We hear about Peter and John heading off to the Temple to pray when a lame man stopped them and ask them for some help. But instead of just giving this man money to help him economically, they heal him through the help of the Holy Spirit. This man is so overjoyed; he leaps around and shouts praises to God. This commotion draws the attention of a large crowd, giving Peter the opportunity to preach to the people about Jesus. They tell the crowd about what happened to their Lord. They want the people to repent, to change their lives, to become followers of the Lord. That is the thing about miracles. It is not the miracle itself that draws our attention, but rather the power and the truth behind that miracle, the way it teaches us about God’s kingdom and about our faith.
When we think about this story, we might think about aspects of our faith that weave in and out of journey of faith. We have the reality of the resurrection, a reality that we celebrate in a special way this Easter season. Jesus tried to help the disciples understand this reality. He is not alive again in a purely earthly way. He is not a ghost. He risen - he is resurrected - this is a new reality. Secondly, there is the cross. The resurrection does not exist by itself - with it is the reality of the cross. Christ would have to suffer and die in order to be raised from the dead. Third, there is our need to repent. We heard the call for repentance load and clear during Lent. It is a theme in our reading today in the Easter season. We are to feel the urgency to repent and renew our lives again and again as disciples of Christ. It is not something we do once and for all.
May we hear the message of Christ in the words of Peter and John today. We need to be comforted by the Good News of Christ, yet we also need to radically repent and to bring this message of repentance to our world.
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