20260408 CONNECTING THE DOTS IN OUR LIVES
08 April 2026, Easter Wednesday
First reading | Acts 3:1-10 |
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.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 104(105):1-4,6-9 |
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!
Sequence |
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!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps117:24 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by the Lord:
we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 24:13-35 |
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.
CONNECTING THE DOTS IN OUR LIVES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 3:1-10; LUKE 24:13-35]
The disciples were downcast on their way to Emmaus. This was because they simply could not understand all that had happened recently. They could not understand how Jesus, a man anointed by God — a prophet who went about teaching the mercy of God, doing good, performing signs and wonders, and championing the poor and the marginalised, and who was thought to be the liberator of Israel — could have died such a tragic death. As if these events were not inexplicable enough, the news that some women and disciples did not find His body in the tomb and then declared Him to be alive was even more unsettling.
Very often, we too are confused by the events in our lives, especially tragic ones. Some of us experience unpleasant or difficult events one after another. We wonder why such things are happening to us. Are we being punished by God? Why is it that members of the family are falling sick one after another? Why are we receiving bad news so often? Are we being persecuted by the Evil One? Did we do something wrong? Such are the questions people ask, whether good or bad, in the face of suffering and events that they cannot make sense of.
Unless such questions are answered, we become crippled in life. We cannot let go of our resentment and hurts. Many of us are angry with God and with others. We feel that God has been unfair to us. When the questions surrounding the mysteries of life are not adequately answered, people may conclude that God is unjust and distant from the world. How can there be a God when there is no justice in this world? How can there be a God when the world is suffering? Why did God take away my loved ones? Why are all my relationships not working out? Why can’t I find a life partner? Indeed, like the disciples of Emmaus, we become disheartened and disillusioned, and we begin to wonder whether God truly cares or even exists at all.
The Word of God tells us that the obstacle to coming out of our tomb is that we dare not expect more. We conceive of God and His ways according to our human logic. We think God should act and think the way we do. But His ways are not ours; His thoughts are not ours. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:8f). This was indeed the case of the crippled beggar at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. When he saw Peter and John, he begged from them. He was expecting some money to help pay for his daily needs. But St Peter had more to give than silver and gold. 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!” Indeed, this was a greater gift than merely giving him money.
But St Peter was not interested in just helping the crippled man to walk again. He wanted to give him more than money or even physical health. St Peter gave him nothing less than Jesus Christ. Truly, this has always been the purpose of all miracles: to lead people to Jesus, their Lord and Saviour. Whether during the time of Jesus in Palestine or in the ministry of the apostles proclaiming the Gospel, miracles were a means to help people come to faith in Christ. Healing is never merely physical, because the root of all illness and dissatisfaction is ultimately spiritual. Unless a person comes to know Christ as their Lord, they will continue to fall into sin and sickness. But a person who comes to Christ will live even when he dies, be well and joyful even when he is sick, and be rich even when he is poor.
This lack of expectant faith was displayed by the disciples of Jesus before they encountered the Risen Lord. The disciples did not expect Jesus to rise from the dead; it was unthinkable. So they were not only confused by the tragic death of their Master but equally perplexed to hear reports that His body was not found in the tomb and that some had “seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive.” Even those who went to the tomb expected to see the corpse of Jesus, not the Risen Lord. So, too, in the case of Mary of Magdala. She held on to the Jesus of Nazareth whom she knew, rather than allowing her faith to go beyond the past and open to the future in the Risen Lord.
If we are too myopic in our view of life, too deeply entrenched in our past experiences and perceptions, then, like the crippled beggar, we need encouragement to stand up and claim faith in Jesus. That was what Peter did for the man. He “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.” We, too, need to help those who are struggling to believe and to surrender to the Lord. Even Jesus recognised that some people need support and explanation. That is why the Lord took pains to journey with them and to explain the meaning of the events that had taken place.
In other words, to help people come to faith, we must not rely on arguments, because intellectual discourse will not go very far. We will only agree to disagree at the end of the debate. Very few are converted simply through arguments alone, because they know that, at the end of the day, faith is required. If God can be proven, then no faith is necessary. That is why the author of Hebrews reminds us, “Without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb 11:6).
Rather, all we need to do is help them connect the events in their lives and show them the plan of God for them. If we can link the dots in their lives, a picture will emerge. Otherwise, they remain merely dots and events without purpose. But if they can see that what is happening is for a greater purpose ahead, then they can make sense of and accept the events — both good and bad — and be grateful for all that has happened to them. As Jesus reprimanded the disciples, “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?” In truth, everything is within the plan of God. We might not understand why, but if we have faith in the Lord and can see beyond the isolated events in our lives as part of His larger plan, then we can accept them, even when they are negative. Otherwise, we too will be “astonished and unable to explain what has happened” to us.
So how can we help people connect the dots in their lives? With Jesus, the privileged place to understand the plan of God is through the Scriptures. This was how Jesus helped them to understand His passion: “Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the Scriptures that were about himself.” Only by searching the Scriptures as a whole — and not just one or two texts taken out of context — can we come to know the entire plan of God for humanity and for ourselves as individuals.
No one can presume to help others connect with the plan of God if he or she cannot even connect his or her own life with God’s plan.Before we journey with others, it presupposes that we know where we are. The danger for us is that there are too many blind people leading the blind. They themselves are broken, wounded, and enslaved by sin. If so, how can they lead others out of bondage unless they themselves have first found the remedy? The one who helps others to discern the ways of the Lord must therefore be closely connected with Him in prayer and intimacy, so that he or she can guide others to discover His will through Scripture and prayer. This is what spiritual direction consists of: finding His will in our lives.
The most perfect way to connect with God and find healing and direction is through the Eucharist, because it celebrates both the Word of God and the sacrifice of the Mass. Through the Eucharist, we become more aware of Christ, who meets us when we hear His Word and receive Him in Holy Communion. We read that the disciples recognised Him in the breaking of the bread: “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?'” That is why we must celebrate the Eucharist, if possible daily, so that we can identify ourselves with Him in both good times and bad, never lose courage, and always find strength and hope in Him through His life, death, and resurrection.
Indeed, when we hear the Lord speaking to us in worship and prayer, we become His witnesses. We read that the beggar, after being healed and enlightened, “went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and praising God.” Our act of giving glory to God and living a changed life becomes the best witness to Christ in our lives. “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.” Like him, we can attract people to Jesus simply by living a vibrant, active, and passionate life, even without explicitly proclaiming the Word of God. Like the Eleven, we too will confess, “Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” And like them, we will share our stories of how we meet the Lord each day on our journey and how we, too, recognise “him in the breaking of the bread.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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