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Third Sunday of Easter Mass Readings
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First Reading: Acts 2:14, 22-33
Psalm: Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-21
Gospel: Luke 24:13-35
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042620.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/
Happy Easter to you on this Third Sunday of Easter! Thank you for joining me on our journey of discovery! Just a reminder, in the notes section I will list the sources I used to develop my reflection. You will also find references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and a link so that you can explore these and other topics on your own. If you have any questions about this reflection or if you have a question about our faith life that you’d like me to research and address, please don’t hesitate to use the comment form on the website or send me an email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org. Every Wednesday, I tackle your questions in All Things Catholic, and every Sunday we break open the Word.
As usual, we are presented with scripture passages rich in content and meaning, but I’d like to share with you what I believe the Holy Spirit laid on my heart as I prepared this podcast.
In our first reading from Acts, the apostles are preaching the saving message of Jesus Christ. But in the second reading from First Peter, we find that this teaching is not some new fad. It’s old – ancient in fact. The Christian message is rooted in the foundations of the planet herself. And there seems to be some urgency in the readings from Acts and First Peter. They want us to know Jesus.
How is it that we come to know Jesus?
Well, it can’t come from outside of us. What I mean by that is that having an encounter with the risen Jesus Christ can’t be forced on us. Were Christ to be in our presence, we might not see him unless we were willing. Think about the objection of the disciples to Jesus’ preaching when they said, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked, or sick or in prison and didn’t minister to you,” (Matthew 25:37-39). Isn’t it amazing what we allow ourselves to see and not to see as we journey through life?
I would also suggest to you, although with a caveat, that we cannot come to know the risen Jesus strictly through our intellect. Don’t get me wrong, study is a wonderful way to deepen our relationship with Jesus and it is a critical part of discipleship. That’s what the study of theology is all about. But if that study is not rooted in a love for Jesus Christ – not rooted in an encounter with Jesus – then it risks being a sterile, academic endeavor. Thomas Dubay noted in his book, Fire Within, that the great spiritual experiences that come from an awareness of God do not result from reading or reasoning, (Dubay, 86). Indeed, it was intellectual hubris for a US politician to suggest that it’s only through human effort, and not God that the COVID-19 curve is flattening. <1>
Okay, so how then?
We don’t have to travel to some far distant land. We don’t have to live in a place that might seem more conducive to the spiritual life. These experiences may be helpful, but they are not essential. God has equipped us with the capability to have an encounter with the risen Lord. We do this by looking within. That’s what Teresa of Avila was trying to tell us, I think, in her descriptions about the interior castle. This doesn’t require emptying the mind and it doesn’t mean eliminating distractions. But it does mean opening ourselves up to the Holy Spirit. If we allow ourselves to open the door to our interior castles, then we have a chance to see and experience the risen Lord.
I think that’s what’s happening the Gospel from Luke today. We hear the familiar story about two demoralized disciples who left Jerusalem after the crucifixion and are now on the road to Emmaus. On their journey, they encounter a traveler and they journey together. After a while, they come to realize that the risen Jesus Christ had been with them the whole time. When did they figure it out? In the breaking of the bread. Things that they heard along the way sounded familiar and seemed to be pointing in the direction. But it wasn’t until they saw him break the bread that they realized it was Jesus who had been with them. They weren’t forced to see Jesus. They had to accept all on their own that it was Jesus.
You might be thinking, “That’s nice, deacon, but what does this have to do with me?”
We start by acknowledging that everything we have and everything we are flows from the source of life which is God Himself. We have to reject the intellectual arrogance that I am in control and that I and I alone can make things happen. What is it that sets your heart aflame? For example, do you remember the first time you ever held a baby in your arms? Maybe it was your first child or perhaps a new niece or nephew, or your friend’s baby. How did you feel? Take a second and try to connect with that feeling. How would you describe your feelings? Now substitute the words of the Gospel: were are hearts not burning!
My brothers and sisters, every time we’ve experienced love, we’ve experienced the God who is love. I want you to imagine yourself standing at your kitchen counter, for example looking out the window as you come to accept that the love you experience is God. As you imagine this scene, you slowly turn to face the beautiful but not blinding light coming from the center of your home. As Teresa of Avila describes the light radiating from the center of the interior castle, that light is Jesus Christ. Imagine yourself basking in that light.
Jesus left us His church and He empowered the Church with the sacraments to help draw us deeper into that beautifully divine light. But like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, he will not force us to accept him. We have to open ourselves to the possibility of an encounter with the risen Jesus Christ. Are you ready?
Homework! After listening to the Word of God proclaimed and making and Act of Spiritual Communion, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions.
- First, were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke? How do I hear Jesus speaking to me?
- Second, what is it about my faith that excites me so much that I want to share it?
I think doing our homework will help us have an encounter with the risen Jesus Christ and engage in the evangelical work of discipleship. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!
Notes:
<1> Governor Cuomo tells CNN that the COVID-19 curve is bending in New York. I realize this is one tiny quote out of larger interview, but it certainly makes a statement. “Our behavior has stopped the spread of the virus. God did not stop the spread of the virus. And what we do, how we act, will dictate how that virus spreads.” To watch the interview, see Gov. Andrew Cuomo: We have a constitution, not a king. For another take on his remarks, see Bishop Barron on Governor Cuomo and the Nature of God.
References:
1. Dubay, Thomas. Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel—On Prayer. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1989.
2. Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2018.
3. Keating, Daniel. First and Second Peter, Jude. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2011.
4. Kurz, William S. Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013.
5. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.
6. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
Catechism References: Easily search the Catechism at http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
1. Christ is the key to interpreting Scripture, 102, 426-29, 601, 2763
2. Jesus reveals and fulfills Scripture, 112, 555, 572, 601, 652, 1094
3. Calling on the name of Jesus, 432, 2666
4. Jesus, the Lamb offered for our sins, 457, 604-5, 608, 615-16, 1476, 1992
5. Jesus’ signs and wonders, 547-50
6. Culpability for Jesus’ death, 591, 597-99
7. Redemption in Christ, 602
8. Jesus’ body preserved from corruption, 627
9. Jesus appears to Simon Peter, 641
10. The apostles and disciples as witnesses of the Resurrection, 642-44, 857, 995-96
11. Disciples demoralized by Jesus’ death, 643
12. Jesus’ risen body, 659
13. Prophecies of the Holy Spirit, 715
14. Jesus appears in the breaking of the bread, 1329
15. From the Scriptures to the Eucharist, 1346-47 16. Call to holiness, 2012-16
Third Sunday of Easter
Mass Readings http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042620.cfm
Lectionary: 46
First Reading
ACTS 2:14, 22-33
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
You who are Israelites, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazarene 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.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:
I saw the Lord ever before me,
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;
my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.
“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.
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,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father
and poured him forth, as you see and hear.”
Responsorial
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
R. (11a) Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
abounding joy in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Second Reading
1 PT 1:17-21
Beloved:
If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially
according to each one’s works,
conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,
realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious blood of Christ
as of a spotless unblemished lamb.
He was known before the foundation of the world
but revealed in the final time for you,
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.
Alleluia
Luke 24:32
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us;
make our hearts burn while you speak to us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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 bread.