My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me.

I adore you with profound reverence.

I ask your pardon for my sins and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful.

My immaculate mother, St. Joseph, my Father and Lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

That mesmerizing scene shortly after our Lord's resurrection, the astounding scene when Peter and John found themselves standing before the high priest and the Sanhedron.

The leading officials called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all, in the name of Jesus.

But Peter and John answered them, whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge.

For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.

The scene is astounding because of the boldness of Peter and John.

Days earlier they had been afraid to answer the front door.

And here they are back speaking to the most important leaders,

and doing so without fear. In an article shortly after the article

appeared in the Wall Street Journal, I believe on Easter Sunday, thereabouts, an article by George Weigel.

He poses a very powerful question.

By the early 4th century, Christians likely counted for between a quarter and a half of the population of the Roman Empire.

How did a rag-tag band of nobodies from the far edges of the Mediterranean world

become such a dominant force in just two and a half centuries?

And he offers a couple of explanations from different scholars.

Maybe it was the fact that Christianity was a nobler way of life, that women were respected, the readiness to care for all the sick, larger families.

But the bottom line is that these nobodies could not get over what they called the resurrection.

They answered the question of why they were Christians with a straightforward answer.

Because Jesus had risen from the dead.

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