One of the readings in the Daily Office today comes from the Acts of the Apostles (3:1-11). Luke writes:
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, he sat there. The beggar, who was unable to walk from the day of his birth, could do nothing in his society but rely on people for financial help to survive. Peter and John, though, have no money either, but they are rich beyond measure. Why? They are filled with the knowledge that Jesus, the Son of God, gave his life for us out of love, and that he rose from the dead so that we might not just survive, but live.
Peter says, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” The lame beggar’s response is wonderful. He can’t stop praising God for what He has done for him, restored him to wholeness.
Sometimes we are like that lame beggar. We can be paralyzed by our fears, anxieties, and our lack of love. But like the lame beggar, Jesus restores us to wholeness bringing us into the wake of God’s life giving and creative love.
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, he sat there. The beggar, who was unable to walk from the day of his birth, could do nothing in his society but rely on people for financial help to survive. Peter and John, though, have no money either, but they are rich beyond measure. Why? They are filled with the knowledge that Jesus, the Son of God, gave his life for us out of love, and that he rose from the dead so that we might not just survive, but live.
Peter says, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” The lame beggar’s response is wonderful. He can’t stop praising God for what He has done for him, restored him to wholeness.
Sometimes we are like that lame beggar. We can be paralyzed by our fears, anxieties, and our lack of love. But like the lame beggar, Jesus restores us to wholeness bringing us into the wake of God’s life giving and creative love.
So, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, stand up and walk! Go forth leaping and praising God for His wonderful love for us.
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