Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
As the water rises all around us from the seven inches of rain we have received over the past eight days, we hear of many people who have floods in their houses. Some of these people, anticipated the water and took measures to deal with it before it even started; others are in turmoil because of the disruption. Many of us in the very least have had to spend time moving things around in order to avoid them being damaged by the water. It’s at times like these that many of us wish we had traveled lighter, that is with less stuff. For Peter and John, traveling light seemed to be a way of life. On the go with Jesus demanded that they traveled light in order to follow wherever he led. Perhaps, these days are as good as any to examine what we carry and how that may impede our ability to recognize resurrection all around us.
Resurrection joy must have been coursing through the veins of Peter and John. In looking at them, people must have thought there goes two rich men. Indeed, they were rich in the Spirit of God and as Peter suggests it was all that they carried. As they approached the gate of the temple, the beggar must have seen their confidence, assumed their wealth and then asked for money. Peter’s response was to answer the beggar not with material means but with spiritual wealth. The spiritual wealth of Peter and John gave them the faith to say to the beggar, in the name of the Lord, rise and walk.
Consider our own spiritual wealth; is our own zeal for our faith recognizable by others? Does the zeal or passion we have root us more deeply into the mystery of our faith? In other words, does our love for the Lord lift others up so that they can walk or jump with praise for God? Sometimes our zeal seems hidden in the tombs we have created, or locked away for fear of the unknown. Has our desire to control life caused us to miss the stranger walking beside us, teaching is how to live and become the Good News?
Pray today for open eyes to recognize the Lord walking with you on your journey. Be aware of what continues to impede God’s love from penetrating your heart and work to overcome it. And if your heart is filled with joy that overflows, then set out at once to the community with whom you break bread and share with them the ancient greeting "CHRIST IS RISEN!" They will return your Easter Greeting with "HE IS RISEN INDEED!"
-Michael Montgomery