EASTER WEDNESDAY

EASTER WEDNESAY
1st. Reading Acts 3:1-10
Gospel reading Luke 24:13-35
THEME: THE POWER OF THE NAME OF JESUS

I have no silver or gold but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth stand up and walk (Acts 3: 6). These were the words of St. Peter to the cripple who sits at the beautiful gate. The apostles after receiving the Holy Spirit did not only preached but also performed miracles in the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is very powerful- it heals, it cures, casts out demons and saves.
In our first Peter, using the name of Jesus performed   his first miracle. This was in fulfillment of Jesus promise to his disciples in Mark 16:17where he said And these signs accompany those who believe: By my name they will casts out demons, they will speak in new tongues, they will pick up snakes in their hands and if they drink deadly poison they will not be harmed, they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. The name of Jesus is that name which is above all other names. St. Paul tells us in Philippians 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and every toque confess that Jesus Christ is the lord. Just as Peter used the name of Jesus to heal the cripple, today many people are healed, cured delivered and saved in the name of Jesus. It is a common experience, that whenever we are frightened or find ourselves in a very tight situation; we call on the name of Jesus. Whenever we call of on the name of Jesus, he listens to us and grants our needs. One name that the kingdom of darkness is afraid of is the name of Jesus. Those who have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness bear witness to this.
However, the question we must ask ourselves today is: do we really mean what we say whenever we call on the name of Jesus? All of us cannot answer this question in the affirmative because of the kinds of things that are happening in our world today. There are many people who are doing so many funny things in the name of Jesus. There are many people who are claiming to be performing miracles in the name of Jesus but in the long run they are discovered to be using demoniac power. There are many business men and women who are cheating their customers in the name of Jesus. This type of people whenever you go to their shops, they will tell you that I am selling this thing to you at this price because you are a Christian like me. With all this assurance, one will later discover that he was cheated. Therefore we must always pray to God to give us the gift of discernment in order to be able to distinguish between those who use Gods power and the power of the devil.
As we world is suffering from the pandemic of the corona Virus, let us look up to Jesus for healing. Let us call the name of in Jesus. In his name many will receive their healing. He will definitely bring an end to this pandemic. Jesus know the situation. He knows our pains, and sufferings.
The cripple who was cured by St Peter immediately praised God after he was healed. When he was healed, he did not run home to tell his parents friends, relatives or organized a party; rather he went into the temple-leaping, jumping and praising God. What is your attitude whenever you receive favour from God? What do you do when you discover that your business is progressing, when you are promoted, when you received appointment letter or when you passed your examinations? Do you praise God or do you attribute the success to yourself?

The Gospel reading presents us with the appearance of Jesus to two of his disciple on their way to Emmaus. The disciples did not recognize Jesus because they were blinded by fear and despair. Like the disciples we often have difficulty in understanding the true nature and mission of Christ. Above all, it is hard for us to understand why we have to follow the long way of the cross before entering glory.
The risen savior is always on journey with us. We must recognize him and converse with him. The encounter with the risen Christ changed the disciples completely. They were no longer blind to Gods way. Jesus taught the disciples that his suffering death and resurrection were not useless.
Here we touch one of the profound mysteries which confront man in his life, the mystery of pain, sorrows which one experiences in himself through out his own existence. We should not shy away, we shouldnt escape from difficulties. If we dialogue with Jesus we will always receive the strength to go back and confront the situation with determination. The disciples of Emmaus returned to Jerusalem because their hearts were burning with the encounter with the risen lord. Their return was not as the result of cold reasoning.  If our hearts are burning , conversing with the lord, then we will realized that the bid is asking more from us , calls us to give ourselves more completely to God. We pray for the grace to always recognize Jesus in the Eucharist and dialogue with him.