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
Psalm105:1-2, 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 15, 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.
NOTE: "Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us" is a Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The Bishops call "Every disciple of the Lord Jesus to share in this mission. To do their part, adult Catholics must be mature in faith and well equipped to share the Gospel, promoting it in every family circle, in every church gathering, in every place of work, and in every public forum. They must be women and men of prayer whose faith is alive and vital, grounded in a deep commitment to the person and message of Jesus."
Wednesday 15 April 2020
Acts 3:1-10. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice –
Psalm 104(105):1-4, 6-9. Luke 24:13-35.
They recognised him at the breaking of the bread
When I was in my late teens, during a bout of depression, I went
for a walk in the park near my home. Sometime early in my walk, a black dog –
perhaps a stray or a runaway – started walking alongside me. I tried to shoo it
away but it wouldn’t leave me.
I walked to the top of a hill and sat with the unwanted dog
right next to me. After a few moments, all the sadness that had been welling up
in my depressed state came flooding out. The dog sat with me, quietly. After
I’d finished crying I felt much better. The dog then padded away and was gone.
I’ve often heard depression described as a ‘black dog’, and I
always remember that story. For me, though, that black dog was what God sent me
that day so that I wasn’t alone in my desolation. It was God, coming to me
unrecognised, on my own road to Damascus.
Blessed Caesar de Bus
Saint of the Day for April 15
(February 3, 1544 – April 15, 1607)
 |
| Blessed César de Bus | soul-candy.info |
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: Luke 24:13-35
Lectio Divina
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
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?
• Considering these steps, and the way Jesus enlightened these disciples, how would you help a friend who was losing hope or faith?
• 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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