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Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A, April 27, 2008

First reading, Acts 8:5-8, 14-17

The Theological Background: And it is not incidental (or even accidental) that it is Samaritans who first hear the gospel outside Jerusalem. They were a kind of mixed-race, mixed-religion, second-class Jew, much despised by mainline Jews. (Thus in Jesus' parable about the helpful passerby, where priest and Levite behave shamefully, it's a Samaritan who is good to the victim; by casting the hero of his story as a Samaritan, Jesus is sticking it to the smug.) Remember the assignment Jesus gives in chapter 1 of Acts: "You are to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, yes even to the ends of the earth." So with these events, the mission takes its second step.

Proclaiming It: Here's a suggestion for reading this to the Sunday assembly. The passage is a fragment of the story of our origins as a church. So as lector, think of yourself as a family story-teller. Perhaps you're telling your grandchildren how your parents came here from Europe. Or you are an "original owner" describing to a new neighbor how your subdivision was built up in the 1950's. Tell the story of the spread of the gospel. This would be easier, surely, if the task were not fragmented over several Sundays. But this mindset can make your proclamation memorable.

Second Reading, 1 Peter 3:15-18.

Readers of these notes are, most likely, English-speaking Christians, and so the reading is likely to seem a little foreign. Most of us are not persecuted for our religion, after all. We live in history's most libertarian countries. But our memories can be short and our world-vision narrow. People have been persecuted for their religion in many, if not all countries, and are so persecuted now. This reading invites us to communion with saints who nobly suffered in the past, and to solidarity with today's victims of persecution.

Proclaiming It: So, if you have trouble getting excited about reading this to the Sunday congregation, imagine you are the author of this reading. Providence has brought you out of harm's way for a while, but fellow believers whom you know and love are in the thick of it. They trust you for your wisdom and holiness. You have only a few sentences with which to encourage them. The stakes are enormous, for they may buckle in the face of persecution and renounce the Lord. They're counting on you. Draw on God's Spirit within yourself, and give it your best.

Several other commentaries on these passages. All are thoughtful, all quite readable, from the scholarly to the popular. Links may be incomplete more than a few weeks before the "due date."
Lutheran pastor and college teacher Dan Nelson's notes for a study group. (Covers a different first reading).	Father Roger Karban's 2002 reflections on these readings his 2005 column, and his 1999 column on the same readings
Father Frank Cleary's 2002 column from the Saint Louis Review.	The Text This Week; links to homilies, art works, movies and other resources on the week's scripture themes	Saint Louis University's excellent new site for Liturgy preparation Most welcome here is Reginald Fuller's commentary on all the readings. (Caveat lector. As of April 3, 2008, Lector's Notes' author is speculating about the exact URL of SLU's April 27 offering, since it's not yet posted. If you get a 404 Not Found, try here) S.L.U. pages available two weeks in advance of the Sunday.

The Lectionary selections in the frame at the left, if any, are there for your convenience. The publishers of the page in that frame have no connection, except for membership in the one Body of Christ, with the publisher of this page. Likewise the publishers of the pages on the links above.