Third Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 47
Lectionary: 47
Peter said to the
people:
“The God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus,
whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence
when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
Now I know, brothers,
that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;
but God has thus brought to fulfillment
what he had announced beforehand
through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”
“The God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus,
whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence
when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
Now I know, brothers,
that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;
but God has thus brought to fulfillment
what he had announced beforehand
through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9
R. (7a) Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
When I call, answer me, O my just God,
you who relieve me when I am in distress;
have pity on me, and hear my prayer!
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one;
the LORD will hear me when I call upon him.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put gladness into my heart.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep,
for you alone, O LORD,
bring security to my dwelling.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
When I call, answer me, O my just God,
you who relieve me when I am in distress;
have pity on me, and hear my prayer!
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one;
the LORD will hear me when I call upon him.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put gladness into my heart.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep,
for you alone, O LORD,
bring security to my dwelling.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 21 JN 2:1-5A
My children, I am
writing this to you
so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.
The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep
his commandments.
Those who say, “I know him,” but do not keep his commandments
are liars, and the truth is not in them.
But whoever keeps his word,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.
The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep
his commandments.
Those who say, “I know him,” but do not keep his commandments
are liars, and the truth is not in them.
But whoever keeps his word,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
AlleluiaCF. LK 24:32
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us;
make our hearts burn while you speak to us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us;
make our hearts burn while you speak to us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 24:35-48
The two disciples
recounted what had taken place on the way,
and how Jesus was made known to them
in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have.”
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.”
and how Jesus was made known to them
in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have.”
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.”
Scripture Study, April
19, 2015
April 19, 2015 Third
Sunday of Easter
Happy Easter! Yes, it is still time to
celebrate Easter. The Easter Season does not end until Pentecost. The readings
continue to deal with our relationship to the Risen Jesus. With the hearers of
Peter’s sermon in Acts, I must ask myself, how does the Easter proclamation of
the resurrection affect me? Does it move me to conversion? John’s insistence on
living my faith causes me to ask: Do I walk with Jesus in my life or have I
turned faith into an intellectual exercise? In the Gospel I am asked to
reflect: to what extent do I allow Jesus to open my mind to the truth of the
scriptures?
First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 3:13-15,
17-19
13 Peter said to the people: “The God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and (the God) of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his
servant Jesus whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence, when he had
decided to release him. 14 You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 The author of life you put to death, but God raised him
from the dead; of this we are witnesses. [16 And by faith in
his name, this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong, and the
faith that comes through it has given him this perfect health, in the presence
of all of you.] 17 Now I know, brothers, that you acted out
of ignorance, just as your leaders did; 18 but God has thus
brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of
all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
wiped away.”
NOTES on First Reading:
* 3:13 The portion in italics was added by the
Lectionary to indicate who is speaking.
* 3:13-16 These verses present the basic
Easter kerygma, or proclamation of the faith. It is unusual in that the
exaltation is taken up first before the passion and death for our sins. This is
so that the miracle can be taken up directly and used in counter arguments.
* 3:16 This verse is not included in the
reading as is indicated by the brackets.
* 3:13 In the resurrection and ascension of
Jesus, God reversed the judgment against Jesus that the world had rendered on
the occasion of his trial. The Greek word for servant that is used here can
also be rendered as “son” or even “child” here and also in Acts 3:26; 4:25
(where it is applied to David); Acts 4:27; and Acts 4:30. Scholars are
generally of the opinion, however, that the original concept reflected in the
words identified Jesus with the suffering Servant of the Lord of Isaiah 52:13-
53:12. Use of the servant and leader titles brings to mind the language of
Exodus in speaking of Moses. This sets up Moses as a type for Jesus and leads
into the Mosaic Christology of the conclusion of this sermon.
* 3:14 “Holy and Righteous One,” as a
designation for Jesus, emphasizes His special relationship to the Father (see
Luke 1:35; 4:34) as well as His sinlessness and religious dignity that are
placed in contrast with the guilt of those who rejected Him in favor of
Barabbas. Even the name, “Barabbas” which means “Son of the Father,” points to
the contrast between he who was chosen and the true Son of the Father who was
rejected by His people.
This verse uses ancient messianic titles that
serve to emphasize the rhetoric of contrast between what God and what Man has
brought about.
* 3:15 Alternate translations of the Greek
title given here as “author of life” are “leader of life” or “pioneer of life.”
The intent of the title is clearly to point to Jesus as the source and
originator of salvation.
* 3:16 Peter ascribes the miracle to the Name
and power of the Risen Jesus, Himself.
* 3:17-19 Ignorance is a strong Lucan motif,
that explains away the actions not only of the people but also of their leaders
in crucifying Jesus. It is on this basis that the presbyters in Acts could
continue to appeal to the Jews in Jerusalem to believe in Jesus, even while
affirming their involvement in His death. They would appeal to their lack of
unawareness of His messianic dignity. See Acts 13:27 and Luke 23:34. Now,
however, the Apostolic kerygma brings an end to ignorance and puts the hearers
who believe in touch with the saving power of Jesus. The result is seen in a
positive response to the call to repent in verse 19.
* 3:18 The early Christians saw the
crucifixion and death of Jesus as the main message of messianic prophecy. The
Jews themselves had not anticipated a suffering Messiah. Rather, they generally
understood the Servant Song in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as signifying their own
suffering as a people. As is typical (see Luke 18:31; 24:25,27,44) of him, Luke
does not specify the particular Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled by
Jesus. In fact, Luke is the only New Testament writer to speak explicitly of a
suffering Messiah (Luke 24:26,46; Acts 3:18; 17:3; 26:23). The idea of a
suffering Messiah is not found in the Old Testament or in other Jewish
literature prior to the New Testament period. The idea is hinted at in Mark
8:31-33.
Second Reading: 1 John 2: 1-5a
1 My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not
commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous one. 2 He is expiation
for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. 3 The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his
commandments. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not
keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly
perfected in him.
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 2:1 John’s use of the term,” Children,” is
an expression of pastoral love (see John 13:33; 21:5; 1 Cor 4:14). Forgiveness
of sin is assured through Christ’s intercession and expiation or “offering.”
These are technical terms emphasizing that the death of Christ brought about
the removal of our sin which had blocked our encounter with God and His grace.
* 2:3-11 This section is built around three
improper claims (2, 6, 9) which are each corrected (4-5, 6, 9) in turn by the
addition of an ethical dimension.
* 2:3-6 Here John is insisting that mere
intellectual knowledge is insufficient without obedience to God’s commandments
in a life conformed to the example of Christ. This confirms our knowledge of
Him and is the love of God. Disparity between one’s moral life and the
commandments proves improper belief.
Gospel Reading: Luke 24:35-48
35 Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and
how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
36 While they were still speaking about this, he stood in
their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 But they were startled and terrified and thought that they
were seeing a ghost. 38 Then he said to them, “Why are you
troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch
me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I
have.” 40 And as he said this, he showed them his
hands and his feet. 41 While they were still incredulous for
joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of baked fish; 43 he took it and ate it in front of them.
44 He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you
while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of
Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. 46 And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah
would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day 47 and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be
preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.”
NOTES on Gospel:
* 24:36-43,44-49 Luke, like the other Gospel
writers (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-15; John 20:19-23), focuses on an
important appearance of Jesus to “the Twelve,” now the Eleven, in which they
are commissioned for their future ministry.
* 24:36 The greeting of “Peace” is well
attested and is probably authentic.
* 24:39-42 One purpose of this story is
evident in the concern with the physical details and the report that Jesus ate
food. It is all there to demonstrate that Jesus was really alive and present
with them.
* 24: 42-43 Based upon the usage of 2 Kings
11:13; Luke 13:26 and Acts 27:35; 1:4 and 10:41, the phrase, “in front of
them,” might be better translated as “at their table.” Here the victory over
death is symbolized by Jesus’ renewal of table fellowship with His disciples.
This theme seems to predominate even over the theme of an apologetic insistence
on the reality of Jesus’ bodily presence.
* 24:45 Luke’s theme of revelation continues
with the opening of more eyes and minds.
* 24:46 Luke is the only New Testament writer
who speaks explicitly of a suffering Messiah (Luke 24:26,46; Acts 3:18; 17:3;
26:23). The idea of a suffering Messiah is not found in the Old Testament or in
other Jewish literature prior to the New Testament period, although the idea is
hinted at in Mark 8:31-33.
* 24:47 Jesus is the Messiah for all the world
and therefore must be proclaimed in all the world. Thus Luke’s theme of
universal salvation will go out to all the world.
Meditation: Jesus opened their minds to understand
the Scriptures
Aren't
we like the apostles? We wont believe unless we can see with our own eyes. The
Gospels attest to the reality of the resurrection. Jesus goes to great lengths
to assure his disciples that he is no mere ghost or illusion. He shows them the
marks of his crucifixion and he explains how the Scriptures foretold his death
and rising.
Jerome (347-420
AD), an early church bible scholar, comments:
"As
he showed them real hands and a real side, he really ate with his disciples;
really walked with Cleophas; conversed with men with a real tongue; really
reclined at supper; with real hands took bread, blessed and broke it, and was
offering it to them... Do not put the power of the Lord on the level with the
tricks of magicians, so that he may appear to have been what he was not, and
may be thought to have eaten without teeth, walked without feet, broken bread
without hands, spoken without a tongue, and showed a side which had no
ribs." (From a letter to Pammachius against John of Jerusalem 34)
The
centrality of the Gospel is the cross; but fortunately it does not stop there.
Through the cross Jesus defeated our enemies - death and Satan and won pardon
for our sins. His cross is the door to heaven and the key to paradise. The way
to glory is through the cross. When the disciples saw the risen Lord they
disbelieved for joy! How can death lead to life, the cross to victory? Jesus
shows us the way and he gives us the power to overcome sin and despair, and
everything else that would stand in the way of his love and truth. Just as the
first disciples were commissioned to bring the good news of salvation to all
the nations, so, we, too, are called to be witnesses of the resurrection of
Jesus Christ to all who live on the face of the earth. Do you witness the joy
of the Gospel to those around you?
"Lord
Jesus, open our minds to understand the Scriptures that we may fully comprehend
the truth of your word. Anoint us with your power and give us joy and boldness
to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed."
THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER, APRIL 19, LUKE 24:35-48
(Acts 3:13-15,17-19; Psalm 24; 1 John 2:1-5a)
(Acts 3:13-15,17-19; Psalm 24; 1 John 2:1-5a)
KEY VERSE: "Thus it was written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day" (v 46).
TO READ: The disciples of Emmaus returned to Jerusalem and reported to the eleven apostles that they had witnessed the Risen Christ. The Apostles in turn exclaimed that Christ had also appeared to Simon Peter. While they were still speaking, Christ appeared in their midst and proclaimed "Peace" to them (v 36). He assured the terrified disciples that he was not a ghost. When he invited them to touch him, and asked for food, the disciples were overjoyed. Again, Jesus explained everything that had been written about him in the "Law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms" (v 44). These three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures are: the law "Torah," the Prophets "Nebi'im," and the Writings "Kethubim" (acronym: "TaNaK"). Then Jesus commissioned his disciples to preach in his name: "repentance for the forgiveness of sins, beginning from Jerusalem" (v 47).
TO REFLECT: Do I see Christ in the hungry and wounded around me?
TO RESPOND: Risen Lord, help me to be a faithful witness to you.
Sunday 19 April 2015
3rd Sunday of Easter. W.
Acts 3:13-15, 17-19. Lord, let your face shine on us—Ps 4:2, 4, 7, 9. 1 John 2:1-5. Luke 24:35-48.
Acts 3:13-15, 17-19. Lord, let your face shine on us—Ps 4:2, 4, 7, 9. 1 John 2:1-5. Luke 24:35-48.
There is something warmly
human about this post-Resurrection story.
We have the benefit of
reading the whole narrative, of smiling, perhaps, that there’s nothing new
under the sun.
Jesus’ followers were not
ready to believe the women without testing their story for themselves! But in
the midst of despondency, brought on by dashed hopes, they had it within them
still to invite the stranger in, and it was around the table, sharing their
meal, that Jesus made himself known to them. They knew then that they were
saved.
Open my heart, Lord, to
hear you making yourself known to me through others. Let the belief that I am
saved already fill me with hope so that I can know in my heart that your love
for me is unchanged, no matter what my feelings might tell me.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
We Are Disciples
|
Jesus will manifest Himself through us to each other and to the
world, and by His love, others will know that we are His disciples. In spite of
all our defects, God is in love with us and keeps using us to light the light
of love and compassion in the world. So give Jesus a big smile and a hearty
thank-you.
April
19
St. Gianna Beretta Molla
(1922-1962)
St. Gianna Beretta Molla
(1922-1962)
In less
than 40 years, Gianna Beretta Molla became a pediatric physician, a wife, a
mother and a saint!
She was
born in Magenta (near Milano) as the 10th of Alberto and Maria’s 13 children.
An active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Gianna earned degrees in
medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia and opened a clinic in
Mesero. Gianna also enjoyed skiing and mountain climbing.
Shortly
before her 1955 marriage to Pietro Molla, Gianna wrote to him: “Love is the
most beautiful sentiment that the Lord has put into the soul of men and
women.” She and Peter had three children, Pierlluigi, Maria Zita and
Laura.
Early in
the pregnancy for her fourth child, doctors discovered that Gianna had both a
child and a tumor in her uterus. She allowed the surgeons to remove the tumor
but not to perform the complete hysterectomy that they recommended, which would
have killed the child. Seven months later, Gianna Emanuela was born, The
following week Gianna Beretta Molla died in Monza of complications from
childbirth. She is buried in Mesero.
Gianna
Emanuela went on to become a physician herself. Gianna Beretta Molla was
beatified in 1994 and canonized 10 years later.
Comment:
With great faith and courage, Gianna made the choice that enabled her daughter to be born. We can often wish that we were in different circumstances, but holiness frequently comes from making difficult choices in bad situations.
With great faith and courage, Gianna made the choice that enabled her daughter to be born. We can often wish that we were in different circumstances, but holiness frequently comes from making difficult choices in bad situations.
Quote:
In his homily at the canonization Mass, Pope John Paul II said: “Gianna Beretta Molla was a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love…Following the example of Christ, who ‘having loved his own…loved them to the end’ [John 13:1], this holy mother of a family remained heroically faithful to the commitment she made on the day of her marriage. The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and to others are able to fulfill themselves.”
In his homily at the canonization Mass, Pope John Paul II said: “Gianna Beretta Molla was a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love…Following the example of Christ, who ‘having loved his own…loved them to the end’ [John 13:1], this holy mother of a family remained heroically faithful to the commitment she made on the day of her marriage. The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and to others are able to fulfill themselves.”
LECTIO DIVINA:
3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)
Lectio:
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Jesus appears to the apostles
Luke 24: 35-48
Luke 24: 35-48
1. Opening prayer
Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavour of the holy memory.
Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavour of the holy memory.
2. Lectio
i) The text:
35 On their way back from Emmaus the two disciples told what had
happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the
bread. 36 As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to
them, "Peace to you." 37 But they were startled and frightened, and
supposed that they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, "Why are you
troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and
bones as you see that I have." 40 And when he had said this, he showed
them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy, and
wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" 42 They
gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. 44
Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I
was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and
the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their
minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and said to them, "Thus it is written,
that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and
that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all
nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
ii) A moment of silence:
Let us allow the sound of the Word to echo within us.
3) Meditatio
i) A few questions:
a) It happened that along the way, they recognised him: How many
are the occasions of grace along the way of our existence? Do we recognise him
as he breaks the bread of the moment with us in the inn at evening time?
b) Jesus himself among them. Look and touch: It is really I! Do we touch with our hands the gifts of freedom in the person of the living Christ and in the breaking of our togetherness?
c) Startled and frightened they supposed they were seeing a spirit: Which God attracts us? Is it the God of the unforeseen who is always beyond our little world, or is it the "spirit" God of our all-powerful desire?
d) They still disbelieved for joy: Is joy our walking stick on the journey? Is the sense of expectation alive in us or do we move in the shadow of resigning ourselves to our fate?
e) He opened their minds to understand the scriptures: Where is the creature image in our seeking? Have we made of Scripture nostalgia for a Word abandoned like the breeze of eternal Love among the branches of human suffering?
ii) A key to the reading:
b) Jesus himself among them. Look and touch: It is really I! Do we touch with our hands the gifts of freedom in the person of the living Christ and in the breaking of our togetherness?
c) Startled and frightened they supposed they were seeing a spirit: Which God attracts us? Is it the God of the unforeseen who is always beyond our little world, or is it the "spirit" God of our all-powerful desire?
d) They still disbelieved for joy: Is joy our walking stick on the journey? Is the sense of expectation alive in us or do we move in the shadow of resigning ourselves to our fate?
e) He opened their minds to understand the scriptures: Where is the creature image in our seeking? Have we made of Scripture nostalgia for a Word abandoned like the breeze of eternal Love among the branches of human suffering?
ii) A key to the reading:
The idea of a journey in Luke, mirrors well the theological
itinerary of the journey of the intervention of grace in human events. John
prepares the way for the Lord who is to come (Lk 1:76) and cries to level his
ways (Lk 3:4); Mary goes out and hurries towards the mountains (Lk 1:39);
Jesus, God's way (Lk 20:21), walks with human beings and marks the way of peace
(Lk 1:79) and of life (Acts 2:28), walking the way himself first by his very
existence. After the resurrection he continues the journey together with the
disciples (Lk 24:32) and remains the protagonist on the journey of the Church
that identifies itself with his journey (Acts 18:25). The whole raison d'être
of the Church lies in this journey of salvation (Acts 16:17) that leads to God
(Acts 18:2). She is called to live the way and to point it out to all so that
everyone may leave his/her way (Acts 14:16) and walk towards the Lord who walks
with those who belong to him.
v. 35. Then, going back
from Emmaus, the two disciples explained what had happened on the road and how
they had recognised the Lord when he broke the bread. The experience of meeting
with Life, allows one to go back on one's tracks. This is not the going back of
remorse or that of regret. It is the going back of one who re-reads his/her own
story and knows that s/he will find, along the road, the place of one's record.
We meet God in events. It is he who comes to meet us and walks beside us on the
road, which is often dry and barren with things unfinished. God reveals himself
through the familiar gestures of an experience long relished. These are the
furrows of the already accomplished that welcome the novelty of a today without
sunset. People are called to welcome the new presence of God on one's road
where God reveals himself in the basic signs of a Christian community life: the
Scriptures, read in a Christological light, and the breaking of the bread (Lk
24: 1-33). The history of humankind, privileged space for God's action, is the
history of salvation that is inherent in all human situations and throughout
the centuries in a kind of perennial exodus, full of the newness of the
proclamation.
v. 36. While the two
were telling them this, suddenly the Lord himself stood among them and said:
"Peace be with you!". Luke wisely weaves the events in order to give
a foundation and continuity to the history of salvation. The seeds proclaimed
would flower and the atmosphere of newness, which blows gently through the
pages of these events, form a basis for the development of a memoria Dei that crops
up from time to time. Jesus returns to those who belong to him. He stands in
their midst, himself, complete, as before, even though in a different manner
that is now definitive. He manifests himself in his glorious bodily form to
show that the resurrection is something that really happened.
v. 37. Startled and
frightened they supposed they were seeing a spirit. The disciples' reaction
does not seem to fit in well with the preceding story since they already
believed in the resurrection on the word of Peter (v. 34). Their confusion,
however, does not concern the conviction that Jesus is risen, but concerns the
bodily nature of the risen Jesus. Thus there is no contradiction in the
narrative. It was necessary for the disciples to experience intensely the bodily
reality of the resurrection of Jesus for them to carry out adequately their
future mission of witnessing to the good news and of clarifying ideas on the
Risen One: they did not think it was Jesus himself, but supposed they were
seeing a spirit.
vv. 38-40. But
he said to them: "Why are you alarmed? Why are these doubts coming up in
your minds? Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me,
and you will know, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you can see I
have". He said this and showed them his hands and his feet. The Jesus of
Luke's Gospel is almost a hero who meets his fate with certainty and the few
shadows there are, serve only to underscore and emphasise the fullness of his
being. Luke had recalled the humble origins and the genealogy, quite common and
devoid of prestigious persons, a crowd of obscure people from whom the figure
of the Christ sprang. In the turmoil and doubt of the disciples after the
resurrection, it is clear that Jesus is not the Saviour of the great, but of
all, startled and frightened though they may be. He, the protagonist in the
journey of the Church, walks the human paths of disbelief in order to heal them
with faith, and continues to walk in time, showing his hands and feet in the
flesh and bones of believers.
vv. 41-42. They
still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them,
"Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of cooked
fish, which he took and ate in their presence. Every invitation to sit at table,
includes the desire for intimacy; it is a remaining, a sharing. The
resurrection does not take away from Jesus the possibility of presenting
himself as the place for sharing. That cooked fish, for years eaten together
with his disciples, continues to be a means of communion. A fish cooked in love
for each other; a food that does not cease to reassure the hidden hunger of
humankind, a food capable of refuting the illusion of something that comes to
an end among the ruins of the past.
v. 44. Then he said to
them: "These are the very things I told you about while I was still with
you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the
prophets, and the Psalms had to come true". The moments of anxiety, of
emotion, of tears for the nation (Lk 19:41), the exertion of going up to
Jerusalem, the temptations, all these had defined the eternal border between
humiliation-hiding and affirmation-glory focussed in the various phases of
Jesus' human life in the light of the Father's will. Bitterness, obscurity and
suffering had nourished the Saviour's heart: "I have a baptism to receive,
and how distressed I am until it is over!" (Lk 12:50). Now the work of
grace is visible because through the working of the Spirit, the eschaton,
already accomplished in Christ and in the believer, creates an atmosphere of
praise, a climate of joy and deep peace, typical of things accomplished. The
parusia will mark the end of the salvific journey, a time of consolation and
restoration of all things (Acts 3:21).
v. 45. Then he opened
their minds to understand the Scriptures. The faith of the apostles in the
resurrection is the hermeneutic key for an interpretation of the Scriptures and
the basis of the paschal proclamation. The Bible is fulfilled in Christ, in him
it is unified in his prophetic value and in him it acquires its full meaning.
Human beings cannot of themselves understand the Word of God. The presence of
the Risen One opens the mind to a full understanding of the Mystery hidden in
the sacred words concerning human existence.
v. 45-47. "This
is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days
later, and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins
must be preached to all nations beginning in Jerusalem." In Luke salvation
touches all the human dimensions through the working of Christ who saves from
evil, who frees from darkness (Acts 26:18) and from sin (Lk 5:20-26; Acts
2:38), from disease and from suffering, from death, from disbelief and from
idols; who realises human life in the community being of God, happy fraternity
of love; who does not leave us orphans but is always present with his Spirit
from on high (Acts 2:2). The radical salvation of humankind lies in freeing
hearts of stone and in receiving a new heart, which implies a dynamism that
frees from every form of slavery (Lk 4:16-22). God guides history; it is he who
evangelises and guides the journey of those who belong to him. The evangelist
of great horizons - from Adam to the kingdom, from Jerusalem to the ends of the
earth - he is also the evangelist of every day events. The
historical-eschatological process is taking place through which concrete
history is accomplished transcending human history and Jesus goes on offering
salvation through his Spirit who creates witnesses capable of prophecy and of
diffusing salvation until the time when Christ will return (Lk 21:28) when the
complete freedom of humankind will be manifest. In Acts 2:37 we find a resume
of the whole iter salutis suggested here: to welcome the word, to be converted,
believe, be baptised, and obtain pardon of sins and the gift of the Spirit. The
word of salvation, word of grace, unfurls its power in the heart of one who
listens (Lk 8: 4-15), and the invocation of the Name of the Saviour seals
salvation in the one converted to the faith. The action of Jesus through the
Spirit, made present by the mediation of the Church (Acts 9: 3-5), complements
the action accomplished through the Church to whom he himself refers as in the
call of Paul (Acts 9: 6-18).
v. 48. You are
witnesses of these things. The Christian community, called to map the journey
of witnessing in human history, proclaims by word and deed the fulfilment of
the kingdom of God among human beings and the presence of the Lord Jesus who
continues to work as Messiah, Lord and prophet in his Church. The Church will
grow and walk in the fear of the Lord, full of the consolation of the Holy
Spirit (Acts 9:31). This is a journey of service, meant to echo the Word of
salvation in the furthest ends of the earth (Acts 1:1-11). Gradually the
journey goes further away from Jerusalem and goes to the heart of the pagan
world. When it reaches Rome, capital of empire, Luke will put his signature to
his evangelising steps. No one will be excluded in the process. All are meant to
receive salvation, especially sinners for whose conversion there is great joy
in heaven (Lk 15:7.10). Like Mary, who for Luke is the model of the disciple
who walks in the Lord, believers are called to be completely transformed in
order to live the messianic motherhood, whatever one's own "virginal"
state, which is an expression of the poverty of being creature (Lk 1:30-35).
The yes of the Magnificat is the way to go. We walk carrying within ourselves
the word of salvation; we walk in faith, trusting in God who keeps his
promises; we walk in the joy of Him who makes us blessed, not through any merit
of ours but in humility of life. May Mary's itinerary be ours: to go, carried
by the Spirit, towards our brothers and sisters, taking with us as our only luggage
the saving Word: Christ the Lord (Acts 3:6).
iii) Reflection:
In his meeting with people, Jesus offered his benevolent presence and waited for the seed of the word and of faith to sprout. When the apostles abandoned him, when Peter denied him, when the sinful woman loved him, when the Pharisees were closed to him, he was neither scandalised nor perturbed. He knew that what he had said and suggested to them would not be lost…and, indeed, after Pentecost these same people go before the Sanhedrin without fear to say that it is necessary to obey God rather human beings, Peter preaches openly even to dying on a cross like his Master, the women are sent as witnesses of the resurrection to the apostles and a Pharisee son of Pharisees, Paul of Tarsus, becomes the apostle of the gentiles.
If you, man or woman, cannot avoid living daily the death of yourself, you must not, however, forget that the resurrection is hidden in your wounds to make you live in him, even now. In your neighbour, who may be for you sepulchre of death and mud, a cursed cross, you will find new life. Yes, because the risen Christ will assume the semblance of your neighbour: a gardener, a traveller, a spirit, a person on the bank of a lake…When you can welcome the "challenge' of Pilate that echoes through the centuries and not accept the exchange suggested (Jn 18:39-40) because you will have learnt in the nights of forsakenness that you cannot barter your brigand's life with the life of Jesus, the only begotten son of the living God, the Lord of life and death, you who wear unworthily his name: Bar-Abba, son of the Father…then you too will shout like Thomas, the apostle, in the wonder of faith: "My Lord and my God" (Jn 20:28), my God and my all, and the beauty of your joy will never set on the horizon of your day.
In his meeting with people, Jesus offered his benevolent presence and waited for the seed of the word and of faith to sprout. When the apostles abandoned him, when Peter denied him, when the sinful woman loved him, when the Pharisees were closed to him, he was neither scandalised nor perturbed. He knew that what he had said and suggested to them would not be lost…and, indeed, after Pentecost these same people go before the Sanhedrin without fear to say that it is necessary to obey God rather human beings, Peter preaches openly even to dying on a cross like his Master, the women are sent as witnesses of the resurrection to the apostles and a Pharisee son of Pharisees, Paul of Tarsus, becomes the apostle of the gentiles.
If you, man or woman, cannot avoid living daily the death of yourself, you must not, however, forget that the resurrection is hidden in your wounds to make you live in him, even now. In your neighbour, who may be for you sepulchre of death and mud, a cursed cross, you will find new life. Yes, because the risen Christ will assume the semblance of your neighbour: a gardener, a traveller, a spirit, a person on the bank of a lake…When you can welcome the "challenge' of Pilate that echoes through the centuries and not accept the exchange suggested (Jn 18:39-40) because you will have learnt in the nights of forsakenness that you cannot barter your brigand's life with the life of Jesus, the only begotten son of the living God, the Lord of life and death, you who wear unworthily his name: Bar-Abba, son of the Father…then you too will shout like Thomas, the apostle, in the wonder of faith: "My Lord and my God" (Jn 20:28), my God and my all, and the beauty of your joy will never set on the horizon of your day.
4. Oratio
Lord, we seek you and wish to see your face:
one day when the veil will be removed,
we shall be able to contemplate you.
one day when the veil will be removed,
we shall be able to contemplate you.
We seek you in the Scriptures that speak of you:
under the veil of wisdom we welcome the cross, your gift to all.
under the veil of wisdom we welcome the cross, your gift to all.
We seek you in the radiant faces of our brothers and sisters:
we see you in the marks of your passion on their suffering bodies.
we see you in the marks of your passion on their suffering bodies.
It is not our eyes, but our heart that sees you:
in the light of hope we hope to meet you and speak to you.
in the light of hope we hope to meet you and speak to you.
5. Contemplatio
Lord, give us the perseverance to walk towards the summits, in
the light of the only Word that saves. As blood brother or sister, the Blood
that makes us all brothers and sisters, I remain here, near the tomb of every
interior death to set out like a traveller on the paths of no feeling and come
to the paths of friendship and meeting. Today, I would like to share the wonder
of human love, the joy of wonderful people who live near me not on the edge of
their existence, but in their open secrets, where their hearts embrace the
Absolute of God. Thank you for giving me his risen face and for your heart
enamoured of Life and kissed by the Eternal. Thank you for your freedom of
explorer that immerses itself in the depths of the Essential. God of the desert
that becomes garden, may I always be a small flame lit in the darkness of human
endeavour, a heat that spreads where the cold winds of evil destroy and
diminish the horizons of Truth and Beauty, that tells the world of the
wonderful adventure of risen human love, the love that knows how to die in
order to incarnate the smile of God. Amen.
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