Acts 5:17-26 / John 3:16-21
In the 1st reading we heard that the apostles were arrested and imprisoned in the common jail.
Then at night, the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and told them to go and preach the Good News.
If we were one of the apostles, would we listen to what the angel was saying?
Or would we be thinking to ourselves - This is just a dream. This is not real. Even if it is true, they will catch me back and even execute me for escaping from prison.
Yes, there is just too much to lose. As it is, listening to God and following His ways and doing His will demands that we empty ourselves in order to be obedient, just as Jesus emptied Himself and was obedient unto death.
But as Jesus said in the gospel, the light has come into the world but men have shown they prefer darkness to the light.
Yes it is strange that though there is light we still prefer the darkness of the prison because our deeds are evil and hence we don't want to come out into the light for fear that our evil deeds should be exposed.
Yet as we have heard Jesus said in the gospel, God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world but so that through Him the world might be saved.
That is the Good News we must proclaim. But we need to come out of our own created prison first.
May the light of the risen Christ led us out into freedom so that we will proclaim the Good News of His love for the world.