Today is the memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, renowned for her pious and commitment to God from very early on in her life. Saint Catherine had mystical experiences throughout her life, as she received a vision from the Lord from when she was only six or seven years old. She resisted the efforts to get her to be married. She committed herself totally to the path of the Lord, which eventually led to her family accepting her choice.
Today, our first reading is from Acts of the Apostles 14: 6-28 where we heard about the works of St. Paul and his companion, St. Barnabas. They worked in the city and region of Lystra in Lycaonia, located in Asia Minor, present day part of southwestern Turkey. During this period the community was deeply steeped in their worship of the pagan Greek and local regional gods.
As Paul ministered the people a paralyzed man was healed by the Name of the Lord Jesus. We remember similar event which took place around the temple in Jerusalem, when Peter and John were preaching, and a crippled man asked them for alms. Peter told the crippled man, I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk. He got up and walked. (Acts 3: 2-18)
Unfortunately, the immediate response from local population was something else. They misunderstood Paul and Barnabas and believe they are gods and begin worshiping them. They townspeople did not understand that the two apostles were representing a far greater Being, the One Who is the One and only True God, and not those false pagan gods that the Greeks in Lystra believed in.
Paul healed in the name of Jesus and not in his name. Let us remember that miracles point us to the doer of the miracle. The doer is not Paul, but Jesus. It is in his name that the man was healed. Paul was only a messenger, a vehicle through which Jesus healed the man. The prayer of Jesus makes Christian prayer an efficacious petition. He is its model; he prays in us and with us. Since the heart of the Son seeks only what pleases the Father, how could the prayer of the children of adoption be centered on the gifts rather than the Giver? (CCC 2740)
Like Saint Catherine, Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas, may we hold on to God’s words and commandments. To be true disciples of Jesus, may we come to know Him, love Him and serve Him well in this life so as to be with him in heaven, Amen.
