Homily for April 4, 2018.
“Peter
said: ‘I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, walk.’” Acts 3:6.
The
encounter between Peter and the lame man at the Beautiful gate speaks a lot of
volumes to us. It tells us how we often take for granted the things that are of
real value while we engage in endless pursuit of mere passing things.
When asked
to give a definition of wealth, we are probably going to mention money, silver,
gold, houses, landed properties, companies, investments and so on and so forth
whereas our real wealth is beyond any of these.
The lame
man begged for alms – he just wanted what would give him the next meal; he
simply wanted that which would ensure his survival for the moment, he was too
poor to see the bigger picture.
Is this
not our story? Too often we get into our knees praying; begging God with tears
in our eyes for alms; we ask for money; we ask for things we can see. And how
sad we become when we don’t the money we are asking for, not knowing God
actually answered our prayers by curing our paralysis instead.
The irony
of the materially minded Christian can be reflected in the scenario of the lame
man having been healed yet remains at the Beautiful Gate begging for silver and
gold. We think it is only when we have money that we are blessed. We fail to
count our blessings not because we cannot see them but because we don’t even know
what our real blessings are.
Thanks be
to God, Peter knew what he had. Peter honestly did not have money but he knew
he had God. He was not ashamed of his poverty because he knew he had something
more than wealth. Do I even know what I have? If I do, why do I feel bad when I
don’t get paid, why do I look down on myself for not having as much money to spend,
show off and waste like others?
Do I
really know what I have as a catholic who receives Holy Communion virtually
every day? Am I fully aware of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the
Eucharist, in the Tabernacle, in the Altar and in the person of the priest?
Am I like
the two disciples who were leaving Jerusalem in utter disappointment; walking
away from the church because I did not get the financial miracle I was looking
for; walking away from the church because my material expectations from Jesus
were not met; walking away from the church because of the scandal of the cross?
Do I feel disappointed that despite my religiosity I still have to suffer?
Dear
friends, just as Jesus explained to the two disciples the necessity of
suffering in a homily which made their hearts burn within them, Jesus is saying
to us this morning that we should never be discouraged when we have to suffer
the loss of material things despite our closeness to God. Jesus did not come to
take over power from the Roman authorities, No! He came for something bigger
than that. Jesus did not die for us on the cross so that we can have all the
silver and gold in this world, No! He came to show us our real home; heaven!
Value your
real treasures; your work of charity, the lives you make better, your faith in
God, your knowledge of how close God is to you in the Holy Eucharist, your
ability to pray for the sick, your ability to see the face of Christ in those
in need – these are your treasures and trust me, they are worth more than all
the gold and silver in the world.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, open my eyes to really see what I have. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday
of Easter Octave. Bible Study:
Acts 3:1-10 and Luke 24:13-35).
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