Starting this Second Sunday of Easter, we replace the readings from the Old Testament with a series of readings from Acts. This book, written by the gospel writer Luke, continues the story of Jesus after His ascension into heaven. We could rightly paraphrase the gospels: the acts of Jesus during His earthly ministry; we could rightly summarize the book of Acts: acts of Jesus through His apostles after His ascension into heaven.
Therefore, Acts emphasizes how God’s word continues to triumph through His witnesses, building His Church despite all opposition. Acts demonstrates how this word of Christ progresses especially among the Gentiles. In fact, all our readings today stress how our Christ remains in control of His Church as He arms and sends His workers with His powerful word.