Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Lectionary: 264
Lectionary: 264
As the crippled man
who had been cured clung to Peter and John,
all the people hurried in amazement toward them
in the portico called “Solomon’s Portico.”
When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,
“You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,
and why do you look so intently at us
as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?
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.
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.
Now I know, brothers and sisters,
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,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.
For Moses said:
A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.
Everyone who does not listen to that prophet
will be cut off from the people.
“Moreover, all the prophets who spoke,
from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days.
You are the children of the prophets
and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors
when he said to Abraham,
In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you
by turning each of you from your evil ways.”
all the people hurried in amazement toward them
in the portico called “Solomon’s Portico.”
When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,
“You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,
and why do you look so intently at us
as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?
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.
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.
Now I know, brothers and sisters,
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,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.
For Moses said:
A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.
Everyone who does not listen to that prophet
will be cut off from the people.
“Moreover, all the prophets who spoke,
from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days.
You are the children of the prophets
and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors
when he said to Abraham,
In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you
by turning each of you from your evil ways.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 8:2AB AND 5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in
all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaPS 118:24
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 24:35-48
The disciples of
Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him 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 they had come to recognize him 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.”
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."
 You Are Witnesses of These Things |
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April 9, 2015.
Thursday in the Octave of Easter
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By Father Robert Presutti, LC
Luke 24:35-48
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had
taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of
the 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, it is really I. 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 Messiah 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."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are the source of all life because
you are life itself. Your resurrection gives me the hope of being raised from
the dead to rejoice with you in heaven forever. I need to reflect more often
on the good you have done for us and on your promises to those who put their
trust in you. Thank you, Jesus, for taking up your life again and leading the
way home to heaven. I love you, and I want to follow after you with all my
heart. I want to cooperate more fully with you in bringing many others to
heaven with me.
Petition: Lord Jesus, bring me your Easter peace. Let
me share in your victory over sin and death. May I live for you alone.
1. The Disciples’ Mixed and Changing
Reaction to the Resurrection: The Gospel narratives manifest the disciples’ volatile
situation. They want to believe, but lack confidence. They experience the
sincere joy of seeing Christ resurrected, but have not completely overcome
their cautious disbelief. The two from Emmaus recount their encounter, and
Christ himself appears to them. Yet even when he is right there in front of
them, they are slow to believe. Our Lord’s patient, accepting attitude is
encouraging. He did not come for a meal, but takes a piece of fish to help
them believe. We all have our moments of light and generosity, and our
moments of sluggishness and inner resistance. I want to believe, but because
it implies letting go of my false securities, I need detachment and
purification. Christ aids my weakness by his closeness.
2. It Is I Myself: Christ is not a ghost. He is not a figment
of my imagination, nor the result of my wishful thinking––something too good
to be true. Christ is more real than my fears; his grace is stronger than my
weakness, more powerful than sin and death itself. As the disciples have
mixed reactions to his presence, he invites them to get a grip on themselves
and reflect in faith. Reflection and contemplation in faith always lead to
the truth of Christ. Am I living in an illusory world of my own making
because I’m not reflecting in faith on the realities and experiences of my
life? All I need to do is overcome my incredulity with faith and trust in the
Christ.
3. Thus It Was Written: The Cross was not a mistake. Christ does not
see it as a necessary evil. Rather, “it was written”. In other words, it
could not have been any other way. Without the Cross there is no
resurrection. Without the Resurrection there is no experience of the fullness
of life, no hope for things to come. My life too has its own experience of
Christ’s cross. What for me might be an unexpected twist, an obstacle or a
problem, is for the Lord a means of purifying my heart and bringing me to the
Resurrection.
Conversation with Christ: At times Lord, I fear I am seeing a ghost,
just like the disciples. Your plan and will are so far beyond me that at
times I have difficulty distinguishing my own wishful thinking or false hopes
from your will and your call. Help me to find in you the only source of my
hopes and the One who will never fail me.
Resolution: Today I will speak of Christ’s resurrection
and the hope which it brings us.
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SOLEMNITY OF EASTER THURSDAY, LUKE 24:25-48
(Acts 3:11-26; Psalm 8)
(Acts 3:11-26; Psalm 8)
KEY VERSE: "He stood in their midst and said to them, `Peace be with you'" (v 36).
TO READ: After the two pilgrims from Emmaus recognized Jesus "in the breaking of the bread" (v 35), they returned to Jerusalem to announce the good news of the resurrection to Jesus' fearful disciples. But they discovered that the apostles had already experienced the risen Lord. Then the disciples recounted how their hearts burned within them on their journey to Emmaus, how Jesus opened the scriptures to them, and that he was known to them in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking, Jesus appeared in their midst and imparted peace to his distressed followers. He reassured them that he was not a ghost by showing them the wounds of the crucifixion and by sharing a meal with them. He reminded them that he had told them that he would suffer, die and rise from the dead, but their minds had been closed to the idea of a suffering Messiah. Jesus declared that everything in the scriptures had been fulfilled by him. His followers were witnesses of these events, and were commanded to proclaim a message of "repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (v 47).
TO REFLECT: In what ways do I bring the peace of Christ to those who are anxious and afraid?
TO RESPOND: Risen Lord, give me your peace when I am fearful.
Thursday 9 April 2015
Easter Thursday.
Acts 3:11-26. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth! —Ps 8:2, 5-9. Luke 24:35-48.
Acts 3:11-26. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth! —Ps 8:2, 5-9. Luke 24:35-48.
How do we experience the
presence of God? How do we know we are hearing God’s voice? It’s not always
easy to know.
If the disciples didn’t
recognise Jesus on the road to Emmaus, or thought he was a ghost, and prophets
were often ignored in the church, how can we be expected to know which voices
we are to listen to? How are we to know when it is God who is speaking through
someone?
Jesus reminds the disciples
that belief requires faith and trust. It would seem that God is oftentimes
revealed in the most unlikely places, through the most unlikely people.
Lord, help us to be alert
and open, so as not to miss any opportunities to hear what God has to say to
us.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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True Faith
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Faith is more than staring at the heavens hoping God exists. True
faith moves you...it calls you to worship.
April
9
St. Casilda
(11th century)
St. Casilda
(11th century)
Some saints’ names are far more familiar to us than others, but
even the lives of obscure holy persons teach us something.
And so it
is with St. Casilda, the daughter of a Muslim leader in Toledo, Spain, in the
10th century. Casilda was herself raised as a Muslim and showed
special kindness to Christian prisoners. She became ill as a young woman but
was not convinced that any of the local Arab doctors could cure her. So, she
made a pilgrimage to the shrine of San Vicenzo in northern Spain. Like so many
other people who made their way there—many of them suffering from
hemorrhages—Casilda sought the healing waters of the shrine. We’re uncertain
what brought her to the shrine, but we do know that she left it relieved of
illness.
In
response, she became a Christian and lived a life of solitude and penance not
far from the miraculous spring. It’s said that she lived to be 100 years old.
Her death likely occurred around the year 1050.
Tensions
between Muslims and Christians have often existed throughout history, sometimes
resulting in bloody conflict. Through her quiet, simple life Casilda served her
Creator—first in one faith, then another.
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 24,35-48
Lectio:
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Easter Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God and Father,
Jesus died for us on the cross
and you raised him from the dead.We have not seen the marks of the nails in his hands
nor touched the wound in his side,
but we believe that he is alive
and present here among us.
Open our hearts to his word
and let us touch him in the bread of the eucharist,
that he may raise us above our sins
and change us into new people.
May we thus bear witness to your risen Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus died for us on the cross
and you raised him from the dead.We have not seen the marks of the nails in his hands
nor touched the wound in his side,
but we believe that he is alive
and present here among us.
Open our hearts to his word
and let us touch him in the bread of the eucharist,
that he may raise us above our sins
and change us into new people.
May we thus bear witness to your risen Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 24, 35-48
Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and
how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.
They were still talking about all this when he himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you!' In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But he said, 'Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts stirring in your hearts? See by my hands and my feet that it is I myself. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.' And as he said this he showed them his hands and his feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, as they were dumbfounded; so he said to them, 'Have you anything here to eat?' And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes. Then he told them, 'This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, was destined to be fulfilled.'
He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, 'So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.
They were still talking about all this when he himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you!' In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But he said, 'Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts stirring in your hearts? See by my hands and my feet that it is I myself. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.' And as he said this he showed them his hands and his feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, as they were dumbfounded; so he said to them, 'Have you anything here to eat?' And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes. Then he told them, 'This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, was destined to be fulfilled.'
He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, 'So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.
3) Reflection
• In these days after Easter, the texts of the Gospel narrate
the apparitions of Jesus. At the beginning, in the first years after the death
and the Resurrection of Jesus, the Christians were concerned in defending the
Resurrection through the apparitions. They themselves, the living community,
were a great apparition of the Risen Jesus. But in the measure in which the
criticism of the enemies against the faith in the Resurrection increased, and
that internally, there arose criticism and doubts concerning diverse functions
in the community (cf. 1 Co 1, 12), they began to recall the apparitions of
Jesus. There are two types of apparitions: (a) those which stress the doubts
and the resistance of the disciples in believing in the Resurrection, and (b)
those who call the attention toward the orders of Jesus to the disciples – men
and women – conferring some mission to them. The first respond to the criticism
which come from outside. These show that Christians are not naïve and credulous
persons who accept everything and anything, rather all the contrary. They
themselves had many doubts in believing in the Resurrection. The others respond
to the criticism from within and found the community functions and tasks, not
on human qualities which are always debatable, but on the authority and orders
received from the Risen Jesus. The apparitions of Jesus in today’s Gospel put
together two different aspects: the doubts of the disciples and the mission to
announce and to forgive received from Jesus.
• Luke 24, 35: The summary of the story of Emmaus. Returning to Jerusalem, the two disciples found the community together and they shared with them the experience that they had lived. They told them what had happened along the road and how they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. The community gathered together, in turn, shared the apparition of Jesus to Peter. This was a reciprocal sharing of the experience of the Resurrection, as it also happens today when the communities gather together to share and celebrate their faith, their hope and their love.
• Luke 24, 36-37: The apparition of Jesus causes great fright in the disciples. At this moment, Jesus becomes present among them and says: “Peace be with you!” This is the most frequent greeting of Jesus: “Peace be with you!” (Jn 14, 27; 16, 33; 20, 19.21.26). But the disciples in seeing Jesus were frightened and did not recognize him. Before them is Jesus in person, but they think that they are seeing a ghost, a phantasm. They cannot believe it. It is not the encounter between Jesus of Nazareth and the Risen Jesus.
• Luke 24, 38-40: Jesus helps them to overcome fear and unbelief. Jesus does two things to help the disciples overcome the fear and the unbelief. He shows them his hands and his feet, saying: “It is I myself!”, and tells them to touch his body saying: “A ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have!” Jesus shows his hands and feet because in them is the sign of the nails (cf. Jn 20, 25-27). The Risen Christ is Jesus of Nazareth, the same one who was nailed on the Cross and not a phantasm Christ as the disciples imagined, when they saw him. He orders them to touch his body, because the Resurrection is the Resurrection of the whole person, body and soul. The Resurrection has nothing to do with the theory of the immortality of the soul, which the Greeks taught.
• Luke 24, 41-43: The other gesture to help them overcome unbelief. But it does not suffice! Luke said that they could not believe because their joy was so great that they became dumbfounded. Jesus asks them to give him something to eat. They offered him some fish and he eats before them, to help them to overcome the doubt.
• Luke 24, 44-47: A key for the reading to understand the new significance of the Scripture. One of the greatest difficulties of the first Christians was that of accepting the crucified as the promised Messiah, because the Law taught that a crucified person was a “person cursed by God” (Dt 21, 22-23). For this reason, it was important to know that Scripture had already announced that “Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that in his name, conversion and forgiveness of sins would be preached to all peoples”. Jesus shows them that which had already been written in the Law of Moses, in the prophets and in the Psalms. Jesus risen from the dead, alive in their midst, becomes the key to open to them the total significance of Sacred Scripture.
• Luke 24, 48: You are witnesses of this. In this last order is enclosed the whole mission of the Christian communities: to be witnesses of the Resurrection, in such a way that the love of God which accepts us and forgives us will be manifested, and which wants us to live in community as sons and daughters, brothers and sisters with one another.
• Luke 24, 35: The summary of the story of Emmaus. Returning to Jerusalem, the two disciples found the community together and they shared with them the experience that they had lived. They told them what had happened along the road and how they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. The community gathered together, in turn, shared the apparition of Jesus to Peter. This was a reciprocal sharing of the experience of the Resurrection, as it also happens today when the communities gather together to share and celebrate their faith, their hope and their love.
• Luke 24, 36-37: The apparition of Jesus causes great fright in the disciples. At this moment, Jesus becomes present among them and says: “Peace be with you!” This is the most frequent greeting of Jesus: “Peace be with you!” (Jn 14, 27; 16, 33; 20, 19.21.26). But the disciples in seeing Jesus were frightened and did not recognize him. Before them is Jesus in person, but they think that they are seeing a ghost, a phantasm. They cannot believe it. It is not the encounter between Jesus of Nazareth and the Risen Jesus.
• Luke 24, 38-40: Jesus helps them to overcome fear and unbelief. Jesus does two things to help the disciples overcome the fear and the unbelief. He shows them his hands and his feet, saying: “It is I myself!”, and tells them to touch his body saying: “A ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have!” Jesus shows his hands and feet because in them is the sign of the nails (cf. Jn 20, 25-27). The Risen Christ is Jesus of Nazareth, the same one who was nailed on the Cross and not a phantasm Christ as the disciples imagined, when they saw him. He orders them to touch his body, because the Resurrection is the Resurrection of the whole person, body and soul. The Resurrection has nothing to do with the theory of the immortality of the soul, which the Greeks taught.
• Luke 24, 41-43: The other gesture to help them overcome unbelief. But it does not suffice! Luke said that they could not believe because their joy was so great that they became dumbfounded. Jesus asks them to give him something to eat. They offered him some fish and he eats before them, to help them to overcome the doubt.
• Luke 24, 44-47: A key for the reading to understand the new significance of the Scripture. One of the greatest difficulties of the first Christians was that of accepting the crucified as the promised Messiah, because the Law taught that a crucified person was a “person cursed by God” (Dt 21, 22-23). For this reason, it was important to know that Scripture had already announced that “Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that in his name, conversion and forgiveness of sins would be preached to all peoples”. Jesus shows them that which had already been written in the Law of Moses, in the prophets and in the Psalms. Jesus risen from the dead, alive in their midst, becomes the key to open to them the total significance of Sacred Scripture.
• Luke 24, 48: You are witnesses of this. In this last order is enclosed the whole mission of the Christian communities: to be witnesses of the Resurrection, in such a way that the love of God which accepts us and forgives us will be manifested, and which wants us to live in community as sons and daughters, brothers and sisters with one another.
4) Personal questions
• Some times, unbelief and doubt set in the heart and weaken the
certainty that faith gives us concerning the presence of God in our life. Have
you ever lived this some times? How have you overcome it?
• Our mission, and also my mission, is that of being a witness of the love of God revealed in Jesus. Am I a witness of this love?
• Our mission, and also my mission, is that of being a witness of the love of God revealed in Jesus. Am I a witness of this love?
5) Concluding Prayer
What are human beings
that you spare a thought for them,
or the child of Adam that you care for him? (Ps 8,4)
that you spare a thought for them,
or the child of Adam that you care for him? (Ps 8,4)
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