Monday April 13, 2026
Good News Reflections:
Making scripture meaningful to your daily life
by Terry Modica
The empty tomb is only half of the Easter story.
Good News Reflection for:
Monday of the Second Week of Easter
Memorial of Saint Martin I, Pope and Martyr
April 13, 2026
Today’s Prayer:
I seek the encounter with You, Lord Jesus. I want to believe in You and receive Your Spirit in fullness. I long for my life to be a praise to Your Holy Name. Amen.
IMPROVE YOUR DAY!
Powerful Catholic prayers are available on our YouTube channel.
Today’s Readings:
Acts 4:23-31
Psalm 2:1-9
John 3:1-8
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041326.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-april-13-2026
Preparing for Pentecost: Our amazing mission
![[ Listen to the podcast of this reflection ]](https://gnm.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/podbean.png)
The empty tomb is only half of the Easter story. Jesus conquered death, not only to open the door to heaven for his disciples, but to build a Church that would throw open the doors for everyone everywhere every time.
In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus emphasizes being “born of water and spirit.” Why? Because once the disciples received the Holy Spirit, their own spirits became enlivened to continue Christ’s mission of redemption. This mission of the Church has been passed to us. We all have the same vocation as those first disciples (we call it “the common priesthood”). We all have the same Spirit.
The word “Mass” has the word “mission” at its root. Another word that sprang from this root is “missal”, i.e., the book that contains the scriptures, songs and prayers of the mission. To attend Mass means to get renewed for our mission. This is why presiding priests often end Mass with a prayer that sends us forth. Oh how important it is to stay until the very end of Mass! In those final moments, we are given a powerful blessing, a renewed anointing to go forth, to leave the church building and be the Church.
In today’s first reading, we read a “homily” that Peter and John gave to the early Church. They enthusiastically shared how the Gospel (the Good News) was experienced in their lives. The congregation responded in praise, in song, in a trust-filled plea for help against the threats of the world, and in a faith-filled request for miracles. It’s the essence of our modern liturgies.
God participated in their worship: The place shook as they prayed. Why don’t our churches shake today? Since God’s ways never change, it should happen to us today. Why doesn’t it? Because we’ve forgotten what it means to be, as this scripture recounts, a community that’s “filled with the Holy Spirit”. How many people receive the Sacrament of Confirmation without requesting the awesome power of the Holy Spirit? How few Christians honestly and consciously say yes to a full relationship with the Spirit of God? And with active participation?
We first received the Holy Spirit in baptism. Confirmation, in which the bishop “confirms” this gift, should bring us into full awareness of what it means to us personally and to the mission of the Church. Sadly, the passing of the mission onto our confirmands has been underplayed and neglected. It’s a sin of omission, an ignorance that has far-reaching ramifications.
We’re all supposed to have a fully alive friendship — a life-shaking relationship — with the Holy Spirit. Let’s ask for this as we prepare for Pentecost, which is the day that we celebration our mission. Between now and then, my Good News Reflections will focus on increasing this powerfully holy friendship within each of us.
Here’s a prayer to the Holy Spirit you can use in your daily prayers while preparing for the celebration of Pentecost: gnm.org/holy-spirit/.
© by Terry A. Modica, Good News Ministries
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