Reading 1 Acts 9:31-42
was at peace.
She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.
As Peter was passing through every region,
he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda.
There he found a man named Aeneas,
who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed.
Peter said to him,
“Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed.”
He got up at once.
And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him,
and they turned to the Lord.
Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha
(which translated is Dorcas).
She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.
Now during those days she fell sick and died,
so after washing her, they laid her out in a room upstairs.
Since Lydda was near Joppa,
the disciples, hearing that Peter was there,
sent two men to him with the request,
“Please come to us without delay.”
So Peter got up and went with them.
When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs
where all the widows came to him weeping
and showing him the tunics and cloaks
that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed.
Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.”
She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.
He gave her his hand and raised her up,
and when he had called the holy ones and the widows,
he presented her alive.
This became known all over Joppa,
and many came to believe in the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm PS 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
or:
R. Alleluia.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia See Jn 6:63c, 68c
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Jn 6:60-69
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”
As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
STEPS RIGHT UP
The Church "was being built up and was making steady progress in the fear of the Lord." –Acts 9:31
The Lord leads us step by step, "from grace to grace" (Jn 1:16, our transl.), and from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18). For example, Peter took a very important step forward when he obeyed the ascending Christ by devoting himself to constant prayer prior to Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Then he took the giant step of receiving the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and witnessing for the risen Christ to thousands of people (Acts 2:4ff). These steps prepared Peter to heal the man lame from birth (Acts 3:7). Then, Peter was prepared to go to prison for love of Jesus. Peter grew through these various steps to the point that he let the Lord heal people even through his shadow (Acts 5:15-16). Later, the Lord used Peter to heal a man who had been paralyzed for eight years (Acts 9:33-34). This was an immediate preparatory step toward raising Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:40).
After raising the dead, Peter may seem to have reached the top of the steps. However, a higher step was the conversion of the Gentiles, beginning with Cornelius and his family (Acts 10:44). To a Jew, this was more unthinkable than raising from the dead. Peter took still more steps, as when the Lord freed him from death row shortly before his planned execution (Acts 12:11). Eventually, the Lord took Peter up several other flights of stairs – all the way to martyrdom and heaven.
Keep stepping with Jesus. Since one step leads to another, not stepping means cutting ourselves off from the future. Jesus says and keeps saying: "Step right up."
| PRAYER: | Father, I will obey You by taking today's step so I can be in position to take tomorrow's step. |
| PROMISE: | "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe; we are convinced that You are God's Holy One." –Jn 6:68-69 |
| PRAISE: | Elizabeth has followed Jesus every day for seventy-five years. |
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