Thursday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 8:26-40
The story of Philip and the Ethiopian in the Acts of the Apostles is a luminous reminder during this Eastertide that the Risen Lord is actively at work through the Holy Spirit, guiding the Church’s mission and awakening hearts to faith. The Ethiopian’s question—“Is there anything to stop me from being baptized?”—is not merely a moment of personal desire, but a profound manifestation of the Spirit’s movement. It speaks to the universal accessibility of salvation, made possible through the death and resurrection of Christ. The response of Philip is equally significant: there is no barrier, no delay, no exclusion—only a joyful urgency to welcome, to baptize, to share the Good News. In the light of Easter, we are reminded that the Church is born not of human plans but of divine initiative; that the impulse to evangelize, to preach, and to bring others into the life of Christ is not optional but essential. Easter does not end at the empty tomb—it presses us outward to the desert roads, to the margins, to those who are searching, often unknowingly, for the One who already walks beside them. Let us, like Philip, listen to the prompting of the Spirit, run to meet those who are seeking, and proclaim without hesitation that in Christ risen, nothing stands in the way of grace. Let’s reflect: Easter is the radiant proclamation that in the Risen Christ, nothing can hinder the work of the Spirit.
Don Giorgio