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"Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter's shadow might fall on some of them  as he came by." – Acts 5: 14-15

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The apostles,  after receiving power from the Holy Spirit, were doing many signs and wonders among the people. This led many people to come to believe in Jesus. Slowly there was an increase in the number of men and women who wanted to follow the teachings of Christ. The apostles were united so strongly and they were held in high esteem by others. Peter being the leader of them all was given even more respect.

People who heard about the miracles done by Peter were bringing sick people from far and wide and laid them on the roadside so that Peter's shadow might fall on them. People had such a strong faith that even the shadow of Peter was enough for the people to heal. Do we have such a strong faith?

In the present world also, we see many people come to believe in Christ through the powerful witnessing of his disciples. We also see few people getting away from Christ may be due to the wrong witness given by a few. Let us ask this question to ourselves : 'Am I giving a proper witnessing to Christ through my life'? Through my life, am I able to bring a few people closer to Christ? If the answer is 'yes', then I am sure that we would receive our reward in heaven. 

God wants each one of us to be his instruments of love and mercy. He wants us to help him to save more souls. He expects our cooperation. Just like the apostles, let us also be empowered by the power of the Holy Spirit to be his true witnesses.

Reflection on Acts of the Apostles 5: 1-16 by Fr. George Joseph  SVD

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Convocatis Duodecim (Lk 6:1)

The task given by Jesus to the apostles to become his messengers is preceded by giving them authority over all demons and to cure diseases. Jesus sends them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal. And these two tasks underline the role of an apostle.

Such are the roles of an apostle or messenger of God; he must be aware of the presence of evil's power and to fight and defeat them, he must pray over people and heal diseases and he has to preach about the coming of the Kingdom of God. But for doing these roles, an apostle or messenger of God must only trust in the power and authority of God, who calls, gives authority and sends him out.

We are all disciples of Jesus and of course we are his messengers too. And because of that, Jesus sends us to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal diseases. These tasks are being fulfilled, if we believe in the power and authority of God. 

Let us keep in mind that relying on our own power and authority and preaching our own message leads us to defeat, disaster and destruction. Jesus who calls and sends us to be his messengers is with us always.

By Fr. Risco Batbual, SVD.

Vester minister (Mt. 20:26)

“But we hold this treasure in pots of earthenware, so that the immensity of the power is God’s and not our own” (2 Cor. 4:7).

This passage pictured the humbleness of Apostles as they admitted their limits, weaknesses, and nothingness without God’s power.  These apostles and we are nothing compared to God’s Almighty will and power. If they had been overconfident to themselves, they would have been knocked down to any kind of hardships. As a result, they will not set an example in our today’s living as they were facing many hardships like persecutions, famine, sickness, and even death. Why are we so easily distracted by our own preoccupations?  Why are we so worried about our daily living and about our future?  Our God is not dying; He is always in our hearts.  Do not be overconfident, have confidence in Him because He could remove all our worries.

“Anyone who wants to become great among you must be the servant and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave” (Mt. 20:26-27). Nowadays we could rarely see leaders who become servants of his or her group members.  On the contrary, some of them just like to be served than to serve others and everything they need should be provided on time.  Jesus our great Lord, humbled Himself down to the earth just to show us examples of true service of great love.  We are all leaders for each other.  We could serve each other with a humble heart.  To serve not to be served; to be loved as to love.  With saint James whose feast we celebrate today, let us fix our eyes and mind upon Jesus, always.  Peace be with you all.

 By Sr. Yanti Purnawati, SFSC.

Non timebo (Ps 56:12).

“Do not be afraid” and “fear no one” are the phrases that summerize the central message of the Gospel reading. When the Apostles worried about the future, Christ encouraged them, “Don’t be afraid. I am with you always.” The disciples, of course, had reason to be afraid. Yet Jesus says to them not to be.

Jesus teaches us that God is a caring God, compassionate, and forgiving. And God is on our side. Our attitude to life can agree with the psalmist who says, “In God I trust – I shall not fear” (Ps 56:1).

Fear of God is a biblical concept that is often misunderstood.  It does not mean that we should be afraid of God. The word “fear” means “awe”. It means that we should respect God, reverence God, and be more concerned with fulfilling the Law of God than with the way others might treat us.

The Pandemic has entered the world’s community from within nature itself. Maybe in time, myths will be created about how exactly it occurred. We live these days with its consequences, even deaths. The virus has modified the behavior of many of us. There will come a saving vaccine for us someday. 

Jesus also says, “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul”. This is reassuring for those who are dying or for those of us who have lost loved ones. Even if this virus kills our bodies, our souls have eternal life.

“Do not be afraid,” Christ said and still says. Christ is not for the fearless but for those who must control their fears. During this uncertain time of the pandemic, this is a message we need to hear. It is very relevant for us today. We fear the possibility of catching Covid-19; we fear the financial consequences of this prolonged lockdown. We might even fear of losing our jobs, our livelihoods. But still, Jesus tells us not to be afraid. He tells us that not one sparrow falls to the ground without God’s knowledge. He knows us so well that he knows how many hairs we have on our heads. So, he says, “do not be afraid” we are worth more than many sparrows.

Jesus once said to his friends, “what is not possible with us is possible with God”. We follow Christ best when we realize that the Gospel ideal is beyond the reach of our own strength. It is then that we can lean on him and build on the strength of the Lord who is always on our side.

Let us pray that we might not fear the future. We pray and hope that we can create the future God wants for us all the people. Let us not give in to fear but be Christians who are hopeful and joyful today and always.

By Fr Rajesh, India.