Sunday Gospel Reflection, April 25, 2021: In his name this man stands before you healed...

 

In his name this man stands before you healed…

How aware are you of God’s power in your life?

   The people of the Old Testament lived in constant awareness of the power of God in their lives. In Psalm 118, for example, King David recognizes and trusts in God’s saving power: I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior. After Jesus’ death and rising, the apostles will come to have the same degree of faith in that power. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter explains that they are able to heal a man disabled from birth because they act in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean. Peter goes so far to repeat himself for emphasis: in his name this man stands before you healed. But his listeners fail to recognize God’s power at work; they are not open to the possibility that speaking in the name of Jesus Christ could possibly have such an effect. Their minds are made up; their hearts are closed.

   When, in John’s Gospel, Jesus states that he lays down his life in order to take it up again, he is referencing a choice: God raises Jesus and Jesus chooses to participate in that act. But he first surrenders himself to the authority of humankind so that his persecutors can fulfill God’s plan for salvation. God works through their sin; Peter refers to Jesus whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. God’s power is greater than any human power; God’s love is the sure path to salvation. In the death and rising of Jesus we see the love the Father has bestowed on us, as the First Letter of John states. Through baptism, we celebrate our participation in God’s salvation of humankind; we must keep opening to his love with faith, and remaining open to it throughout our lives. Christ, the good shepherd, intends to lead all with love, so that all hearts will come to him. God’s love is God’s initiative; our role is to respond to that call, to be open to our complete dependence upon God’s power, open to God’s love, active and ever increasing in our lives.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
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