As we read the final verses of the Acts of the Apostles, we might get the impression that the ending of this book is a little abrupt. However, Luke has now completed his story with the establishment of Paul and the proclamation of Christianity in Rome. Paul’s confident and unhindered proclamation of the gospel in Rome forms the climax to the story whose outline was provided in Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem…and to the ends of the earth.” Though we know the world to be much larger than Jerusalem and Rome, for the people of that time, Rome represented the “ends of the earth.”
Like many modern governments, the political landscape changes whenever a new leader comes on the scene. This is certainly the case in Rome. Paul died in the persecutions of Emperor Nero. According to Acts, he lived there in captivity for two years before his execution. Because he was a Roman citizen, he could not be crucified, thrown to the wild beasts, or burned at the stake. Instead he was executed as a Roman citizen by being beheaded.
We also hear the final verses of St. John’s Gospel. Chapter twenty-one ends much the same way as chapter twenty ended; namely, he reminds us that much more could be said but that we can rely on his testimony as being true. This testimony was written so that we may believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah.
Our responsorial reminds us that we are coming to the end of the Paschal Season by reminding us that Jesus sits enthroned in heaven and that one day we shall see his face. As we come to the end of another Easter celebration, we give thanks that we have had yet another opportunity to spend with these two important books of the Scriptures that remind us that the mission of Jesus continues on through our efforts, and that all of this was done for us because of God’s love for us.