5/25/2012 – the Venerable Bede, Doctor of the Church – Friday of 7th week of Easter – Acts 25:13b-21

     Today we continue to hear about charges brought against Paul in our reading from the Acts of the Apostles.  Specifically, we hear the charges being explained to Herod Agrippa, the head of this region of the Roman empire.  It is explained to Herod that Paul is not accused by the chief priests and the elders of the Jewish people of criminal charges related to laws of the Roman empire, but rather of violating Jewish religious laws, specifically related to Jesus, who Paul claims is alive.
How is Jesus alive in our hearts today?  How are we living out our faith.  I recently read an article that was reprinted from the Catholic newspaper from the Archdiocese of Washington, criticizing the invitation that this Catholic university made to the Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to speak at a graduation ceremony at that university.  The article spoke about our need to find our inspiration in the Gospel message and the teachings of our Catholic Church, as opposed to the agenda set forth by our secular society.   It is so easy to go against the teachings of our Church when it is not currently politically correct or when it is not the popular trend of the day.  Paul was willing to stand up to the authorities that spoke out against him.  Are we willing to take a stand and do the same today?
The saint we celebrate today is the Venerable Bede, an English monk who died in the early 8th century and who did important work with the Greek and Latin writings of the early Church Fathers, helping to bring these writing and teachings to the Church in his native England.  We as an English speaking society owe a great deal of gratitude to Bede and the other faithful who helped pass down the faith to us.  May we continue in that same tradition in helping to pass down our faith to future generations.