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.
Ps 117:1bc, 2
Responsorial Psalm R. (Mark 16:15)
Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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
“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.’” (Acts 9:17)
Saul and his friends never got tired of telling the story of his conversion. Barnabas uses it to explain why the Christians no longer need to fear this man (Acts 9:26-29). Paul tells it to the Jews who want to arrest him (22:1-21) and to King Agrippa who met the apostle during his long imprisonment (26:1-23).
Why is this story so significant? Because it shows how deeply the resurrection of Jesus can change people’s lives. At the beginning of Chapter 9, Saul is breathing out threats, bent on capturing these heretics and bringing them to justice. By the end, he is docile and pensive, eager to put aside his old life, join a new community, and learn all he can about the Way he had been trying to eradicate.
The event is no less powerful for Ananias, an ordinary believer whom God asks to do a very bold thing. To identify himself as a Christian before Saul the Pharisee is to put his own life on the line. But God assures Ananias that Saul is no longer a murderer but rather God’s chosen instrument. Because he believes God, Ananias is able to address Saul as a brother and to heal his blindness.
How has Jesus’ resurrection changed you? Perhaps you were paralyzed by fear until you experienced his unconditional love for you. Perhaps you were burdened by anxieties until his hope lifted you up. Perhaps you were driven by selfish ambition until God set you free to give as generously as he does. Perhaps you couldn’t let go of a hurt until Jesus showed you the way to forgiveness.
Further, how might the Spirit of God want to change the way you see someone else? Maybe he will help you see someone you consider an enemy in a new light, as beloved of God, someone for whom he has planned great things. Maybe you are another “chosen instrument” to help that person to encounter the trans forming love of God.
“Jesus, I want to know you and the power of your resurrection. Let your love transform me and each person I encounter today.”
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