20170420 FAITH IN THE RESURRECTION AS THE BASIS FOR HEALING
MIRACLES
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 3:11-26 ©
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Everyone came running
towards Peter and John in great excitement, to the Portico of Solomon, as it is
called, where the man was still clinging to Peter and John. When Peter saw the
people he addressed them, ‘Why are you so surprised at this? Why are you
staring at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or holiness?
You are Israelites, and it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God
of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant Jesus, the same Jesus you
handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate after Pilate had
decided to release him. It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you
who demanded the reprieve of a murderer while you killed the prince of life.
God, however, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are the witnesses;
and it is the name of Jesus which, through our faith in it, has brought back
the strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is
faith in that name that has restored this man to health, as you can all see.
‘Now I
know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were
really doing; this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he
said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer. Now you must repent
and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and so that the Lord may
send the time of comfort. Then he will send you the Christ he has predestined,
that is Jesus, whom heaven must keep till the universal restoration comes which
God proclaimed, speaking through his holy prophets. Moses, for example, said: The
Lord God will raise up a prophet like myself for you, from among your own
brothers; you must listen to whatever he tells you. The man who does not
listen to that prophet is to be cut off from the people. In fact, all the
prophets that have ever spoken, from Samuel onwards, have predicted these days.
‘You are
the heirs of the prophets, the heirs of the covenant God made with our
ancestors when he told Abraham: in your offspring all the families of the earth
will be blessed. It was for you in the first place that God raised up his servant
and sent him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 8:2,5-9 ©
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How great is your
name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
How great is your
name, O Lord our God,
through
all the earth!
What is man that you
should keep him in mind,
mortal
man that you care for him?
How great is your
name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
Yet you have made him
little less than a god;
with glory
and honour you crowned him,
gave him power over
the works of your hand,
put all
things under his feet.
How great is your
name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
All of them, sheep
and cattle,
yes, even
the savage beasts,
birds of the air, and
fish
that make
their way through the waters.
How great is your
name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps117:24
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Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by
the Lord:
we rejoice and are
glad.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 24:35-48 ©
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The disciples told
their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised Jesus
at the breaking of bread.
They were
still talking about all this when Jesus himself stood among them and said to
them, ‘Peace be with you!’ In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they
were seeing a ghost. But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these
doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed.
Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see
I have.’ And as he said this he showed them his hands and feet. Their joy was
so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there
dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ And they
offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.
Then he
told them, ‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that
everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the
Psalms has to be fulfilled.’ He then opened their minds to understand the
scriptures, and he said to them, ‘So you see how it is written that the Christ
would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name,
repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations,
beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.’
FAITH
IN THE RESURRECTION AS THE BASIS FOR HEALING MIRACLES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ACTS 3:11-26; LK 24:35-48 ]
How did the early Church establish the
truth of Jesus’ resurrection? Firstly, the reality of the Risen Lord is
made manifest in a miracle of healing. St Peter made it clear that the
healing of the crippled man was not “by our own power or holiness.” Rather,
“it is the name of Jesus which, through our faith in it, has brought back the
strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is
faith in that name that has restored this man to health, as you can all
see.” The denial of any power on their part in the healing of the
man means that the power came from somewhere. Only if the Lord were
alive, could there be healing. Indeed, there are no healers except the
Lord Himself who makes use of us as His instruments.
Consequently, the power to heal is
dependent on whether we have faith in the Lord’s resurrection. If the
Lord had healed during His earthly ministry, we should expect Him to continue
the same works He did when He was on earth. In fact, we would expect Him
to do more now because He is no longer limited by space and time. If the
Risen Lord is the Jesus of Nazareth, then surely the Lord would want to
continue His healing works. In fact, He had told the disciples earlier,
“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that
I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the
Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father
may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I
will do it.” (Jn 14:12-14)
This explains why the gospel insists on
the reality of Jesus’ resurrection; that He has a body as opposed to being
simply a pure spirit. The Lord said to them, “Why are you so agitated,
and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes,
it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones
as you can see I have.” And as if that was not sufficient, Jesus said to them,
“’Have you anything here to eat?’ And they offered him a piece of grilled fish,
which he took and ate before their eyes.” Clearly, therefore, the
resurrected Lord is the Jesus of Nazareth. Indeed, this was something
beyond their imagination. “And as he said this he showed them his hands
and feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they
stood there dumbfounded.”
Having faith in the resurrection means to
say that God is triumphant in the end. No one can hinder the plan of God.
The resurrection of our Lord is His vindication. As St Peter said, “it is
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, who has
glorified his servant Jesus, the same Jesus you handed over and then disowned
in the presence of Pilate, after Pilate had decided to release him. It was you
who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a
murderer while you killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the
dead, and to that fact we are the witnesses.” The raising of Jesus
is the proof that Jesus is Lord and Saviour. Death could not imprison
Him. With the resurrection, it means there is nothing the Lord cannot do
for us.
What is necessary for us is to surrender
our lives in faith to the Risen Lord. The question is whether we are
willing to allow the Risen Lord to enter into our lives. Do we have the
faith of the apostles who healed in the name of the Risen Lord? They were so
sure of Jesus’ presence and assistance that they did not have any doubt that
Jesus would heal the crippled man. Twice, they insisted on the necessity
of faith. They said, “Through our faith in it, has brought back the strength of
this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is faith in that
name that has restored this man to health, as you can all see.”
Faith therefore is the key to access the power of the Risen Lord and for Him to
act in our lives. Without faith in His real presence, there can be no
miracles in the Church or the sacraments.
Our faith in the Risen Lord is not just
based on the testimony of the apostles but on the scriptures as well. The
resurrection of our Lord, although a wholly other experience, yet it is not a
total discontinuity with the faith of Israel. In truth, it is the
fulfillment of the prophecies of old. This was what the Lord sought to
explain and how the apostles justified the truth of the resurrection.
Moses prophesied this event when he said, “The Lord God will raise up a prophet
like myself for you, from among your own brothers; you must listen to whatever
he tells you. The man who does not listen to that prophet is to be cut off from
the people. In fact, all the prophets that have ever spoken, from Samuel
onwards, have predicted these days.” Jesus in the gospel clarified
the texts of the Old Testament as referring to Him. “’This is what I
meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about
me, in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, has to be
fulfilled.’ He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures.”
But with faith in Him, the Lord works
marvelously in and through us. This is the act of God’s goodness; that He
would make use of us weaklings to do His work. So like the psalmist, we
can only rejoice and say, “How great is your name, O Lord our God, through
all the earth! What is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that
you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and
honour you crowned him, gave him power over the works of your hand, put
all things under his feet.” God counts us worthy to be His instruments of
healing and grace. Indeed, when I reflect on my own ministry, I feel
completely unworthy and humbled at how God works in and through me. There
have been many times when I was at a loss as to what to preach, or what to
write, but the Lord inspired me again and again. There have been many
situations when I felt so hopeless and helpless, but God showed Himself to be
the Lord by coming to my rescue, again and again. He indeed is the Lord
and the mighty one.
Thus, with faith in the resurrection, “in
his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the
nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.” Following
the apostles, we must continue the work of healing which the Lord has
begun. Healing does not need to be confined to physical healing but also
the healing of emotions, the mind, the heart and the soul. That is why
the proclamation of healing begins with repentance of our sins and the
corollary experience of forgiveness. When we repent of our sins, we
remove the causes of our misery, brokenness and bondages. By receiving
forgiveness from the Lord, we are healed emotionally and
spiritually. When we are liberated from fear, pride and ego, then
we can be totally open to God’s full healing grace, which in turn will also
affect our physical healing as well.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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