Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Acts 3:11–26; Psalm 8; Luke 24:35–48
At the center of today’s message is one call:
repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus.
Many of us know this ancient prayer:
Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me.
At that cry, the blind Bartimaeus received his sight.
After the resurrection,
Peter, in the temple, says:
“I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”
And the man stands.
A name spoken— and life returns.
Peter will do this again.
“Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.”
And the man rises.
“Tabitha, arise.”
And the woman returns to life.
Later, Paul, in the name of Jesus, sets people free from the power of evil.
What a powerful name.
Jesus. Yeshua. God saves.
A name you can carry on your breath.
A name you can whisper in the dark.
Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me.
Have mercy on us. Have mercy on the whole world.
The psalm says:
“How majestic is your name in all the earth.”
For a long time, that name was too holy to speak.
YHWH.
Hidden. Unpronounced.
But now, it is given to us.
Jesus.
God saves.
The name we can call. The name we can carry.
To speak this name is not only to say a word.
It is to welcome a presence.
The risen Lord is near.
His name holds forgiveness.
His name opens a way.
His name restores life.
And this is our calling:
to speak that name— simply, faithfully, with trust.
So that others may hear. So that others may rise.
So that others may discover
that forgiveness is real, that mercy is open, and that new life begins
in the name of Jesus.
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial).