April 10

But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” — Acts 3:6 BSB

The lame man, asking for alms, only hoped for a bit of money. It seemed kind to give him what he asked. In those days, there were no hospitals or care facilities for the disabled—begging was often their only means of survival.

Christianity teaches us to be kind to those in distress. Peter and John didn’t neglect this duty. First, they treated him with Christian kindness.

A Russian writer once described meeting a beggar. Searching his pockets, he found nothing to give and said, “I’m sorry, brother, I have nothing to give you.” The beggar thanked him, saying that being called “brother” was worth more than silver.

The apostles treated the lame man as a brother. And instead of giving him money, they healed him. Wasn’t that far better than any alms? Money would have sustained him a little longer in his poverty—what they gave him made it so he no longer had to beg at all.