First Reading (Acts 3:11-26)
Reading of the Acts of the Apostles.
In those days, as the paralytic no longer left Peter and John, all the people, amazed, ran to them, in the so-called “Solomon’s Porch”. Upon seeing this, Peter addressed the people: “Israelites, why are you astonished at what has happened? Why do you stand looking at us, as if we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? The God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over and rejected him before Pilate, who was determined to release him. the Just, and you asked for the release of a murderer. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead, and of this we are witnesses. And now, my brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your leaders, however, fulfilled this. as he had announced through the mouth of all the prophets: that your Christ would suffer. Repent, therefore, and convert, so that your sins may be forgiven. In this way you will be able to reach the time of rest that comes from the Lord. And he will send Jesus, the Christ, who was destined for you. However, it is necessary for heaven to receive him, until the time for the restoration of all things is fulfilled, as God said in times past, through the mouth of his holy prophets. In fact, Moses said: ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet like me among your brothers. Listen to everything he tells you. Whoever does not listen to this prophet will be eliminated from among the people.’ And all the prophets who spoke, from Samuel and his successors, they also announced these days. You are children of the prophets and of the covenant, which God made with your fathers, when he said to Abraham: ‘Through your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed’. After having resurrected his servant, God sent him first to you, to bless you, as each one turns from his wickedness.”
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Gospel (Luke 24,35-48)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, the two disciples told what had happened on the way, and how they had recognized Jesus when he broke the bread. They were still talking when Jesus himself appeared among them and said to them: “Peace be with you!” They were frightened and filled with fear, thinking they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus said: “Why are you worried, and why do you have doubts in your heart? See my hands and my feet: it is I! Touch me and see! A ghost does not have flesh or bones, as you see that I have.” And saying this, Jesus showed them his hands and feet. But they still couldn’t believe it, because they were so happy and surprised. Then Jesus said, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of roasted fish. He took it and ate it before them. Then he said to them: “These are the things I spoke to you when I was still with you: everything that is written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then Jesus opened the intelligence of the disciples to understand the Scriptures, and said to them: “Thus it is written: The Christ will suffer and will rise from the dead on the third day and in his name, conversion and forgiveness of sins will be announced to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You will be witnesses of all this”.
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Imagine the following scenario: you witness something so extraordinary, so inexplicable, that you are completely paralyzed by amazement. Your heart races, your mind tries to process what your eyes are seeing, but it can’t find a rational explanation. This is exactly what happened to the people in Solomon’s Porch when they saw the man who had been paralyzed since birth now jumping and praising God.
In our first reading today, from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we find Peter standing before an astonished crowd. An extraordinary miracle had just occurred. A man everyone knew, who every day was carried to the door of the Temple called Beautiful to beg for alms, now walked, jumped and praised God. The crowd, naturally, was “filled with wonder and wonder,” and rushed to Peter and John in Solomon’s Porch.
And what does Pedro do at this crucial moment? He immediately redirects the crowd’s gaze. With stunning clarity he declares: “Israelites, why do you marvel at this? Why do you stand looking at us, as if we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness?”
This is a profoundly revealing moment. Peter could have used the opportunity to glorify himself, to build his own reputation as a man of power. But instead, he does the opposite. He diverts attention from himself and directs it to the true author of the miracle: Jesus Christ.
“It was the Name of Jesus that gave strength to this man,” Peter proclaims. And not only that, but it was “faith in Jesus that gave him perfect health in the presence of you all.” What a powerful testimony! Peter is not just explaining a miracle; he is revealing a fundamental truth about how God works in our world.
And then Peter does something even more remarkable. He turns this moment of amazement into an opportunity for repentance and conversion. “Repent therefore and be converted,” he exhorts, “so that your sins may be blotted out.” The physical miracle becomes a portal to a much deeper spiritual transformation.
This connection between the physical and the spiritual, between what we can see and what lies beyond our vision, leads us directly to our Gospel. In Luke 24, we find the disciples in a similar state of astonishment and disbelief, but for an even more extraordinary reason: the resurrected Jesus himself is in their midst.
The two disciples from Emmaus had just returned and were telling how Jesus appeared to them on the road and how they recognized him when he broke the bread. And then, in the middle of this conversation, Jesus appears! “Peace be with you,” He says. And what is the reaction of the disciples? “Amazed and filled with fear, they thought they were seeing a spirit.”
Again, we see this deeply natural human response to the supernatural: amazement, fear, disbelief. It’s as if our human mind has difficulty processing realities that go beyond what we consider “normal” or “possible”.
And how does Jesus respond? With extraordinary patience and compassion, He adapts to our human frailty. “See my hands and my feet: it is I myself! Touch me and see! A spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.”
Jesus is doing something profound here. He is connecting the transcendent to the physical reality that we can touch and feel. He is building a bridge between the divine and the human, between the resurrection and our everyday experience. And when that is still not enough, when the disciples “could not believe, they were filled with joy and wonder,” Jesus takes one more step toward our limited understanding: He eats a piece of roasted fish before them.
What wonderful condescension! The resurrected Lord, who conquered death and sin, who transcended all limitations of physical existence, eats a piece of fish to comfort his frightened and confused disciples.
And then, just as Peter did in Solomon’s Porch, Jesus turns this moment of amazement into an opportunity for deeper understanding. He “opened their intelligence to understand the Scriptures.” The physical encounter becomes a door to spiritual enlightenment.
What do these two readings teach us today? I believe there are several powerful lessons for us.
First, they remind us that God often works in ways that go beyond our immediate understanding. Both the healed man and the resurrected Christ provoked responses of astonishment and disbelief. Perhaps we should ask ourselves: Are we open to the surprising ways God may be working in our lives today? Or is our vision limited only to what we consider possible or likely?
Second, these readings show us the importance of redirecting our gaze to Jesus. Peter immediately turned his attention from himself to Christ. In a world that idolizes celebrities and frantically seeks self-promotion, we are called to be like Peter—always pointing beyond ourselves to the One to whom all glory belongs.
Third, we see how God adapts to our human frailty. Jesus did not rebuke the disciples for their unbelief; He adapted to them, providing exactly what they needed to believe. What comfort to know that we serve a God who understands our limitations and lovingly leans in to meet us where we are!
Fourth, both Peter and Jesus turned moments of amazement into opportunities for deeper transformation. The physical miracle was just the beginning, not the end. Likewise, the miracles and moments of grace in our lives are not ends in themselves, but doors that invite us to a deeper life of faith and a more intimate relationship with God.
Finally, both readings emphasize the centrality of Scripture in understanding God’s plan. Peter quotes extensively from the prophets, and Jesus “opened the intelligence” of the disciples to understand the Scriptures. The Word of God is not just an ancient text; it is a living reality that illuminates our experience and helps us correctly interpret God’s movements in our lives.
My dear brothers and sisters, perhaps today you are going through something that you cannot fully understand. Perhaps you are facing circumstances that leave you “astonished and filled with fear,” like the disciples. Or perhaps you have witnessed such extraordinary grace in your life that, like the crowd in the Temple, you are “filled with wonder and amazement.”
Wherever you are today, the readings invite us to do a few things: allow our amazement to lead us to Christ, not stop at physical experience but seek deeper spiritual transformation, open ourselves to the surprising ways God may be at work, and delve into Scripture to find meaning and direction.
And above all, we are called to be witnesses of these things, just as Peter and the apostles were. At the conclusion of today’s Gospel, Jesus says: “You are witnesses of this.” This is not just a statement; It’s a commission. Each of us, who has experienced the transforming power of Christ in our lives, is called to witness – to redirect the gaze of others to Jesus, to transform moments of amazement into opportunities for conversion, to build bridges between the divine and the human in our everyday world.
May the resurrected Christ also open our intelligence to understand the Scriptures. May He transform our amazement into faith, our fear into confidence, our confusion into clarity. And may we, like Peter, boldly proclaim to everyone we meet, “It was not we who did this in our own power. It was the Name of Jesus, it was faith in Jesus that brought healing and restoration.”
May the peace of Christ be with you all. Amen.
