4th Sunday of Easter 2026
Friends in Christ,
I welcome you to the 4th Sunday of Easter. Today, the Church presents to us a mystery so intimate it can melt even the hardest of hearts.
Certainly, there are two kinds of people in our world: those who admire truth, and those who are wounded by it and often stuck in denial. Today, we see these same two groups in the first reading. We see the cry of a restless heart; the people were "cut to the heart" and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles: "Brothers, what shall we do?" They cried out not out of curiosity, but out of great desperation. It might interest you to know that this question is the beginning of every real conversion.
For Us Christians
The above question hits us so hard. The people gathered to listen to Peter; they had expected a political liberator, but Peter gave them a crucified God. When the realization hit that they had rejected the very Life that came to save them, they were cut to the heart. In fact, when the people cried to Peter, they were undergoing a divine surgery, because the heart has to be cut before it can be healed. It was a moment when the soul stops making excuses and starts making room for Grace.
As Christians, many times we hear the words of Christ through His ministers, we sing hymns, we join the chorus with the choir, we chant Alleluia, and nod our heads politely—yet the words are far from being personal to us. The question “What shall we do?” is more than just a question; it is a cry from the deepest heart, the cry of every soul that has finally realized its loss.
This should be the cry of our modern world—a world that has opened its cabinet of pleasure and walked through every gate of secular promise, only to find a cold, empty courtyard at the end. The world must ask that question, realizing that "doing everything" has led us nowhere.
The Divine Prescription
Peter did not just offer any kind of answer; he offered a Divine Prescription:
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
It is divine because it addresses the three dimensions of human brokenness: the past, the present, and the future. Again, his response was divine because it recognized that they were like a dead patient—spiritually dead. Only a divine prescription has the power to bring the dead back to life.
Repent and Be Baptized
The repentance Peter was offering is not a mere feeling of regret, like the sorrow one feels when caught in an act. St. Peter is presenting us with Metanoia—the Greek word for repentance. Meta (beyond or change) and Noia (mind or intellect).
So, repentance for Peter is a revolution of the mind; a shift from a mind centered on the Ego to a mind centered on the Eternal. Repentance is the death of the old self so that the new self may emerge and breathe.
St. Peter also told them to be baptized by water. Why? Because water cleanses and it kills (the old self). This brings to light the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism, which plays a vital role in the life of every Christian. Peter concluded by saying they will receive the Holy Spirit. Why? Because Heaven never takes anything away without giving us something infinitely better in return:
We give our pride; He gives us His peace.
We give our sins; He gives us Life.
My Worry
In light of the great promise of the Holy Spirit, here comes my personal worry: our generation of believers seems to be "baptized" in the spirit of the age (which is changing) rather than the Spirit of God (which is changeless). We seem to be more concerned with our identity than our sanctity.
Finally, my dear brothers and sisters, Peter’s message is an urgent invitation for us to come back to Christ; to bury our pride and our sins in the waters of humility. Only then can we enter through the DOOR that John spoke of in today's Gospel.
Are you ready to enter? Don’t forget that a man or woman can sit at the door of the hospital and still die of sickness if they refuse to enter. The choice is yours to mFriends in Christ,
I welcome you to the 4th Sunday of Easter. Today, the Church presents to us a mystery so intimate it can melt even the hardest of hearts.
Certainly, there are two kinds of people in our world: those who admire truth, and those who are wounded by it and often stuck in denial. Today, we see these same two groups in the first reading. We see the cry of a restless heart; the people were "cut to the heart" and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles: "Brothers, what shall we do?" They cried out not out of curiosity, but out of great desperation. It might interest you to know that this question is the beginning of every real conversion.
For Us Christians
The above question hits us so hard. The people gathered to listen to Peter; they had expected a political liberator, but Peter gave them a crucified God. When the realization hit that they had rejected the very Life that came to save them, they were cut to the heart. In fact, when the people cried to Peter, they were undergoing a divine surgery, because the heart has to be cut before it can be healed. It was a moment when the soul stops making excuses and starts making room for Grace.
As Christians, many times we hear the words of Christ through His ministers, we sing hymns, we join the chorus with the choir, we chant Alleluia, and nod our heads politely—yet the words are far from being personal to us. The question “What shall we do?” is more than just a question; it is a cry from the deepest heart, the cry of every soul that has finally realized its loss.
This should be the cry of our modern world—a world that has opened its cabinet of pleasure and walked through every gate of secular promise, only to find a cold, empty courtyard at the end. The world must ask that question, realizing that "doing everything" has led us nowhere.
The Divine Prescription
Peter did not just offer any kind of answer; he offered a Divine Prescription:
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
It is divine because it addresses the three dimensions of human brokenness: the past, the present, and the future. Again, his response was divine because it recognized that they were like a dead patient—spiritually dead. Only a divine prescription has the power to bring the dead back to life.
Repent and Be Baptized
The repentance Peter was offering is not a mere feeling of regret, like the sorrow one feels when caught in an act. St. Peter is presenting us with Metanoia—the Greek word for repentance. Meta (beyond or change) and Noia (mind or intellect).
So, repentance for Peter is a revolution of the mind; a shift from a mind centered on the Ego to a mind centered on the Eternal. Repentance is the death of the old self so that the new self may emerge and breathe.
St. Peter also told them to be baptized by water. Why? Because water cleanses and it kills (the old self). This brings to light the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism, which plays a vital role in the life of every Christian. Peter concluded by saying they will receive the Holy Spirit. Why? Because Heaven never takes anything away without giving us something infinitely better in return:
We give our pride; He gives us His peace.
We give our sins; He gives us Life.
My Worry
In light of the great promise of the Holy Spirit, here comes my personal worry: our generation of believers seems to be "baptized" in the spirit of the age (which is changing) rather than the Spirit of God (which is changeless). We seem to be more concerned with our identity than our sanctity.
Finally, my dear brothers and sisters, Peter’s message is an urgent invitation for us to come back to Christ; to bury our pride and our sins in the waters of humility. Only then can we enter through the DOOR that John spoke of in today's Gospel.
Are you ready to enter? Don’t forget that a man or woman can sit at the door of the hospital and still die of sickness if they refuse to enter. The choice is yours to make.
May God bless you and keep you. Amen.
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel, HFFBY
(The Voice in the Wilderness)