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."
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 Gospel accounts attest to the reality of the
resurrection of Jesus from the grave. 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 door to heaven and key to paradise is
through the cross
The centrality of the Gospel message 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?
The centrality of the Gospel message 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."
A Daily Quote for Easter Week: The Easter Alleluia, by Augustine of
Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"We are praising God now, assembled as we are
here in church; but when we go on our various ways again, it seems as if we
cease to praise God. But provided we do not cease to live a good life, we shall
always be praising God. You cease to praise God only when you swerve from
justice and from what is pleasing to God. If you never turn aside from the good
life, your tongue may be silent but your actions will cry aloud, and God will
perceive your intentions; for as our ears hear each others voices, so do God's
ears hear our thoughts. " (excerpt
from commentary on Psalm 148)
3rd Sunday of Easter – Cycle A
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Acts 2:14, 22-33
Today’s first reading tells of the formation of the early Church as we hear Peter address the people of the day of Pentecost. His address is in two parts: Part 1, which we do not hear today, explains that the messianic times foretold by the Prophet Joel have now arrived; today’s reading is the second part of the address and it proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Jews crucified, is the Messiah promised by God and eagerly awaited by the righteous of the Old Testament; it is he who has effected God’s saving plan for mankind.
“Pentecost” means “the 50th day”. It is one of three feasts mentioned in Exodus 23:14-17 where it is called simply the harvest festival, the feast of the first-fruits of the grain harvest. In Leviticus 23:15-21 the feast is reckoned by counting seven weeks from the beginning of the grain harvest; it is a day of sabbatical observance. As with the other two feasts mentioned in Exodus 23:14-17, it is a pilgrimage feast: “three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God”. Jerusalem is crowded with pilgrims. The resurrected Jesus had spent forty days instructing His apostles and then ten days ago ascended after telling them “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for ‘the promise of the Father... you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 1:4-5). The Holy Spirit has come upon them this day and now Peter, the chief apostle and spokesman for the group, addresses the crowd of pilgrims who are outside the upper room, attracted by the sound of the coming of the Spirit.
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them,
Notice the change worked in Peter by the Holy Spirit: he preaches and argues boldly whereas only some 50 days earlier he had trembled at the word of a servant girl. Notice that it is Peter who speaks for the whole group with no dissension from any of the other apostles.
“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. 22 You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
The overall concern is to show that God is directing history at its every turn.
23 This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
God’s fore-ordination of Jesus’ death does not diminish the people’s guilt. God triumphs through human actions rather than despite them.
24 But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says of him:
Jewish tradition is that David wrote all the psalms. Psalm 16:8-11 is quoted; its only use in the New Testament. The tradition of Davidic authorship of the psalms and the divine pledge of David’s everlasting dynasty (2 Samuel 7:12-16) play a key role in the Scripture proofs of Saint Luke’s proclamation of what God has done in Christ for the salvation of men.
‘I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. 26 Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, 27 because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ 29 My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
1 Kings 2:10 tells us that David is buried in Jerusalem. Since David has died, the psalm cannot apply to him. This argument is following a set pattern: (1) Scripture says; (2) the words apply either to the one speaking in the text or to another; (3) they do not apply to the speaker; (4) therefore they apply to another, namely Jesus. Similar patterns occur in Acts 8:30-35 and 13:35-37.
30 But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
The ideology of Davidic succession is quoted from Psalm 132:11-12 to indicate of whom David prophesied in the Psalm.
31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.
The statement of verse 24 is reaffirmed and a statement of apostolic witness is added.
33 Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you (both) see and hear.
What we have here is Saint Peter, the masterful teacher, demonstrating that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah who was foretold by the prophets by reminding his listeners of our Lord’s miracles (verse 22), as well as of His death (verse 23), resurrection (verses 24-32) and glorious ascension (verse 33).
2nd Reading - 1 Peter 1:17-21
This week we delve a little farther into the 1st letter of Peter. Peter was originally called Simeon in Hebrew (Simon is the Greek form of the name). Jesus reamed him Kepha (Hebrew/Aramaic) or Petros (Greek), transliterated in some texts as Cephas. Simon Peter was a native of Bethsaida, a city of Galilee on the northeast shore of Lake Tiberius (Genesareth/Sea of Galilee). Like his father John and his brother Andrew, he was a fisherman. We know that he was married because Jesus healed his mother-in-law who was living in Capernaum (Matthew 8:14).
Today we hear Saint Peter call us to holiness. The Christian has attained the honor of being God’s child, his son or daughter. Peter summarizes God’s plan for man’s salvation, which comes about in Christ: from all eternity it was God’s design to save men through Christ; this design was made manifest “at the end of times”; when our Lord offered Himself as an expiation for the sins of men, and then rose from the dead and was glorified.
17 Now if you invoke as Father
Calling upon a father as witness is swearing an oath (kaddush in Hebrew) it is recognizing a covenant bond in which we are all children of God. The Didache (The Teaching of the 12 Apostles), a 1st century writing, tells us that the “Our Father” was recited three times a day.
him who judges impartially
It is true that the Lord our God is infinitely merciful, but He is also infinitely just: and there is a judgment, and He is the judge.
according to each one’s works,
Divine sonship can never be taken as a kind of safe-conduct which allows us to be casual about our duties. Faith without works is dead (James 2:26).
conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, 18 realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold 19
The Jews could redeem their sacrifice by paying 15 to 20 per cent more than the cost of the animal. The animal sacrifice was not effective; although it could show contrition for sin, it could not gain absolution sufficient for entrance into heaven.
but with the precious blood of Christ
The sacrifice of Jesus is effective, it allows us to approach the Father and gain absolution for our sins.
“If the unfortunate Jews observe the Sabbath in such a way that they do not dare to do any secular work on it, how much more should those who have been ‘redeemed, not with gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ,’ pay attention to their price and devote themselves to God on the day of His resurrection, thinking more diligently of the salvation of their souls?” [Caesar of Arles (A.D. 542), Sermons, 73,4]
as of a spotless unblemished lamb.
This is a Passover reference which carries over into the Eucharist. Just like the original Passover sacrifice, the sacrifice of the Eucharist must be eaten to be effective.
20 He was known before the foundation of the world
God always knew what was going to be required, but He, in His infinite respect for our free will, let us come to this point in salvation history by our own deeds and actions.
but revealed in the final time for you, 21 who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
The resurrection of Jesus is the basis of Christian faith and hope and is the main proof of Jesus’ divinity and His divine mission (see 1 Corinthians 15). The apostles were, first and foremost, witnesses of our Lord’s resurrection; and the proclamation of the resurrection was the core of apostolic catechesis. Jesus the Christ rose from the dead by His own power, the power of His divine person. The Saint Pius V Catechism points out that “We sometimes, it is true, read in Scripture that He was raised by the Father; but this refers to Him as man, just as those passages, on the other hand, which say that He rose by His own power relate to Him as God.”
The next verse reads “Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a (pure) heart.” Everything depends upon living the life of Christ.
Gospel - Luke 24:13-35
Last week we heard the account of Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples as recorded in the Gospel of John. It was at this appearance that He conferred the ability and responsibility to forgive sins to the apostles. Today’s gospel reading is the first appearance of Jesus away from the tomb as recorded in Luke’s gospel. There is a parallel account in Mark 16:12-13.
There are a number of differences which show up upon comparison of today’s gospel reading with the gospel reading of last week as we hear this week of the account of His appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus:
1) The two men are not leaders of the community but represent all followers.
2) The two men are troubled and do not understand why Jesus was crucified.
3) At first they do not recognize Jesus.
4) The apostles seem to recognize Jesus but do not believe their senses.
5) After recognition, these two men do not hesitate to believe. 6) Once recognized, Jesus disappears.
13 Now that very day [the first day of the week]
As attested in Luke 24:1, this is the first Easter Sunday.
two of them
It has been suggested that these two may be part of the seventy-two (seventy) sent out in pairs in Luke 10:1.
were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
The location of the village is unknown today. The name means “hot spring”.
14 and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
The two have lost hope and have ceased to be journeying with Jesus. Their leader has been killed and they don’t know what to do. The Lucan theme of journey is predominant as an image for discipleship.
15 And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, 16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
Throughout his gospel Saint Luke plays on the theme of seeing. Now he articulates this theme as he tells how the risen Christ opens the eyes of disciples to see His true meaning in God’s plan. But as this story narrates, the disciples’ eyes are only fully opened after they have shown hospitality to a stranger.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas,
From Eusebius (A.D. 263-339) we learn that Cleopas is the brother of Joseph, Jesus’ foster father and father of Symeon. Symeon succeeded James as Bishop of Jerusalem and after A.D. 70 led the Christians back to Jerusalem. “After the martyrdom of James and the capture of Jerusalem which instantly followed, there is a firm tradition that those of the apostles and disciples of the Lord who were still alive assembled from all parts together with those who, humanly speaking, were kinsmen of the Lord – for most of them were still living. Then they all discussed together whom they should choose as a fit person to succeed James, and voted unanimously that Symeon, son of the Cleopas mentioned in the gospel narrative, was a fit person to occupy the throne of the Jerusalem see. He was, so it is said, a cousin of the Savior, for Hegesippus tells us that Cleopas was Joseph’s brother.” [Eusebius, The History of The Church (3.11)]. The names may not be important for salvation history, but the tradition brings out that the “brethren of Jesus”, his close relatives, did not completely reject Him.
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?” 19 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,
At most, Jesus had impressed these men as the expected prophet. They never believed in Jesus’ divinity.
20 how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. 21 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. 22 Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning 23 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.
The faithful women disciples’ proclamation of the Easter gospel is resisted and does not open their eyes of faith.
24 Then some of those with us went to the tomb
Peter and John (John 20:3-10)
and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.
Jesus begins His explanation with Genesis and the rest of the Pentateuch (tradition ascribes authorship of these books to Moses). What does positively contribute to faith is Jesus’ interpretation of His life as the fulfillment of all God’s promises from one end of the Scriptures to the other.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. 29 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.
Jesus was not play-acting, he really would have departed had He not been invited to stay.
30 And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
This is Eucharistic terminology. The Jerome Biblical Commentary states “We need not maintain that Jesus consecrated the Eucharist.” – I say “baloney!” Jesus consecrated the Eucharist and in making Himself present in the Eucharist the two disciples saw the fulfillment of all the Old Testament covenants and prophesies as well as the New Testament promises. After all, this is what Jesus had just spent the day explaining to them. What a Bible study that must have been!
31 With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
The verb translated as “eyes were opened” occurs only eight times in the New Testament and in each case it always means a deeper understanding of revelation.
but he vanished from their sight. 32 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?” 33 So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
Notice that the two disciples are not at all upset at the loss (again) of their leader. In fact, they are anxious to tell the apostles of their discovery. They have discovered Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist! The person-to-person physical presence of a visible Jesus is no longer necessary because He is indeed risen and is present in the word and in the sacrament.
where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them 34 who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Jesus’ prayer (Luke 22:32) has been efficacious. Simon Peter has also been forgiven and is now empowered to strengthen his fellow Christians along the way.
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.
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Acts 2:14, 22-33
Today’s first reading tells of the formation of the early Church as we hear Peter address the people of the day of Pentecost. His address is in two parts: Part 1, which we do not hear today, explains that the messianic times foretold by the Prophet Joel have now arrived; today’s reading is the second part of the address and it proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Jews crucified, is the Messiah promised by God and eagerly awaited by the righteous of the Old Testament; it is he who has effected God’s saving plan for mankind.
“Pentecost” means “the 50th day”. It is one of three feasts mentioned in Exodus 23:14-17 where it is called simply the harvest festival, the feast of the first-fruits of the grain harvest. In Leviticus 23:15-21 the feast is reckoned by counting seven weeks from the beginning of the grain harvest; it is a day of sabbatical observance. As with the other two feasts mentioned in Exodus 23:14-17, it is a pilgrimage feast: “three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God”. Jerusalem is crowded with pilgrims. The resurrected Jesus had spent forty days instructing His apostles and then ten days ago ascended after telling them “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for ‘the promise of the Father... you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 1:4-5). The Holy Spirit has come upon them this day and now Peter, the chief apostle and spokesman for the group, addresses the crowd of pilgrims who are outside the upper room, attracted by the sound of the coming of the Spirit.
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them,
Notice the change worked in Peter by the Holy Spirit: he preaches and argues boldly whereas only some 50 days earlier he had trembled at the word of a servant girl. Notice that it is Peter who speaks for the whole group with no dissension from any of the other apostles.
“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. 22 You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
The overall concern is to show that God is directing history at its every turn.
23 This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
God’s fore-ordination of Jesus’ death does not diminish the people’s guilt. God triumphs through human actions rather than despite them.
24 But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says of him:
Jewish tradition is that David wrote all the psalms. Psalm 16:8-11 is quoted; its only use in the New Testament. The tradition of Davidic authorship of the psalms and the divine pledge of David’s everlasting dynasty (2 Samuel 7:12-16) play a key role in the Scripture proofs of Saint Luke’s proclamation of what God has done in Christ for the salvation of men.
‘I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. 26 Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, 27 because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ 29 My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
1 Kings 2:10 tells us that David is buried in Jerusalem. Since David has died, the psalm cannot apply to him. This argument is following a set pattern: (1) Scripture says; (2) the words apply either to the one speaking in the text or to another; (3) they do not apply to the speaker; (4) therefore they apply to another, namely Jesus. Similar patterns occur in Acts 8:30-35 and 13:35-37.
30 But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
The ideology of Davidic succession is quoted from Psalm 132:11-12 to indicate of whom David prophesied in the Psalm.
31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.
The statement of verse 24 is reaffirmed and a statement of apostolic witness is added.
33 Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you (both) see and hear.
What we have here is Saint Peter, the masterful teacher, demonstrating that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah who was foretold by the prophets by reminding his listeners of our Lord’s miracles (verse 22), as well as of His death (verse 23), resurrection (verses 24-32) and glorious ascension (verse 33).
2nd Reading - 1 Peter 1:17-21
This week we delve a little farther into the 1st letter of Peter. Peter was originally called Simeon in Hebrew (Simon is the Greek form of the name). Jesus reamed him Kepha (Hebrew/Aramaic) or Petros (Greek), transliterated in some texts as Cephas. Simon Peter was a native of Bethsaida, a city of Galilee on the northeast shore of Lake Tiberius (Genesareth/Sea of Galilee). Like his father John and his brother Andrew, he was a fisherman. We know that he was married because Jesus healed his mother-in-law who was living in Capernaum (Matthew 8:14).
Today we hear Saint Peter call us to holiness. The Christian has attained the honor of being God’s child, his son or daughter. Peter summarizes God’s plan for man’s salvation, which comes about in Christ: from all eternity it was God’s design to save men through Christ; this design was made manifest “at the end of times”; when our Lord offered Himself as an expiation for the sins of men, and then rose from the dead and was glorified.
17 Now if you invoke as Father
Calling upon a father as witness is swearing an oath (kaddush in Hebrew) it is recognizing a covenant bond in which we are all children of God. The Didache (The Teaching of the 12 Apostles), a 1st century writing, tells us that the “Our Father” was recited three times a day.
him who judges impartially
It is true that the Lord our God is infinitely merciful, but He is also infinitely just: and there is a judgment, and He is the judge.
according to each one’s works,
Divine sonship can never be taken as a kind of safe-conduct which allows us to be casual about our duties. Faith without works is dead (James 2:26).
conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, 18 realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold 19
The Jews could redeem their sacrifice by paying 15 to 20 per cent more than the cost of the animal. The animal sacrifice was not effective; although it could show contrition for sin, it could not gain absolution sufficient for entrance into heaven.
but with the precious blood of Christ
The sacrifice of Jesus is effective, it allows us to approach the Father and gain absolution for our sins.
“If the unfortunate Jews observe the Sabbath in such a way that they do not dare to do any secular work on it, how much more should those who have been ‘redeemed, not with gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ,’ pay attention to their price and devote themselves to God on the day of His resurrection, thinking more diligently of the salvation of their souls?” [Caesar of Arles (A.D. 542), Sermons, 73,4]
as of a spotless unblemished lamb.
This is a Passover reference which carries over into the Eucharist. Just like the original Passover sacrifice, the sacrifice of the Eucharist must be eaten to be effective.
20 He was known before the foundation of the world
God always knew what was going to be required, but He, in His infinite respect for our free will, let us come to this point in salvation history by our own deeds and actions.
but revealed in the final time for you, 21 who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
The resurrection of Jesus is the basis of Christian faith and hope and is the main proof of Jesus’ divinity and His divine mission (see 1 Corinthians 15). The apostles were, first and foremost, witnesses of our Lord’s resurrection; and the proclamation of the resurrection was the core of apostolic catechesis. Jesus the Christ rose from the dead by His own power, the power of His divine person. The Saint Pius V Catechism points out that “We sometimes, it is true, read in Scripture that He was raised by the Father; but this refers to Him as man, just as those passages, on the other hand, which say that He rose by His own power relate to Him as God.”
The next verse reads “Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a (pure) heart.” Everything depends upon living the life of Christ.
Gospel - Luke 24:13-35
Last week we heard the account of Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples as recorded in the Gospel of John. It was at this appearance that He conferred the ability and responsibility to forgive sins to the apostles. Today’s gospel reading is the first appearance of Jesus away from the tomb as recorded in Luke’s gospel. There is a parallel account in Mark 16:12-13.
There are a number of differences which show up upon comparison of today’s gospel reading with the gospel reading of last week as we hear this week of the account of His appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus:
1) The two men are not leaders of the community but represent all followers.
2) The two men are troubled and do not understand why Jesus was crucified.
3) At first they do not recognize Jesus.
4) The apostles seem to recognize Jesus but do not believe their senses.
5) After recognition, these two men do not hesitate to believe. 6) Once recognized, Jesus disappears.
13 Now that very day [the first day of the week]
As attested in Luke 24:1, this is the first Easter Sunday.
two of them
It has been suggested that these two may be part of the seventy-two (seventy) sent out in pairs in Luke 10:1.
were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
The location of the village is unknown today. The name means “hot spring”.
14 and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
The two have lost hope and have ceased to be journeying with Jesus. Their leader has been killed and they don’t know what to do. The Lucan theme of journey is predominant as an image for discipleship.
15 And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, 16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
Throughout his gospel Saint Luke plays on the theme of seeing. Now he articulates this theme as he tells how the risen Christ opens the eyes of disciples to see His true meaning in God’s plan. But as this story narrates, the disciples’ eyes are only fully opened after they have shown hospitality to a stranger.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas,
From Eusebius (A.D. 263-339) we learn that Cleopas is the brother of Joseph, Jesus’ foster father and father of Symeon. Symeon succeeded James as Bishop of Jerusalem and after A.D. 70 led the Christians back to Jerusalem. “After the martyrdom of James and the capture of Jerusalem which instantly followed, there is a firm tradition that those of the apostles and disciples of the Lord who were still alive assembled from all parts together with those who, humanly speaking, were kinsmen of the Lord – for most of them were still living. Then they all discussed together whom they should choose as a fit person to succeed James, and voted unanimously that Symeon, son of the Cleopas mentioned in the gospel narrative, was a fit person to occupy the throne of the Jerusalem see. He was, so it is said, a cousin of the Savior, for Hegesippus tells us that Cleopas was Joseph’s brother.” [Eusebius, The History of The Church (3.11)]. The names may not be important for salvation history, but the tradition brings out that the “brethren of Jesus”, his close relatives, did not completely reject Him.
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?” 19 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,
At most, Jesus had impressed these men as the expected prophet. They never believed in Jesus’ divinity.
20 how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. 21 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. 22 Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning 23 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.
The faithful women disciples’ proclamation of the Easter gospel is resisted and does not open their eyes of faith.
24 Then some of those with us went to the tomb
Peter and John (John 20:3-10)
and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.
Jesus begins His explanation with Genesis and the rest of the Pentateuch (tradition ascribes authorship of these books to Moses). What does positively contribute to faith is Jesus’ interpretation of His life as the fulfillment of all God’s promises from one end of the Scriptures to the other.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. 29 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.
Jesus was not play-acting, he really would have departed had He not been invited to stay.
30 And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
This is Eucharistic terminology. The Jerome Biblical Commentary states “We need not maintain that Jesus consecrated the Eucharist.” – I say “baloney!” Jesus consecrated the Eucharist and in making Himself present in the Eucharist the two disciples saw the fulfillment of all the Old Testament covenants and prophesies as well as the New Testament promises. After all, this is what Jesus had just spent the day explaining to them. What a Bible study that must have been!
31 With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
The verb translated as “eyes were opened” occurs only eight times in the New Testament and in each case it always means a deeper understanding of revelation.
but he vanished from their sight. 32 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?” 33 So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
Notice that the two disciples are not at all upset at the loss (again) of their leader. In fact, they are anxious to tell the apostles of their discovery. They have discovered Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist! The person-to-person physical presence of a visible Jesus is no longer necessary because He is indeed risen and is present in the word and in the sacrament.
where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them 34 who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Jesus’ prayer (Luke 22:32) has been efficacious. Simon Peter has also been forgiven and is now empowered to strengthen his fellow Christians along the way.
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.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church,
Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org
THIRD SUNDAY
OF EASTER
SUNDAY, APRIL 15, LUKE 24:35-48
(Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; Psalm 24; 1 John 2:1-5a)
SUNDAY, APRIL 15, LUKE 24:35-48
(Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; Psalm 24; 1 John 2:1-5a)
KEY VERSE: "With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him" (v. 31).
TO KNOW: As two disciples returned to their home in Emmaus from their Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem, they discussed the meaning of the events they had witnessed there. As they journeyed along the road, the Risen Christ appeared to them, but they mistook him for another pilgrim. They told the "stranger" that Jesus was a mighty prophet, but their hope that "he was the one to redeem Israel" (Lk 24:21) was shattered at the crucifixion. They also told him of the rumor that some women went to the tomb and found it empty, but the apostles dismissed their story as nonsense. Jesus listened to their anguished tale, and then explained that God's plan had been revealed in Moses and the prophets (the Jewish scriptures), and that it was necessary that the Messiah should suffer so as to enter glory. At nightfall, the disciples urged Jesus to stay and share a meal with them. Though the disciples’ eyes had been closed to Jesus’ presence, they recognized him "in the breaking of the bread" (v. 35). Then he vanished from their sight. Unable to keep the good news to themselves, they hastened back to Jerusalem with great joy. There they discovered that the apostles had already experienced the Risen Christ. Although Jesus is physically absent, he continues to be with his followers through the Word and Eucharist.
TO LOVE: How can I help others discover Jesus on their spiritual journeys?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, open my eyes to your presence in the scriptures and the sacrament.
Sunday 15 April
2018
Week III
Psalter. Third Sunday of Easter.
Acts
3:13-15, 17-19. Psalm 4:2, 4, 7, 9. 1 John 2:1-5. Luke
24:35-48.
Lord, let
your face shine on us-Psalm 4:2, 4, 7, 9.
Peace be
with you.
The Gospel
reading today insists on the reality of the risen humanity of Our Lord.
Our faith
does not rest on fables, nor is the risen Jesus a phantom. Graciously, to
strengthen their faith, to bring them peace, and to give them great joy, Jesus
shows his followers his now glorious sacred wounds. And we, who inherit that
faith and peace and joy, pray, ‘Lord, let your face shine on us’ (psalm
response)—for the Father’s glory is reflected in the face of his Christ. ‘Look
towards him and be radiant’, the psalmist urges us.
Jesus’
first words to his apostles were, ‘Peace be with you’. He is the God of peace
and he himself is our peace, and he was once again with them. As he speaks,
there falls a great calm—be it upon the troubled sea or the troubled human
spirit. To have his peace we need to reject all anxiety, casting all our care
upon him. And what we deeply desire for ourselves we pray for others—that the
peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard their hearts and their
thoughts in Christ.
Blessed Caesar de Bus
Saint of the Day for April 15
(February 3, 1544 – April 15, 1607)
Blessed Caesar de Bus’ Story
Like so many of us, Caesar de Bus struggled with the decision
about what to do with his life. After completing his Jesuit education he had
difficulty settling between a military and a literary career. He wrote some
plays but ultimately settled for life in the army and at court.
For a time, life was going rather smoothly for the engaging,
well-to-do young Frenchman. He was confident he had made the right choice. That
was until he saw firsthand the realities of battle, including the Saint
Bartholomew’s Day massacres of French Protestants in 1572.
He fell seriously ill and found himself reviewing his
priorities, including his spiritual life. By the time he had recovered, Caesar
had resolved to become a priest. Following his ordination in 1582, he undertook
special pastoral work: teaching the catechism to ordinary people living in
neglected, rural, out-of-the-way places. His efforts were badly needed and well
received.
Working with his cousin, Caesar developed a program of family
catechesis. The goal—to ward off heresy among the people—met the approval of
local bishops. Out of these efforts grew a new religious congregation: the
Fathers of Christian Doctrine.
One of Caesar’s works, Instructions for the Family on
the Four Parts of the Roman Catechism, was published 60 years after his
death.
He was beatified in 1975.
Reflection
“Family catechesis” is a familiar term in parish life today.
Grounded in the certainty that children learn their faith first from their
parents, programs that deepen parental involvement in religious education
multiply everywhere. There were no such programs in Caesar’s day until he saw a
need and created them. Other needs abound in our parishes, and it’s up to us to
respond by finding ways to fill them or by joining in already established
efforts.
LECTIO DIVINA: 3RD SUNDAY OF
EASTER (B)
Lectio Divina:
Sunday, April 15, 2018
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.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét