Saturday of Week 3 of Easter – First Reading

Commentary on Acts 9:31-42

Following the conversion of Saul, persecutions come to an end for the time being and the new Church enjoys peace all through Judea and Jerusalem, Galilee and Samaria. These were the places where, up to now, evangelisation has taken place. The communities experience the consolation of the Holy Spirit, in other words, the joy which their new faith brings to them. The work of the Spirit is constantly noted throughout Acts—which is why the book is sometimes called the Acts of the Holy Spirit.

We are then told of two miracles performed by Peter, another sign that the power of Jesus through the Spirit is working in him. The healing and whole-making and life-giving work of Jesus continues.

First, in the town of Lydda a paralytic is cured. Lydda was a town about 5 km (3 miles) north of the road connecting Joppa (Jaffa today) on the Mediterranean coast and Jerusalem, and about 20 km (12 miles) from Joppa.

In Lydda, Peter found a man named Aeneas, bed-ridden with a form of paralysis. As Peter had gone there to visit the believers, it is likely that Aeneas was one of the Christians. With the power of Jesus and in a similar manner, Peter orders the man to “get up and make your bed!” That is, to put away his bed which he does not need now during the day.

We are told that all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon, after seeing what Peter had done:

…turned to the Lord.

The fertile plain of Sharon runs about 80 km (50 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, roughly from Joppa to Caesarea. In the context, however, the reference here is more likely to a village in the neighbourhood of Lydda instead of to such a large district. An Egyptian papyrus refers to a town by that name in Palestine.

Then, in the town of Joppa, a much loved woman who spent her life doing good for others, dies. In accordance with both Jewish and Greek custom her body was washed and purified and, awaiting burial, was laid out in an upstairs room. This laying out would happen if the burial was delayed. In Jerusalem, a body had to be buried on the day of death, but outside Jerusalem three days could be allowed. (Given the hot climate this is understandable. Muslims today also bury their dead very quickly.)

Her friends then hear that Peter is in nearby Lydda. In answer to their urgent request, Peter comes. Whether they wanted his presence either for consolation or for a cure, he was urged to come quickly before the burial took place. They tell him of all the good the woman had done, and the widows (the most insecure people of that time) show him the gifts she had donated to them.

As Jesus did with the daughter of Jairus, Peter tells all to withdraw from the room. Unlike Jesus, he kneels down and prays. The power he sought was not his own but his Lord’s. We are told Peter:

…turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.

Again, they are words summoning her to new life as he helped her to her feet. Only then were the believers and the widows called in.

Not surprisingly, the news of this spread like wildfire through the whole town and was the cause for many to believe in Jesus and the gospel.

Jesus’ healing and life-giving work continues among us still. The only condition for us to experience it is our faith and trust in Jesus. It might be good for us to realise that each one of us can, in our own way, be a source of healing for others. The normal way for Jesus to act is through the agency of his brothers and sisters, the members of his Body.

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Saturday of Week 3 of Easter – Gospel

Commentary on John 6:60-69

Today we conclude the discussion of Jesus as the Bread of Life. Not only the Jews who heard him, but Jesus’ own disciples had great difficulties accepting his call to eat his flesh and drink his blood as a way to life and said:

This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?

And certainly on the basis of the words by themselves, we can sympathise with them; if we had been there, we would surely have had problems also.

Jesus is fully aware of their difficulty, and asks them:

Does this offend you?

If they have problems with this, how will they react when he rises from the dead and ascends to his Father? This is an indication that the acceptance of the resurrection was very much a matter of faith. No one literally saw Jesus rise from the dead or ascend to the Father. There was a faith conviction that these actions had taken place.

Jesus then points out where the problem really lies:

It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

The disciples are hearing Jesus’ words only in the “flesh” and not with the penetrating eyes of the Spirit. There are some who cannot accept what he is saying. John comments:

For Jesus knew from the beginning who were the ones who did not believe and who was the one who would betray him.

To understand the real meaning of Jesus’ words comes from the gift bestowed on us, the grace of faith:

For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.

And the Gospel tells us:

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.

Faith is a gift. It is a gift open to all, but it is a gift to which one needs to be open to receive.

Jesus then turns to the Twelve and asks:

Do you also wish to go away?

Peter then, in the name of all, makes his profound act of trust and commitment:

Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.

In other words, the Apostles acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, God’s chosen Messenger who is uniquely united with him.

“Believe” and “know” are in the perfect tense in the original Greek, meaning ‘We have come to know and have come to believe and continue to do so…’ It indicates not just a momentary action, but an ongoing state.

Actually, we have here John’s version of Peter’s confession which we find in a different form and context in the Synoptic Gospels. Peter’s response to Jesus needs to become ours too. And, if we reflect more deeply on it, we know that Peter is right. There is really no viable alternative to the Way of Jesus, even when things happen which are difficult to understand or accept. The Way of Jesus is not just adherence to the tenets of a religious sect. It is to see that the Way he proposes is the way for every human being to live. To assimilate Jesus into one’s life is not just to become a good Christian, but a perfect human being, with Jesus as our model, who is himself God in human flesh.

Yet, how many Christians stop believing and no longer walk Jesus’ Way? Perhaps we too have wavered more than once. Let us ask for the faith and strength to stay with him and experience the life that only he can give. Above all, let us ask for the grace to see our world with the eyes of Jesus, and to help others to do the same.

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