Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 14:21-27; Rev 21:1-5; Jn 13:31-35 (Year C)
“Paul and Barnabas, on their arrival at Antioch, assembled the Church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans.”
These words come at the conclusion of the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. They bear eloquent witness to the dynamism and presence of the Risen Lord as he was received in the many towns and villages visited by Paul. They also show that to receive Christ as our living Lord is to share as much in his suffering and death as in his Resurrection. Thus Paul instructed all that were received into the faith that “we all have to experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God”.
