Reading 1
Acts 9:1-20
Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
He said, “Who are you, sir?”
The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”
He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”
The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight.”
But Ananias replied,
“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But the Lord said to him,
“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
“Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.
Gospel
Jn 6:52-59
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Meditation: Acts 9:1-20
Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me. (Acts 9:17)
What must have been going through Ananias’ mind when the Lord told him in a vision to pray with Saul of Tarsus? Yes, he had heard of Saul. The whole church was aware of this violent enemy. In fact, the word was that the high priest had granted him permission to search the synagogues in Damascus and arrest all the followers of Jesus. Saul seemed bent on wiping out all believers. So why would the Lord tell Ananias to have anything to do with this man?
But the Lord assured Ananias that Saul was now a believer, so he went to him as a brother. Ananias had been called to take the radical step of loving an enemy—something Jesus taught repeatedly while he was on the earth. And as a result of his cooperation, Ananias became an instrument of healing, forgiveness, and restoration for Saul.
We can never know exactly where on the path toward Christ someone is—not even our enemies. And neither can we know just how essential our prayers, words, or actions might be in helping someone on that path. We should remember, too, that our “enemies” aren’t just people who are out to get us! Jesus is calling us to love the people we find difficult to love, people like the poor or the emotionally disturbed. We may find it hard to see how the Spirit is working in people with whom we have a long-standing grudge. Or we may not be able to see the needs of people who seem to have it all together, and yet who are looking for meaning in their lives. Whatever the barrier, Jesus calls us to see everyone as our brother and sister, as fellow members of his body.
Instead of thinking of reasons why you should be wary, try asking the Lord to help you see people like these in the same way that he sees them. The more you take on his heart and mind, the more you will become convinced that you don’t have any enemies—just people who are waiting to become your friends!
“Thank you, Jesus, for calling me to play an essential part in your plan! What a wonder that you would allow me to join you in building your kingdom here on earth!”
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