Johannine Hours               Acts 2:37-41              December 1996
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[The "Johannine hours" are meant as a way of seeking God in silence and
prayer in the midst of our daily life. During the course of a day, take a
moment to read the Bible passage with the short commentary and to
reflect on the questions which follow. Afterwards, a small group people
can meet to share what they have discovered and perhaps for a time of
prayer.] 

Peter had just spoke openly of the injustice which Jesus suffered: his
death was the murder of an innocent, of the Innocent who, moreover, was
destined to be the Messiah, the Saviour of his people! It is obvious that
Peter's words cut his hearers' hea rts to the quick. God had sent his Christ,
and they killed him! Had they not missed their chance, once and for all? An
evil act was committed; it could not be undone. Their question expressed
their dismay: "What must we do?" 

Peter replied, "Repent." The expression "repent" means changing one's
heart, one's mind, one's attitude. It is close to the expression "be
converted," which means turn around, return, turn away from evil and turn
towards God. Repenting means separatin g oneself from the evil we have
committed. But is this possible? Should we not take responsibility for our
actions and take the consequences upon ourselves? Peter said that in
raising Jesus from the dead, God gave repentance. That means that he
enabled t hose who killed him to separate themselves from the evil they
had committed (Ac 5,31). By restoring Jesus to life, God wiped out the
injustice of his being put to death. When we hear the word "Repent," we
can understand that God gives us the incredible p ossibility of separating
ourselves from a past that was keeping us captive. 

Peter added: "...and every one of you must be baptized." Baptism is the
guarantee of the reality of our repentance. It is not only that I separate
myself from my evil past; it is God who frees me by his forgiveness. The
first Christians liked to compa re baptism to the crossing of the Red Sea.
The sea closed behind the Hebrews when they left the land of slavery. It
stood in the way of Pharaoh's soldiers who wanted to catch them. Through
baptism, God places Christ between us and our faults. And that is not only
true on the day when we were baptized. Every day we are baptized people.
God makes our repentance a reality each day. Day after day, he reactivates
that separation from sin which was our baptism. And then we are free to
separate ourselves from the bad habits and routines that are shared by a
whole society and that put its future in danger (cf. v.40). 

          What enables me to undergo new beginnings in my life? 
          What keeps me from being myself? How can I find a source of
          freedom in baptism and in repentance? 

"Johannine Hours" - 12/96 - ©71250 Taizé-Community, France.
community@taize.fr 




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