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T
HURSDAY WITHIN
THE
O
CTAVE
OF
E
ASTER
Acts of the Apostles 3:11-26
Psalm 8:2AB & 5, 6-7, 8-9
Luke 24:25-48
S
UMMARY
In the first reading, Jesus cured a disabled man. As the man clung to Peter
and John, the crowd gathered in amazement. In response, John gave
credit to God and reminded the crowd that it was God who allowed the
miracle to unfold. In the second reading, Jesus rose from the dead and
appeared to his disciples. Initially, the disciples were in complete disbelief.
Yet, after they saw the wounds in Jesus' hands they were convinced that it
was indeed Jesus.
R
EFLECTION
The inability to recognize the miracle of the Resurrection is not limited to
Jesus' contemporaries. As modern-era living Beloved Disciplines of Jesus,
it is often difficult to acknowledge that God provides us with miracles in our
day-to-day lives. Especially for those of us with young children, we can
get caught up in the mundane tasks of simply sustaining our families and in
pursuit of the elusive American Dream. Many of us credit our abundance
and blessings to our own efforts, refusing to recognize that God has pro-
vided us with each of our gifts. It is even more difficult to count our bless-
ings or see God's miracles during our trying moments. In the modern era,
technology can also be a culprit in our failure to recognize God's Hand.
Our access to information "instant gratification"- our ability to find answers
in a matter of seconds on the Internet- can distract us from the ultimate
source of answers- the power of prayer.
Consider, though, that if we just take a moment to reflect, we can receive
the gift of recognition, as did the disciples. The only way that I am able to
recognize daily miracles is to slow down, put down my I-phone, turn off
the televison, set aside the computer and focus- even if just for a few