Friday of the 5th week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 15:22-31
The Easter mystery calls us back to the heart of the Gospel: that in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has shattered the weight of sin and opened to us the path of new life. In this light, the reading from Acts 15 offers a profound reflection on the nature of Christian freedom and the discernment of essentials. As the early Church faced cultural differences and pastoral tensions, it did not respond with rigidity or excessive demands, but with a Spirit-led wisdom: “It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by us not to burden you beyond these essentials.” This decision reveals a vital truth of Easter faith—that the Gospel is not a system of burdensome laws, but a proclamation of grace, mercy, and joyful obedience. Easter reminds us that what truly matters is not an accumulation of rules, but the inner transformation that comes from a living relationship with the Risen Lord. The essentials are few: to love God, to love one another, to turn away from idols, and to remain pure in heart. When we cling to what is essential, we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us with peace and clarity, lifting the weight of unnecessary burdens and drawing us ever more deeply into the joy and simplicity of the Resurrection. In a world often caught in overcomplication and anxiety, the Easter message invites us to rediscover the liberating power of Christ’s love, which alone makes all things new. Let’s reflect: Easter is the joyful celebration of the liberating power of Christ’s Resurrection, which frees us from unnecessary burdens and calls us to live by the essential truths of faith, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Don Giorgio