20200415
WHAT
CAN I GIVE?
15 April, 2020, Easter
Wednesday
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 3:1-10 ©
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I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus, walk!
Once, when Peter
and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour, it
happened that there was a man being carried past. He was a cripple from birth;
and they used to put him down every day near the Temple entrance called the
Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from the people going in. When this man saw
Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them. Both Peter and
John looked straight at him and said, ‘Look at us.’ He turned to them
expectantly, hoping to get something from them, but Peter said, ‘I have neither
silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ
the Nazarene, walk!’ Peter then took him by the hand and helped him to stand
up. Instantly his feet and ankles became firm, he jumped up, stood, and began
to walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and
praising God. Everyone could see him walking and praising God, and they
recognised him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the
Temple. They were all astonished and unable to explain what had happened to
him.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 104(105):1-4,6-9 ©
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Let
the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
Give
thanks to the Lord, tell his name,
make
known his deeds among the peoples.
O
sing to him, sing his praise;
tell
all his wonderful works!
Let
the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
Be
proud of his holy name,
let
the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider
the Lord and his strength;
constantly
seek his face.
Let
the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
O
children of Abraham, his servant,
O
sons of the Jacob he chose.
He,
the Lord, is our God:
his
judgements prevail in all the earth.
Let
the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
He
remembers his covenant for ever,
his
promise for a thousand generations,
the
covenant he made with Abraham,
the
oath he swore to Isaac.
Let
the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
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Sequence
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Victimae Paschali Laudes
Christians,
to the Paschal Victim
offer
sacrifice and praise.
The
sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and
Christ, the undefiled,
hath
sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death
with life contended:
combat
strangely ended!
Life’s
own Champion, slain,
yet
lives to reign.
Tell
us, Mary:
say
what thou didst see
upon
the way.
The
tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw
Christ’s glory as he rose!
The
angels there attesting;
shroud
with grave-clothes resting.
Christ,
my hope, has risen:
he
goes before you into Galilee.
That
Christ is truly risen
from
the dead we know.
Victorious
king, thy mercy show!
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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 24:13-35 ©
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They recognised him at the breaking of bread
Two of the
disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles
from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now
as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but
something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters
are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces
downcast.
Then
one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying
in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these
last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they
answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in
the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our
leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our
own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not
all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our
group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when
they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of
angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and
found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw
nothing.’
Then
he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the
prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into
his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he
explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about
himself.
When
they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on;
but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and
the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with
them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and
handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he
had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our
hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the
scriptures to us?’
They
set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven
assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true.
The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of
what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking
of bread.
WHAT CAN I GIVE?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 3:1-10; PS 105:1-4, 6-9; LUKE
24:13-35]
When the crippled man
saw Peter and John, he was expecting some money from them to keep him going for
the day. That was
all he could expect because he must have been there for years, every day
waiting for some kind souls to donate some money for his food. But to his
surprise, or disappointment, the two apostles, “looked straight at him and
said, ‘Look at us’. Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold,
but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,
walk!'” He must have been hesitant and wondered whether he could really
ever walk again. But with Peter “took him by the hand and helped him to
stand up. Instantly his feet and ankles became firm, he jumped up, stood, and
began to walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and
praising God.”
Indeed, quite often, we
ask God for we need.
If we just focus on our needs, we may well miss out on the greater gift that
God wants to give us. If the crippled man had only wanted money, he would
never have been able to walk. Like the disciples at Emmaus, they were so
downcast, wallowing in their pain that they could not even recognize the Lord
when He came by them. But God wants to give us more than what we think we
need. The crippled man was expecting money whilst the disciples in the
gospel were hoping that Jesus would liberate them from the Romans. God
wants to give us life through faith in Him.
This was the intention
of Peter and John.
They did not simply give the crippled man something, or restored his
health. Instead, they give him the gift of faith in Jesus. Indeed,
the greatest gift we can give to anyone is not material things or even physical
health, but the gift of faith in Jesus. With Jesus, they can go through
life bearing their sufferings and challenges positively. This is a great
reminder to Catholic humanitarian organizations. We are not just relieving
the poor or the needy or the sick of their pain and suffering. The ultimate
goal is to give them faith in Jesus. We can save the body, but for
us, the soul is even more important. The body might be restored to full
health but if the soul is sick, no matter how much they have or how healthy
they are, their lives will be miserable without God. So we must find
opportunities in our social outreach to proclaim the Good News about Jesus
Christ to them.
One of the reasons why
humanity has become so secular is because they have lost faith in God due to
innocent suffering, disappointments and the lack of a personal encounter with
Him. The
disciples at Emmaus had lost hope in the Messiah. “He was a great prophet by
the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how
our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and
had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel
free.” Hence, they were returning to their hometown, away from Jerusalem,
as if returning from a lost battle. They had allowed their deep
disenchantment to weigh them down. This is often the case for those of us
who suffer crises in life, even for those who are apparently deeply religious.
In times of tragedy and
crisis, we question the presence and love of God. We begin to lose faith
in God, like the disciples at Emmaus.
“And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and
some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early
morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they
had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went
to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him
they saw nothing.” They found it difficult to believe that what they
heard could be true. They were skeptical of such claims, just like many
of us when we hear people testifying how the Lord had healed them. We
listen with respect but in our hearts, we are doubtful and incredulous.
How, then, do we give
them faith? Firstly, we must approach them like Jesus who came
among them uninvited. “Now
as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their
side.” Jesus did not wait for them to welcome Him. He just walked
alongside of them. We too must take the initiative to walk along and
journey with people who are suffering or sad. Without forcing our
presence, we should just move along with them. In this way, we show
ourselves to be proactive.
Secondly, we must listen
and feel with them.
We must win their confidence. We must show our interests in their
concerns as Jesus did. Jesus was listening attentively. He was not
talking in the first part of the journey. In fact, He was asking them
questions. He was trying to get them to express their disappointments,
pain and sadness. He allowed them to grieve and to articulate their
pain. He said to them, “‘What matters are you discussing as you walk
along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.” This is what we too
must do to help the wounded, the suffering and the abandoned. It is more
than just walking up to them and dish out some money or food for
them. We must first make friends with them by showing our genuine
concern by listening to their stories. Everyone wants their stories to be
heard. Listening to their stories is the first step of the healing
process. All this time, the Lord listened with empathy and understanding,
without interjecting.
Thirdly, when the time
was ripe, when He had gained their confidence, the Lord awakened them by
enlightening them.
He said to them, “You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the
prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into
his glory?” We too must awaken those who are foolish and
unenlightened. They are so buried in their fixed mindsets and cannot see
beyond their needs and themselves. Those who are downhearted often cannot
look beyond their problems. They do not see a bigger picture and are often
not receptive to what God wants to tell them or what others want to say to
them.
How can we help
them? We must use the scriptures to help people to connect the events of
their life. “Then,
starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them
the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.” The Lord
took them through the scripture texts that referred to the fate of the Messiah
and how His death fulfilled the divine plan of God. He referred them to
the texts that foretold His Passion and resurrection. The texts of the
Suffering Servant are found in Isaiah. (Isa 50, 52:13)
Jesus would have cited from the psalms as well that foretold His passion in
precise terms and His victory over His enemies. (Ps 22, 110; Zech 12:11)
We also have other texts that speak about the coming of the Messiah. (Gn 3:13; Jer 31; Mal 3:1)
Scriptures are very
important in helping people understand the plan of God. If we know our scriptures well,
then we can seek help from God to understand our own problems. If we want
to find strength in the journey of life, wisdom to walk the truth, we must turn
to the scriptures. Once we understand the thread that links all the events of
life, we are able to accept that everything is part of God’s plan for our
greater good. It is only when we take events for what they are, apart
from the overall plan of God, that the meaning is lost. In fact, once we
understand the events, we will feel the presence of God with us and no longer
feel abandoned like the disciples. “Then they said to each other, ‘Did
not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the
scriptures to us?'”
Secondly, God’s presence
is made available through the Eucharist and the community. This is why Jesus left the Church with the
Eucharist so that we will never journey alone or feel His absence in our
life. “Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said
the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were
opened and they recognized him; but he had vanished from their sight.”
Celebrating the Eucharist with our brothers and sisters will help us to open
our eyes to His personal presence in our lives. Through the
Scriptures and the Eucharist, and the community, the Lord makes Himself present
to us in the Eucharist and in His Word to enlighten us.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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