“Peter and John were going up to the temple area
for the three o’clock hour of prayer.
And a man crippled from birth was carried
and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day
to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he asked for alms.
But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, “Look at us.”
He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
When all the people saw him walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the one
who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,
and they were filled with amazement and astonishment
at what had happened to him.” Acts 3:1-10

How I love the Acts of the Apostles. The stories that happened after the rising of our Savior always fill me with joy. I am not sure if it is the fact that Jesus was walking amongst the Eleven, or just the wonders that began happening as the mystery of faith began to become clear, but how amazing is this book!

Today, I can see this happening. You have two guys walking up to the temple to pray, they just happen to be Peter and John. They are still following traditions, trying to make sense of everything that has been going on. You could actually picture this sort of thing happening today, people walking into a Church, in conversation, then being stopped by someone asking for money. What you don’t see much of today, is the second part. Usually we either don’t make eye contact, or we do and feel bad by digging out a dollar or two, or we just pass by and ignore the individual. Peter did not, he made it a purpose to make eye contact, and he gave him a gift. It was not of monetary value, it was instead priceless.

I am not Saint Peter. I can not instantly heal someone, but I can help. I have gifts, and until just recently, I never really shared them with anyone, especially the world. I like to put my reflections and life experiences “on paper”. I feel it will help someone along the way. It is my gift, and it costs me nothing. Giving back doesn’t have to be money, it can be anything… doing it out of love and compassion is the key to making it priceless. May God Bless everyone who reads this today.