“But Peter said, ‘I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!’” (Acts 3:6, English Standard Version)

Today’s “3-Minute Retreat” from Loyola Publishing took Acts 3:6 as its jumping off place.  This is a good verse to jump off from, and to jump into.  The verse occurs in a miracle story in the book of Acts.

Acts tells part of the story of the very early church.  These stories are set in the twenty-plus years that followed the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  The stories involve preaching, teaching, people coming to faith in Christ, people rejecting Christ, traveling, and a few miracles.

Acts 3:1-10 tells the story of a miraculous healing of a man who had been born lame.  Perhaps it would be helpful to copy and paste the entire story.

“Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3:1–10 The Holy Bible, English Standard Version

https://accordance.bible/link/read/ESVS#Acts_3:1, italics mine)

The man was begging at the temple gate.  He was carried and placed there every day.  I suppose that he had discovered that people were more generous when they were going to or coming from worshipping God.  In any case, there he was.

When two of the apostles of Jesus, Peter and John, were going to the temple, they stopped and looked at the man.  Probably the cripple had learned the universal language of refusal to help.  The first commandment in this language is “Thou shalt not make eye contact!”  So, when Peter and John stopped and looked at him, the man expected them to give him a coin or two.

But they didn’t have money.  They had something else, something better.  They had the name and authority of Jesus.  And so, they said, “We’re as broke as you are.  However, we do have something.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, WALK!”  They helped him up, and the man did walk—just like that!

My “3-Minute Retreat” did not emphasize the miraculous aspect, but took this story (particularly Acts 3:6) in an interesting direction.  They asked two important questions.  These two questions show that the retreat masters were challenging us retreatants to identify ourselves with the apostles Peter and John in this story.

“In what ways can I offer Jesus’ healing presence to others?”

“How might I be a source of God’s comfort to those who suffer illness?”

The prayer that was suggested to close out the retreat also was based on the notion of the participants identifying with the apostles.

“(Speak to Jesus using this prayer or words of your own.)

Jesus, thank you for your healing love. Help me to be an instrument of your comfort and your healing presence.”

The person with whom you identify in any story, biblical or otherwise, says a lot about who you are.  For example, I have usually identified with the lame man in the Acts 3 story.  I’ve never been very self-confident.  I tend toward a “can’t-do attitude.”  I do a lot better these days with this, but it is still a struggle.  However, I have a wonderful wife and friends who come by often, give me a hand, and lift me to my feet.  And wonder of wonders, I discover that I can walk!

However, this retreat challenges me to identify with the apostles.  I am to ask hard questions about how I can help others to walk (or at least crawl) in the right direction.  I am asked to consider what resources I might have that could help others.  And then, there is the matter of doing something about that.