for April 15
Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

Two storylines are running through each day’s scriptures in this week after Easter. In both, we hear words like astounded, startled and terrified, reminding us of the profound disorientation that the disciples experienced following Jesus’ death and the discovery of his empty tomb.

The gospel readings are a succession of ‘appearance stories’ of the disciples’ encounters with the risen Jesus from John’s, Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels. Perhaps Mark is omitted because exactly where that gospel ends and what post-resurrection appearances it does or should have included is a matter of scholarly discussion—but, more on the gospels tomorrow.

All week, the first readings are drawn from early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, which is book two of the gospel of Luke. These scenes all play out after Pentecost, after the power and gift of the Holy Spirit has descended on the apostles. Peter is the week’s main character, and he is an intriguing choice to present as a model of post-resurrection faith, especially considering the way he was portrayed in Luke’s gospel.

What was going through Peter’s head, I wonder, as he looked intently at the crippled man at the temple gate? Yes, in the second chapter of Acts, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, along with the other Eleven. But Luke’s hearers—and Peter himself—can’t have forgotten that Peter denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted he would. And perhaps Peter was thinking that he wasn’t terribly surprised at what he had done, either. According to Luke, when Peter first witnessed Jesus’ wonders in word and deed from his boat on the Lake of Gennesaret, Peter told Jesus to “depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” By this point in the story, the cocky enthusiasm with which Peter promised to follow Jesus anywhere, even to his death, has to have been more than tempered by the bitter recognition of his own limitations, flaws and frailty.

No wonder then, that what Peter offers the crippled man is nothing of his own, but what he himself has received: mercy, the mercy of God that heals, restores and makes lives whole.

The crippled man has confidence in what Peter offers. He is “expecting to receive something” from Peter and John, and when he does, he wastes no time in the amazement and astonishment of the crowd. The crippled man is transformed and immediately jumps and leaps and praises God.

This encounter at the temple gate sets up Peter’s call to repentance that we will find in tomorrow’s first reading from Acts. Peter will speak of faith in the name of Jesus. He will call himself a witness that all of scripture is fulfilled in the risen Christ. Then Peter will direct attention from himself and he will invite all who hear him to receive what Jesus has revealed: the transforming mercy of God.

With our routines and expectations shattered, we are experiencing our own profound disorientation this Easter season, our own reminders of our all-too-real fragility and limitation. In the midst of this experience, this week’s readings present Peter—perhaps the poster child for the twisting path of following Jesus. The scriptures remind us that what Peter has received is ours, too. As much like Peter as we may consider ourselves to be, we too can have confidence in the transforming power of God’s mercy. And also, like Peter, we can give away what we have received.
—BJ Brown

Today’s readings can be found at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website.