Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
Lectionary: 263
Lectionary: 263
Peter and John were going up to the temple area
for the three o'clock hour of prayer.
And a man crippled from birth was carried
and placed at the gate of the temple called "the Beautiful Gate" every day
to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he asked for alms.
But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, "Look at us."
He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk."
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
When all the people saw him walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the one
who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,
and they were filled with amazement and astonishment
at what had happened to him.
for the three o'clock hour of prayer.
And a man crippled from birth was carried
and placed at the gate of the temple called "the Beautiful Gate" every day
to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he asked for alms.
But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, "Look at us."
He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk."
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
When all the people saw him walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the one
who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,
and they were filled with amazement and astonishment
at what had happened to him.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
R. (3b) Rejoice,
O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generationsB
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generationsB
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
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 24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
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.
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
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.
Meditation: "Did not our hearts burn
while he opened to us the Scriptures"
Why was it difficult for the disciples to recognize
the risen Lord? Jesus' death scattered his disciples and shattered their hopes
and dreams. They had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
They saw the cross as defeat and could not comprehend the empty tomb until the
Lord Jesus appeared to them and gave them understanding.
Do you doubt the good news that Jesus rose to give you
new life?
Jesus chided the disciples on the road to Emmaus for their slowness of heart to believe what the Scriptures had said concerning the Messiah. They did not recognize the risen Jesus until he had broken bread with them. Do you recognize the Lord in his word and in the breaking of the bread?
Jesus chided the disciples on the road to Emmaus for their slowness of heart to believe what the Scriptures had said concerning the Messiah. They did not recognize the risen Jesus until he had broken bread with them. Do you recognize the Lord in his word and in the breaking of the bread?
St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) reflects on the
dimness of their perception:
"They were so disturbed when they saw
him hanging on the cross that they forgot his teaching, did not look for his
resurrection, and failed to keep his promises in mind" (Sermon 235.1).
"Their eyes were obstructed, that they should not
recognize him until the breaking of the bread. And thus, in accordance with the
state of their minds, which was still ignorant of the truth - that the Christ
would die and rise again, their eyes were similarly hindered. It was not that
the truth himself was misleading them, but rather that they were themselves
unable to perceive the truth." (From The
Harmony of the Gospels, 3.25.72)
How often do we fail to recognize
the Lord when he speaks to our hearts and opens his mind to us? The Risen Lord
is ever ready to speak his word to us and to give us understanding of his ways.
Do you listen attentively to the Word of God and allow his word to change and
transform you?
"Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart to
recognize your presence with me and to understand the truth of your saving
word. Nourish me with your life-giving word and with the bread of life."
A Daily Quote for Easter week: The Easter Alleluia, by Augustine of
Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Now therefore, brethren, we urge you to praise
God. That is what we are all telling each other when we say Alleluia. You say
to your neighbor, "Praise the Lord!" and he says the same to you. We
are all urging one another to praise the Lord, and all thereby doing what each
of us urges the other to do. But see that your praise comes from your whole
being; in other words, see that you praise God not with your lips and voices
alone, but with your minds, your lives and all your actions." (excerpt from commentary on Psalm 148)
WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 4, LUKE 24:13-35
Wednesday within the Octave of Easter
(Acts 3:1-10; Psalm 105)
Wednesday within the Octave of Easter
(Acts 3:1-10; Psalm 105)
KEY VERSE: "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" (v. 32).
TO KNOW: On their way home from their pilgrimage for the Feast of Passover, two disciples discussed the meaning of the events that they witnessed in Jerusalem. As they walked along, the Risen Christ appeared to them. But they did not recognize him and mistook him for another pilgrim. They told the "stranger" that Jesus was a mighty "prophet" (v. 19). Jesus then opened the scriptures and explained to them God's plan as revealed in the Law and the Prophets (the Torah). Although they had lost hope that Jesus was the expected Messiah, the "one to redeem Israel" (v. 21), Jesus told them that it was "necessary" that he should suffer so as to enter glory (v. 26). At nightfall, the disciples urged him to stay and share a meal with them. At first their eyes were closed to Jesus' identity, but then they recognized him at table "in the breaking of the bread" (v. 35). Although Jesus vanished from sight, he continues to be present to us in the breaking of the word in the scriptures and the breaking of the bread in the Eucharist.
TO LOVE: Only one disciple (Cleopas) is named in the story. Am I the other disciple?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, help me to recognize your presence in the Mass.
Wednesday 4
April 2018
Easter Wednesday.
Acts 3:1-10. Psalm 104(105):1-4, 6-9. Luke 24:13-35.
Let all who seek the Lord rejoice—Psalm 104(105):1-4, 6-9.
Their eyes were opened and they recognised him.
Perhaps today we can recall our own Emmaus story of conversion
or transformation, a moment when we saw more clearly, a time when things
changed for us. Let us ponder these events today and seek, too, to assist
others to recognise their experiences of personal growth. These moments can be
signs—miracles—in our lives, times when we see what was already there—the
Spirit moving us forward.
Can we too be promoters of this Spirit within for others as
Peter was when he helped the beggar at the Temple gates to walk? Let us seek
out ways we can empower others through our encouragement and through helping
them recognise their own transformative moments. Lord, help us also to
recognise our own ‘Emmaus moments.’
Saint Isidore of Seville
Saint of the Day for April 4
(c. 560 – April 4, 636)
Saint Isidore of Seville’s Story
The 76 years of Isidore’s life were a time of conflict and
growth for the Church in Spain. The Visigoths had invaded the land a century
and a half earlier, and shortly before Isidore’s birth they set up their own
capital. They were Arians—Christians who said Christ was not God. Thus, Spain
was split in two: One people (Catholic Romans) struggled with another (Arian
Goths).
Isidore reunited Spain, making it a center of culture and
learning. The country served as a teacher and guide for other European
countries whose culture was also threatened by barbarian invaders.
Born in Cartagena of a family that included three other sibling
saints—Leander, Fulgentius and Florentina—he was educated by his elder brother,
whom he succeeded as bishop of Seville.
An amazingly learned man, he was sometimes called “The
Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages” because the encyclopedia he wrote was used as
a textbook for nine centuries. He required seminaries to be built in every
diocese, wrote a Rule for religious orders, and founded schools that taught
every branch of learning. Isidore wrote numerous books, including a dictionary,
an encyclopedia, a history of Goths, and a history of the world—beginning with
creation! He completed the Mozarabic liturgy, which is still in use in Toledo,
Spain. For all these reasons, Isidore has been suggested as patron of the
Internet. Several others—including Anthony of Padua—also have been suggested.
He continued his austerities even as he approached age 80.
During the last six months of his life, he increased his charities so much that
his house was crowded from morning till night with the poor of the countryside.
Reflection
Our society can well use Isidore’s spirit of combining learning
and holiness. Loving, understanding and knowledge can heal and bring a broken
people back together. We are not barbarians like the invaders of Isidore’s
Spain. But people who are swamped by riches and overwhelmed by scientific and
technological advances can lose much of their understanding love for one
another.
Saint Isidore of Seville is the Patron Saint of:
Internet
Computers
Computers
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 24,13-35
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Easter Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
God our Father,
You are a God not of the dead
nor of those paralyzed by their fears and limitations
but the God of the living. Raise us up and make us walk forward
in joy and hope
as companions on the road
of Him whom you raised from the dead,
Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord for ever.
You are a God not of the dead
nor of those paralyzed by their fears and limitations
but the God of the living. Raise us up and make us walk forward
in joy and hope
as companions on the road
of Him whom you raised from the dead,
Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord for ever.
2) GOSPEL READING - LUKE
24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the
week, two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village seven miles from
Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had
occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus
himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing
him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They
stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?" And he replied to them,
"What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that
happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him
over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would
be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day
since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body; they came
back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced
that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things
just as the women had described, but him they did not see." And he said to
them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they
approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he
was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly
evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And
it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the
blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and
they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each
other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the
way and opened the Scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned
to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them
who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to
Simon!" 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.
3) REFLECTION
• Today’s Gospel speaks to us of a very
well know episode, of the apparition of Jesus to the disciples at Emmaus. Luke
writes in the year 80 for the communities of Greece, which for the most part
were made up of converted Gentiles. The years 60’s and 70’s had been most
difficult ones. There had been the great persecution of Nero in the year 64.
Six years later, in the year 70, Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the
Romans. In the year 72, in Masada, in the desert of Judah, there was the
massacre of the last rebellious Jews. In those years, the Apostles, witnesses
of the Resurrection, disappeared gradually. People began to feel tired on the
journey. From where could they draw the strength so as not to get discouraged?
How to discover the presence of Jesus in such a difficult situation? The story
of the apparition of Jesus to the disciples at Emmaus tries to give a response
to all these anguishing questions. Luke wants to teach the communities how to
interpret Scripture in order to be able to rediscover the presence of Jesus in
life.
• Luke 24:13-24: 1st Step: to get away from reality. Jesus meets the two friends in a situation of fear and lack of faith. The force of death, the cross, had killed the hope in them. This was the situation of many people at the time of Luke, and is also the predicament of many people today. Jesus gets close to them and walks by their side. He listens to their conversation and asks, “What are all these things that you are discussing as you walk along?” The dominant ideology of the government and of the official religion of the time prevent them from seeing. “Our hope had been that He would be the one to set Israel free.” What is the conversation of people who suffer today? The first step is this one: get close to the people, listen to their reality, feel their problems: be capable of asking questions which will help the people to look at reality from a more critical perspective.
• Luke 24:25-27: 2nd step: use the Bible to enlighten life. Jesus uses the Bible and the history of people to illuminate the problem which made the two friends suffer, and to clarify the situation in which they are living. He also uses it to place them in the whole plan of God which came from Moses and the prophets. Thus, He indicates that history had not escaped from God’s hand. Jesus uses the Bible not as a doctor who knows everything, but rather like a companion who comes to help friends and to remind them of what they had forgotten. Jesus tries to awaken their memory: “Foolish and slow to believe all that the prophets have said! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer before entering into His glory?”
This is the second step: With the Bible, help people to discover the wisdom which already exists in them, and transform the cross, a sign of death, into a sign of life and of hope. What prevented them from walking now becomes for them strength and light on the journey. How can we do this today?
Luke 24:28-32: 3rd step: to share in community. The Bible in itself does not open their eyes. It only makes their heart burn. What opens the eyes and makes them see is the breaking of the bread, the communal gesture of sharing, and the celebration of the Supper. At the moment in which both recognize Jesus, they are born anew, and Jesus disappears. Jesus does not take possession of his friends’ road. He is not paternalistic. Risen, the disciples are capable of walking alone.
The third step is the following: to know how to create a fraternal environment of faith, of celebration and of sharing, where the Holy Spirit can act. It is He who makes us discover and experience the Word of God in life, which leads us to understand the meaning of the words of Jesus (Jn 14:26; 16:13).
• Luke 24:13-24: 1st Step: to get away from reality. Jesus meets the two friends in a situation of fear and lack of faith. The force of death, the cross, had killed the hope in them. This was the situation of many people at the time of Luke, and is also the predicament of many people today. Jesus gets close to them and walks by their side. He listens to their conversation and asks, “What are all these things that you are discussing as you walk along?” The dominant ideology of the government and of the official religion of the time prevent them from seeing. “Our hope had been that He would be the one to set Israel free.” What is the conversation of people who suffer today? The first step is this one: get close to the people, listen to their reality, feel their problems: be capable of asking questions which will help the people to look at reality from a more critical perspective.
• Luke 24:25-27: 2nd step: use the Bible to enlighten life. Jesus uses the Bible and the history of people to illuminate the problem which made the two friends suffer, and to clarify the situation in which they are living. He also uses it to place them in the whole plan of God which came from Moses and the prophets. Thus, He indicates that history had not escaped from God’s hand. Jesus uses the Bible not as a doctor who knows everything, but rather like a companion who comes to help friends and to remind them of what they had forgotten. Jesus tries to awaken their memory: “Foolish and slow to believe all that the prophets have said! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer before entering into His glory?”
This is the second step: With the Bible, help people to discover the wisdom which already exists in them, and transform the cross, a sign of death, into a sign of life and of hope. What prevented them from walking now becomes for them strength and light on the journey. How can we do this today?
Luke 24:28-32: 3rd step: to share in community. The Bible in itself does not open their eyes. It only makes their heart burn. What opens the eyes and makes them see is the breaking of the bread, the communal gesture of sharing, and the celebration of the Supper. At the moment in which both recognize Jesus, they are born anew, and Jesus disappears. Jesus does not take possession of his friends’ road. He is not paternalistic. Risen, the disciples are capable of walking alone.
The third step is the following: to know how to create a fraternal environment of faith, of celebration and of sharing, where the Holy Spirit can act. It is He who makes us discover and experience the Word of God in life, which leads us to understand the meaning of the words of Jesus (Jn 14:26; 16:13).
• Luke 24:33-35: 4th step: The result:
To resurrect means to go back to Jerusalem. The two of them, courageously, get
back on the road to go to Jerusalem, where the same forces of death, which had
killed Jesus and had killed their hope, continue to be active. But, now
everything has changed. If Jesus is alive, then there is in Him and with Him a
stronger power than that which killed Him. This experience makes them
resurrect! Truly, everything has changed. There is return and not flight! Faith
and not unbelief! Hope and not despair! Critical conscience and not fatalism in
the face of power! Liberty and not oppression! In one word: life and not death!
Instead of the bad news of the death of Jesus, the Good News of his
Resurrection! Both of them experience life and life in abundance! (Jn 10:10).
This is a sign that the Spirit of Jesus is acting in them!
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Both of them say, “We were hoping,
but…!” Have you ever been in a situation of discouragement which led you to
say, “I was hoping, but…!”?
• How do you read, use and interpret the Bible? Have you ever felt your heart burning when reading and meditating on the Word of God? Do you read the Bible alone or are you part of a Bible group?
• How do you read, use and interpret the Bible? Have you ever felt your heart burning when reading and meditating on the Word of God? Do you read the Bible alone or are you part of a Bible group?
• Considering these steps, and the way
Jesus enlightened these disciples, how would you help a friend who was losing
hope or faith?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Give thanks to Yahweh, call on His
name,
proclaim His deeds to the peoples!
Sing to Him, make music for Him,
recount all His wonders! (Ps 105:1-2)
proclaim His deeds to the peoples!
Sing to Him, make music for Him,
recount all His wonders! (Ps 105:1-2)
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