THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF GOD

The evangelist Matthew takes pains to show us the great power which Jesus had: over sickness, over nature, over demons, and, as depicted in today’s Gospel, over sin. It was such a power that incited controversy, disbelief and envy on the part of some scribes. Jesus in turn confronts them head-on, by showing them even more of such power (as it were): He cured a paralytic right in front of their eyes.

In the first reading, meanwhile, we also have a display of God’s power. The well-known passage of the testing of Abraham over his son Isaac results in a confirmation of God being absolutely in command of everything. And since Abraham passed the test with flying colors, he is abundantly rewarded by a show of generous power on the part of God: “Because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing — all this because you obeyed my command.”

As we know by now, God’s power surely isn’t the power of a warlord governor or that of a greedy capitalist. Rather, it is a dominance on the part of the Omnipotent God. But paradoxically, such power of God owes its force in part to the subject of that power: that is, the humble submission of the human person to it. In the case of the first reading, it is Abraham’s heroic obedience and faith; in the Gospel, it is the paralytic’s openness and docility (in contrast with the cynicism of the scribes).

Quite simply, we just have to submit ourselves to such a powerful God. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

 

Reflection Question:

How much has the power of God revealed itself in your life?

 

Almighty God, may I always submit to Your power in my life. Amen.

 

St. Lucina, pray for us.

 

SPEAKING THE WORD WITH BOLDNESS

 

It was difficult enough for this group of “upstarts” – followers of the Galilean, widely rumored to have done some unheard of “return” from the land of Hades, the realm of the dead, to be seen anywhere in public. But what made it worse for Peter and John was when they came to the rescue of a crippled beggar and told him to “rise up and walk.” Now that was too much for the authorities to bear. They were made to face the equivalent of a senate investigation — the Sanhedrin.

But we do know that Peter and John passed the rigorous scrutiny of the investigators. What we may not know, however, is what it took for them to go beyond fear and human respect and to come out of it in one piece. The first reading today offers us a clue.

Let’s get it straight from the horse’s mouth.

“Why are you amazed at this,” they asked the crowds, “as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety? No, it was not us, but the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and Jacob. It is He who has glorified his servant Jesus.”

As I write, I am reminded of the big “mining” industry all over the world — the “I, Me and Mine” business that we all are prone to, the propensity to claim as our own what is inherently not ours, the tendency to attribute to our talents, real or imagined, the good things that come out of our puny human efforts.

But there is one thing, though, that stands out in the case of Peter and John, apart from the fact that they did not fall prey to this “mining industry.” They spoke with boldness. They spoke with courage. And as we saw yesterday, they were on fire with commitment and dedication.

But then again, to whom did they attribute all this to? The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (4:23-31) tells us in no uncertain terms. They prayed for it. “Enable Your servants to speak Your word with boldness.” And what they asked for, they got. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

Reflection Question:

What do you pray for? Speak to the Lord with courage and boldness.

 

Lord, grant me not only courage and boldness, but also faith and trust that You are listening to my prayers. Amen.

 

St. Joseph Luu, pray for us.