Our Faith Makes a Difference, as did Peter's and John's

In today's first reading, Acts 3: 1-10, Peter and John are about to enter the temple for the three o'clock prayer hour. A man crippled from birth asks the apostles for alms. Peter replies:  "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk."And he does so! People are amazed when they see this man walking and praising the Lord!

You and I are also blessed with a power to heal that which cripples us or cripples another!  The healing may not be as drastic or obvious to the naked eye as in the case of the man healed by Peter and John but no less real!  Where we see it is in the eyes and lives of little children who are touched by our generosity, our attention, our taking time to interact with them and respond to their requests that we play with them or listen to their stories or push them  on a swing or play catch with them o throw them pitches!  We see the power of the Spirit flowing from us to another when we lend a helping hand to an elderly person or bring a meal to a shut-in!  We see the Spirit's power when we cuddle with a loved one, put our arms around a person who is lonely and needs someone to show that he/she cares.

Yes, we are blessed with spiritual wealth beyond our imaginings!  Let us use this wealth in small ways and see rich "returns."

Blessed are Those Who Choose to do Good

In today’s responsorial psalm, Psalm 1, David pronounces those “blessed” who do not follow evil ways, ways that are immoral and sinful, unkind, rude, malicious; who do not walk in the ways of sinners. We know that we all are sinners, yet we have the choice every single day, every moment,  to choose the good, to make wholesome choices, to be decent human beings: reliable, trustworthy, helpful, persons who live high-quality lives.  We are capable of doing so, of serving the Lord with a generous heart, a noble heart. God is a give-away God and calls us to be the same: to give ourselves to others, to give ourselves to noble endeavors, to give ourselves in ways that make this world, someone’s world,  a better place, to make a difference in someone’s life today by our smile, by offering a helping hand to our spouse, our children, our neighbor, a community member; by  saying “I’m sorry” when we have wronged someone, by reaching out to someone who has fallen into “a pit” of loneliness and despair, who need a shoulder to lean on, of delighting “in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 1).

The other choice is to make life difficult for someone as did the crowd in today’s Gospel, Luke 18: 3-43.  A blind man was sitting by the roadside begging when Jesus passed by. He heard all the noise and wondered what was going on. Someone in the crowd had the courtesy to tell him that Jesus was passing by. The blind man shouted: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” “The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent.” Jesus sensed what was happening, “stopped and ordered that he be brought to him” and He answered his request to be healed of his blindness.

Who would I have been? The persons willing to help or those who wanted the man to shut up? Would I have used this opportunity to make a positive difference, to show that I cared about the person in need? Would I have given a helping hand or tried to dismiss him?

Our Destiny: Written by the Hand of God

In today's first reading, Acts 18: 1-8, Paul encounters opposition in Athens and leaves for Corinth, where he meets a man named Aquila and his wife Priscilla, Jews who were expelled from Italy.  To this very day, people are discriminated against for various reasons.  Within our very nature both sin and holiness abide. Good and evil battle each other in our very thoughts and emotions and at times we follow the voices within us that direct us to treat others disrespectfully. At other times we listen to the good spirit within, the voice that flows from our God-self. 

The Spirit in Paul directs him to stop proclaiming the Good News to his fellow Jews and enter Gentile territory to bring the news of Jesus Christ to them.  He becomes known as the Apostle to the Gentiles. At times we might be unaware of our destiny, yet everything in our lives will direct us to carrying out God's plan for us, the purpose for which we were created. Many times we are directed to other tasks, other locations, other situations to be an instrument in the hands of God. We may say "I can't believe I did that or accomplished that. I didn't know I had it in me but with the grace of God I endured, I worked, I made a difference in the lives of others sent to me for reasons God alone knows.

Maya Angelou, a black woman who was the victim of rape and of racial discrimination.  She rose to her potential and made a great impact upon the world. She became a woman of inspiration, of courage and incredible talent shared with the entire world. Who would have thought that such was her destiny.  Everyone and perhaps the person/s considered the least among us in elementary, high school or college surprised us when we learn of the wonderful things that person did in building up God's kingdom in a world of discrimination, hatred and ignorance. Yes, in God's plan,  no one is left behind, neither  you or I. We have a purpose that will be achieved even if it is like the tree growing out of the side of a mountain because of Master is the One who triumphed over death itself.

Today is the second day of a busy students' retreat. The Scripture passage that the students are reflecting upon is Mark 10: 17-22, the story of the rich young man who comes to Jesus wanting to know what more he has to do to inherit eternal life. He addresses Jesus as "good" and Jesus asks him why he addressed Him that way, as only God is good. Thus Jesus reveals his true identity to the  young man. Jesus tells him that he needs to keep all of the commandments. The young man says that he's done that all of his life. Jesus tells him that one thing is missing, namely, that he needs to sell all that he has and give the money to the poor and then come follow Him. The wealthy young man walks away sad because he prefers his wealth to following the Lord's directions, to developing an intimate relationship with the Lord and sharing "his wealth" with those less fortunate than himself.  Jesus, too, must have felt very sad, as he "was filled with love" for this man.

Every day, you and I, like this young man, are free to walk away from the Lord's invitation to "sacrifice" for a greater good, to give to "the poor" who want of our time or whose well-being depends upon our willingness to share "our riches" with them.  "Go, sell all that you want to possess exclusively for yourself alone and share with others in love and care and forgiveness. Go, sell all and give of your "wealth"--whatever that "wealth" might be--and give to "the poor, whoever those persons are in your midst today.

Directed by "angels"

In today's first reading an angel of the Lord instructs Philip to "get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route" (Acts 8: 26-40).  He meets up with "an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship" and on his way back was reading the Scriptures but not understanding a thing he was reading. God's plan was that Philip explain the Scriptures to him. He catches up with his chariot, asks what he is reading and proceeds to proclaim Jesus to him, as all of Scripture is really about God's plan of salvation and the role of Jesus as Messiah, King, and Savior of the entire world.

What would you and I do when, out of the blue, God instructs us to "get up and head south" to "the desert route." When anything "goes south," or when anyone is in a desert, parched, dried up, unable to generate life and be productive, human nature has a tendency to bulk and not want to be a part of that experience.  "It's not my fault that she/he is struggling." "He/she made his/her own bed; let them sleep in it. It's not my problem and I do not want to get involved."  It is easy to dismiss what is problematic in another person's life and stay in our comfort zones. "I don't want to be bothered; I have no time for that foolishness" may be the tune of our rhetoric when hard times strike another person, especially the life of a "eunuch," a man who is regarded as lacking power or effectiveness.

Philip takes no such position. He gets up, catches up with the eunuch's charioteer and takes time to listen. The life of the eunuch is transformed!  Through Philip's generosity, he's found the Lord and continues his way rejoicing in that new found joy.

To whom  is the Lord calling me to listen? In whose life am I being called to make a difference? Will I listen? Will I leave my comfort zone when the Spirit calls?