35), leading to the latter’s immediate baptism (v. 39).

In Acts 9, we also know of the big conversion of Paul, who was initially a persecutor of the so-called Way, i.e., the name the Christians were first called (9:1-2). After having a miraculous vision of the Lord (vv. 3-6), he was blinded (v. 9), and, once healed and baptized (vv. 18-19), led a zealous life of spreading Jesus’s gospel to all the corners of the earth (v. 20ff.). Eventually, he would travel to distant places to erect Christian communities in gentile lands. In realizing this cause, he was imprisoned by gentile authorities in Rome (28:16), where he met his death. In the final analysis, Paul gave everything of his life for the sake of the Gospel (vv. 30-31), becoming worthy of the title “the Apostle of the Gentiles.”

By and large, while Peter served as the nominal head of the Jesus-movement in its infancy stage, there were several other disciples of Jesus who shared this leadership role, as brave and as passionate as him in their witnessing. They were actually risk-takers, who did not mind being rejected, opposed, persecuted, or even killed. They were also true leaders on account of having paved the way for others to follow their witnessing and martyrdom for Christ.

As we continue to hurdle the pains brought in by the pandemic crisis, let us not solely entrust our communal battle to our societal leaders, but be leaders in our own ways, too. Let us remember that Jesus left his mission to all his disciples, and not only to Peter. Hence, Jesus enjoined us all to work together and lead one another in bringing joy and hope to everyone.

- Rex Fortes, CM