Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Wednesday of the third week of Easter, May 7, 2025

Delivered by Vici from the Parish of Saint John the Baptist in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 8: 1b-8; Rs psalm 66: 1-3a.4-5.6-7a; John 6: 35-40.TRUSTED PERSONS The title for our meditation today is:Trusted Persons. There was a teenager girl appeared depressed and silent inrecent days. She only wanted to be alone and did not want to talk to anybody.At school she didn’t want to say hello to any. At home she spent her time inthe room alone. She disactivated her "online" activities in socialmedia, because she didn’t want to be disturbed. There was not a single personwho came to be at her side in those days, except the Lord to whom she sharedeverything. In her prayers, she offered all herpain and disappointment to God. A friend she really trusted lied to her. Somefriends at school who she thought could help her, did not show up. Her motherand father at home and her siblings could not understand her actual situation.So she felt that she was indeed far from them all. Everyone she trusted turnedout to make her suffer so she thought that trust was very costly and should notbe taken for granted. When perhaps we are in the samesituation with that teenager, we really hope that as the believers andfollowers of the Lord Jesus, we must not be like Judas Iscariot who betrayed theMaster Jesus Christ. Whereas if the believers and followers of the Lord are likethe apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ, as described in the today’s readingfrom Acts of the Apostles, certainly this is the true Christian testimony thatwe must follow. They were believers of Jesus Christ and members of the early Churchwho went through the whole country to preach the gospel. After their companionStephen was brutally murdered, their effort and enthusiasm as believers becameincreasingly strong and so encouraged. Jesus Christ declared his identity asthe "Bread of Life," and his apostles and disciples listened to it directly.They truly believed in this truth. Jesus asserted that through seeing andbelieving in Him as the one sent from the heavenly Father, they would have life.The apostles and disciples of Jesus listened and understood this teachingcorrectly. This is the true and good Word of God. They were the first faithfulto profes their faith in it. Therefore, when they shared and proclaimed it tomany others, these firsthand testimony of faith became valid and true evidencefor the growth of faith of those who heard and understood later. To become true and good believers, wereally need in the first time to make ourselves true and good people. The trueperson is the one who is credible or can be trusted in words and actions. He orshe is a sincere and honest person about himself or herself and his or herfellow neighbours. A good person is ethically and morally a fellow and friendwhose presence is very necessary to us. Are you included in this category of thetrusted persons? Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O Lord Jesus Christ, may we be your people of faith in carrying outthe mission that you have entrusted to us in this world. Glory to the Fatherand to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...