Thursday - April 08, 2021
"I burn, Jesus...
I open my heart to you this morning...
You are divine: enlighten this darkness...
lift the darkness entirely
until with a flame You give all of Yourself.
I love You, but if it is too little,
make me love You more..."
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~~ St Gemma Galgani
"I burn, Jesus...
I open my heart to you this morning...
You are divine: enlighten this darkness...
lift the darkness entirely
until with a flame You give all of Yourself.
I love You, but if it is too little,
make me love You more..."
~~ St Gemma Galgani
April 8, 2021
Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Lectionary: 264
Reading I Acts 3:11-26
As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John,
all the people hurried in amazement toward them
in the portico called “Solomon’s Portico.”
When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,
“You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,
and why do you look so intently at us
as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus
whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence,
when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
And by faith in his name,
this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong,
and the faith that comes through it
has given him this perfect health,
in the presence of all of you.
Now I know, brothers and sisters,
that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;
but God has thus brought to fulfillment
what he had announced beforehand
through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.
For Moses said:
A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.
Everyone who does not listen to that prophet
will be cut off from the people.
“Moreover, all the prophets who spoke,
from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days.
You are the children of the prophets
and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors
when he said to Abraham,
In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you
by turning each of you from your evil ways.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have.”
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.”
******************************
Growing Beyond the Need for Miracles
In today's first reading, the healing of the crippled man attracted a crowd. This reminds me of the time when my parish hosted a guest speaker from Ireland who was advertised as a "healing priest". He attracted such large numbers of people that many could not fit inside the church. They waited outside for his preaching to end so that they could get in line to go in for a healing.
When was the last time you saw a parish mission draw crowds this large for nothing more than to hear good teachings and have a penance service? I've never seen it. Most people are more interested in physical miracles than spiritual growth.
Peter addressed the miracle-seeking crowd and used this opportunity to turn their attention away from the miracle -- and away from himself and John -- to guide their eyes toward Jesus and their hearts toward conversion. Some of them accepted this, some did not.
Are we more fascinated by miracles or by personal improvement?
Look at how the disciples reacted when the risen Christ appeared supernaturally in the Gospel reading today. Jesus offered peace, but they shook with fear and confusion. They had already heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, but they were still finding it too incredible to believe.
There's a big difference between knowing and believing. We know we are loved by rebellious children and argumentative friends, but we don't fully believe it, and so we insist on having proof. We know that God loves us beyond all measure, but look at how readily we assume he's not answering our prayers. We know God is generous, but look at how stingy we are with our finances when the collection basket comes; we're fearful that God won't replenish and multiply what we give away.
Seeing miracles is wonderful, but this is not what gives us true belief in God's love, because seeing is not believing. The disciples were able to see Jesus after his death. When they saw the truth, they knew that a miracle had happened -- but they felt afraid. Their conversion to believing the truth and understanding what it meant did not happen until Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
When we pray for miracles, be they small or large, easily possible or seemingly impossible, we become true believers when we allow the Holy Spirit to give us new understanding and spiritual growth. Miracles are only bonuses of Christian living. The heart of Christian living is believing in God's love for us, which occurs when we move beyond the desire for miracles into the realm of understanding that God is making everything work for our good and for the benefit of others.
In this we find much more joy and inner peace than miracles could ever give us.
Today's Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for encouraging me to be a witness of Your active presence in our world. Enlighten and empower me to take Your Word wherever You send me. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
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