Saturday of the 3^rd week of Easter

Acts 9: 31-42     John 6: 60-69

Theme: Power in the name

As children of God and Christians in our own time, we have a lot to learn from the 1st reading of today from the Acts of the Apostles. Since after the resurrection of Christ, the disciples of Jesus continued to witness through their words and actions, and the church continued to grow, not minding the opposition and persecutions they encounter from those who were not comfortable with them preaching about the resurrected Christ. We see Peter restoring another paralysed man, with the power in the name of Jesus Christ. This goes to show us that there is power in the name, and this power is not limited to any individual or group of people, we can all make use of it. The question is, do you believe in the power in the name of Jesus? We all can also make use of the name with faith and hope for the best.

In the encounter between Peter and the people of Joppa, we see what it means to be good. Tabitha touched the lives of many people and as a result, they were greatly pained about her death, that is why they sent an emissary to go and bring Peter. This simply points out the fact that what is good is good and most people, if not everyone appreciates what is good. The people went the extra mile for Tabitha at death, because of the impact she has made in their lives. Interestingly, their effort was not wasted, because through Peter God brought her back to life and the people were happy and glorified God for what he has done. This brings me to a very important question we need to reflect on today, are you impacting positively on the lives of all those who encounter you? Do you create memories that will continue to strengthen people, even in your absence?

Another important point we need to take out from todays 1st reading is the role and power of prayer in our lives. Remember, Tabitha was already dead when Peter got to the house, but we were told that he knelt and prayed for her, and she was brought back to life. This simply points out the fact that there is power in prayer. We are all encouraged as children of God to be people of prayer. We must try and make out time to pray, because it is a necessity in our lives. We pray that God will grant us the grace to live out all these virtues in our lives, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.