Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
First Reading:
From: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
Peter's Address in the Temple
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[13] The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. [14] But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, [15] and killed the Author of Life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. [16] And His name, by faith in His name, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
[17] "And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance as did also your rulers. [18] But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ should suffer, He thus fulfilled. [19] Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
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Commentary:
13. "Servant": the original Greek word ("pais") is the equivalent of the Latin "puer" (slave, servant) and "filius" (son). By using this word St. Peter must have in mind Isaiah's prophecy about the Servant of Yahweh: "Behold, My servant shall prosper, He shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at Him--His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and His form beyond that of the sons of men--so shall He startle many nations" (52:13-15).
Peter identifies Jesus with the Servant of Yahweh, who, because He was a man of suffering and sorrow, the Jews did not identify with the future Messiah. That Messiah, Jesus Christ, combines in His person suffering and victory.
14. St. Peter, referring to Jesus, uses terms which Jews can readily understand in a messianic sense. The expression "the Holy One of God" was already used of Jesus as referring to the Messiah in Mark 1:24 and Luke 4:34. It is reminiscent of Old Testament language.
The "Righteous One" also refers to the Messiah, whom the prophets described as a model and achiever of righteousness (cf. Acts 7:52). "Holy", "righteous" and "just" all have similar meaning.
15. When St. Peter reminds his listeners about their choice of a murderer (Barabbas) in place of Jesus, the Author of Life, we might usefully consider that he was referring not only to physical life, but also to spiritual life, the life of grace. Every time a person sins--sin means the death of the soul -- this same choice is being made again. "It was He who created man in the beginning, and He left him in the power of his own inclination. If you will, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. He has placed before you fire and water: stretch out your hand for whichever you wish. Before a man are life and death, and which he chooses will be given to him" (Sirach 15:14-18).
16. The original text, structured in a very Jewish way, is difficult to understand. One reason for this is the use of the word "name" instead of simply identifying who the person is. In this passage "name" means the same as "Jesus". Thus the verse can be interpreted in this way: through faith in Jesus, the man lame from birth, whom they know and have seen, has been cured; it is Jesus Himself who has worked this complete and instantaneous cure.
17-18. The Jewish people acted in ignorance, St. Peter says. Indeed, when He was on the cross Jesus had prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). The people did not know that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. They let themselves be influenced by their priests. These, who were familiar with the Scriptures, should have recognized Him.
God's pardon is offered to one and all. St. Peter "tells them that Christ's death was a consequence of God's will and decree. [...] You can see how incomprehensible and profound God's design is. It was not just one but all the prophets who foretold this mystery. Yet although the Jews had been, without knowing it, the cause of Jesus' death, that death had been determined by the wisdom and will of God, who used the malice of the Jews to fulfill His designs. The Apostle does not say, "Although the prophets foretold this death and you acted out of ignorance, do not think you are entirely free from blame"; Peter speaks to them gently: 'Repent and turn again.' To what end? 'That your sins may be blotted out'. Not only your murder but all the stains on your souls" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on Acts", 9).
The Second Vatican Council tells us how Christians should treat Jewish people and those who follow other non-Christian religions--with respect and also a prudent zeal to attract them to the faith. "Even though the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ (cf. John 19:6), neither all the Jews indiscriminately at that time, nor Jews today, can be charged with the crimes committed during His Passion. It is true that the Church is the new people of God, yet the Jews should not be spoken of as rejected or accursed. [...] Jews for the most part did not accept the Gospel; on the contrary, many opposed the spreading of it (cf. Romans 11:28-29). Even so, the Apostle Paul maintains that the Jews remain very dear to God, for the sake of the Patriarchs, since God does not take back the gifts He bestowed or the choice He made" (Vatican II, "Nostra Aetate", 4). We must not forget this special position of the Jewish people (cf. Romans 9:4-5) and the fact that from them came Jesus as far as His human lineage was concerned, and His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Apostles—the foundation, the pillars of the Church--and many of the first disciples who proclaimed Christ's Gospel to the world.
Moved by charity, the Church prays to our Lord for the spiritual conversion of the Jewish people; "Christ, God and man, who is the Lord of David and his children, we beseech You that in keeping with the prophecies and promises, Israel should recognize You as Messiah" ("Liturgy of the Hours", Morning Prayer, 31 December).
19. One result of sorrow for sin is a desire to make up for the damage done. On the day of Pentecost many Jews were moved by grace to ask the Apostles what they should do to make atonement. Here also St. Peter encourages them to change their lives and turn to God. This repentance or conversion which Peter preaches is the same message as marked the initial proclamation of the Kingdom (cf. Mark 1:15; 13:1-4). "This means a change of outlook, and it applies to the state of sinful man, who needs to change his ways and turn to God, desirous of breaking away from his sins and repenting and calling on God's mercy" (Pope Paul VI, "Homily", 24 February 1971).
On another occasion [Pope] Paul VI explained that the word "conversion" can be translated normally as "change of heart". "We are called to this change and it will make us see many things. The first has to do with interior analysis of our soul [...]: we should examine ourselves as to what is the main direction our life is taking, what attitude is usually to the fore in the way we think and act, what is our reason of being. [...] Is our rudder fixed so as to bring us exactly to our goal or does its direction need perhaps to be changed? [...] By examining ourselves in this way [...] we will discover sins, or at least weaknesses, which call for penance and profound reform" (Pope Paul VI, "General Audience", 21 March 1973).