4th week in Easter Time, Thursday – 4th May 2023 – Acts 13,13-25; Gospel: Jn 13,16-20
God’s Plan Being Fulfilled
The first reading presents the account of Paul’s first missionary journey. When given an opportunity, Paul addresses a crowd of Jews and ‘God fearing” individuals with the great events of the Old Testament. This discourse is typical of Paul’s preaching to a Jewish assembly. Paul asserts that all of Israelite history has been leading up to the coming of Jesus. As he gives the summary of the history of salvation, Paul emphasizes that the Hebrew scriptures, as spoken through the patriarchs and prophets, focused on the time when God would save the people. God’s plan was to send Jesus, his Son with the mission and ministry of announcing salvation through his own death and resurrection. It was God’s plan to reach out to all people from this key moment. Looking back to the past from this salvific event, Paul highlights how God’s providence has been at work at various key points. At the same time, God was present at those times and led them to something higher.
