Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise the Lord from the earth! Let us praise the name of the Lord, for God’s name only is exalted, God’s splendor is over earth and heaven. Amen. Today’s readings situate the early church within the Jewish culture of first-century Judea. The passage from the Acts of the…

By now, our bold and joyful refrain of “Alleluia!” has surely lost a bit of its shiny newness. The bright dawn of Easter Sunday has passed, and the news of our Lord’s triumphant resurrection has begun to settle into our hearts and minds. But as was the case with the first Christians, the full magnitude…