Author name: Essjay Peatoo

In the past weeks, Acts has shown us the followers of Jesus beginning to take that which they have received and giving it to the entire world. First, we see Bachos, the Ethiopian eunuch, not welcomed at the Temple in Jerusalem, returning to his home where he spreads the Good News to Africa.   Following […]

We have arrived at a watershed moment that describes the inauguration of the mission to the Gentiles (Acts 11:1-18).  While today we cannot think of Christians other than as including Gentiles, their (our) inclusion involved a radical change in thinking for the first Christians who were all Jews, still felt like Jews, and maintained many

Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, called “Good Shepherd Sunday”, the subject of today’s Gospel.   It is also known as “Vocations Sunday”, a day when our Church prays for new shepherds and pastors to lead our Christian communities. In some parts of the world, especially in hotter and drier climates, sheep are a rarity.

Feast The Church presents us with the Feast of Saint Mark on April 25th, a date that virtually always falls during the Easter Season. Mark is an interesting figure in the Christian tradition.  A young man identified as Mark or John Mark is referred to in the Acts of the Apostles and several of the

Saul, which is Paul’s given name, was born into a Jewish family in Tarsus (Turkey) around the year A.D. 8; he was also a Roman citizen, a fact that would play a large role later in his life. Schooled as a Pharisee, he was a tent maker by trade but was most noted for his

Today we hear the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26‑40).   This Philip is not Philip the Apostle, but another Philip, a deacon in the early church.  The eunuch is unnamed in our reading today, but Ethiopian Orthodox tradition names him Bachos.  Bachos is a servant in the court of Ethiopian Queen

I usually try to reflect on all of the readings for the day and to integrate them into a single focus, but today I reflect on only on the last verse from today’s Gospel (John 6:40): “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may

In today’s reading from Acts of the Apostles (Acts 7:51‑8:1), we hear about the murder of St. Stephen, the first martyr killed for proclaiming the Good News of Christ.  But who was St. Stephen?    “As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Greek-speaking Christians complained against the Hebrew-speaking Christians, saying that their widows

Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. (John 6:27) In what ways do I work for food that perishes? For what am I working? Does it result in any kind of lasting food for me? Do I find myself working

Yesterday I spent some time sitting on my patio enjoying the view and the smells of spring.  In this part of the world, the fruit trees are in blossom and some flowers are already blooming.  Even so, some have already presented their colors and their fragrances, and they are now fading.  It has been two