The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, April 16, 2005
Saturday of the Third week of Easter

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Acts 9:31-42
Psalm 116:12-17
John 6:60-69

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In today's readings, we find that, after a period of persecution, the Church is at peace. In that time, Peter and the other apostles worked many miracles, including raising a dead woman, Dorcas, to life. What must Peter have felt like when asked to perform such a miracle? What would we have done? Peter kneels in prayer, then simply commands the dead woman to arise. He affirms this, not in his own name, but in the name of Jesus. God asks miracles of us very often--in the forgiving of a deep hurt, in the acceptance of a death in the family, or an illness that depresses us and tests our faith--in a hundred ways. Do we have the faith and humility to let Jesus work those miracles?

In the Gospel, Jesus affirms that faith is needed to accept the miracle of His body present in what looks like bread, or His blood present in what looks like wine. Only the eyes of faith will see what is really there. Pope John Paul II once wrote that Jesus exalted and affirmed the dignity of every person by His willingness to enter whatever person approached Him in Communion without distinction. Of course, we are responsible for the purity of our hearts and our freedom from sin. To be so privileged makes us truly a priestly people and a royal race. We who participate in this miracle must ourselves be ready to let the Spirit perform them through us!

- Msgr. Paul E. Whitmore
(smartins at twcny dot rr dot com)

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