The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today reassure us of the Presence of God in Word, Sacrament, and action as we journey to full life.
In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter addresses the crowd.
* [2:14–36] The first of six discourses in Acts (along with Acts 3:12–26; 4:8–12; 5:29–32; 10:34–43; 13:16–41) dealing with the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic import. Five of these are attributed to Peter, the final one to Paul. Modern scholars term these discourses in Acts the “kerygma,” the Greek word for proclamation (cf. 1 Cor 15:11).
* [2:33] At the right hand of God: or “by the right hand of God.” (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
Psalm 16 is a song of Trust and Security in God.
* [Psalm 16] In the first section, the psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods (Ps 16:2–5), preferring Israel’s God (Ps 16:1), the giver of the land (Ps 16:6). The second section reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God (Ps 16:7–11). (Psalms, PSALM 16, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of Peter exhorts us to reverence and Faith and Hope in God.
* [1:19] Christians have received the redemption prophesied by Isaiah (Is 52:3), through the blood (Jewish symbol of life) of the spotless lamb (Is 53:7, 10; Jn 1:29; Rom 3:24–25; cf. 1 Cor 6:20). (1 Peter, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke describes the encounter with Jesus on the Walk to Emmaus.
* [24:13–35] This episode focuses on the interpretation of scripture by the risen Jesus and the recognition of him in the breaking of the bread. The references to the quotations of scripture and explanation of it (Lk 24:25–27), the kerygmatic proclamation (Lk 24:34), and the liturgical gesture (Lk 24:30) suggest that the episode is primarily catechetical and liturgical rather than apologetic.
* [24:13] Seven miles: literally, “sixty stades.” A stade was 607 feet. Some manuscripts read “160 stades” or more than eighteen miles. The exact location of Emmaus is disputed.
* [24:16] A consistent feature of the resurrection stories is that the risen Jesus was different and initially unrecognizable (Lk 24:37; Mk 16:12; Jn 20:14; 21:4).
* [24:26] That the Messiah should suffer…: Luke is the only New Testament writer to speak explicitly of a suffering Messiah (Lk 24:26, 46; Acts 3:18; 17:3; 26:23). The idea of a suffering Messiah is not found in the Old Testament or in other Jewish literature prior to the New Testament period, although the idea is hinted at in Mk 8:31–33. See notes on Mt 26:63 and 26:67–68. (Luke, CHAPTER 24, n.d.)
Sherri Brown reflects on God’s plan for the salvation of all people who find hope in God. All we must do is say yes to this hope. Such hope in faith and love leads us to focus not on transient things which are ultimately futile, but on what endures: relationships that help us determine who we are and who God is in this world.
So, back to discipleship. It must be we don’t have to be perfect to encounter the risen Christ in our lives. Indeed, it may be that amid our very earnest failures that we find ourselves discombobulated enough—and open enough—for Christ to point us in a new direction. It doesn’t have to be this way, the Gospels give us other paths for our sojourns, but in our brokenness is one of the many ways that God finds us. I cannot speak for anyone else, but this is welcome news to me. I hope it is for you as well. Just look at Peter in our passage from Acts, giving the first Christian homily. His move from denial to hope in action is a beacon for all of us. (Brown, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 24:13-35 notes how Jesus explained how all the Scriptures pointed to him. Step-by-step, the risen One brought their faith back to life. Perhaps the women’s story of an empty tomb could be true! Could this have been God’s plan all along? Slowly, their grief-stricken hearts grew warm; they hungered to hear more. “Stay with us,” they pleaded (Luke 24:29). And once he broke the bread, their eyes were opened: they knew it was Jesus.
Don’t you want the hope that comes from hearing Jesus speak his words? Don’t you want more confidence that he will speak to you through his words? And don’t you want deeper faith that he is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, on the altar? Jesus wants this even more than you do!
Open your heart to the Lord; listen as he speaks through his word. He will not disappoint.
“Jesus, help me to hear you speak through the Scriptures today.” (Meditation on Luke 24:13-35, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the impetuous nature of Peter who responded to the action of the Spirit to proclaim the kerygma. Peter speaks of the importance of followers of Christ to live the faith. The preexistence of Christ resonates with the Hebrew Testament understanding of Wisdom. Friar Jude notes the style of the Stoic Luke to emphasize how the mission of Jesus and Christianity is a fulfillment of Scriptures.
Brian Purfield, Head of Theological Education at Mount Street Jesuit Centre, notes that Luke follows Mark in the basic story of the empty tomb, but goes his own way in the appearances he reports. While Matthew reports an appearance of Jesus in Jerusalem to two women, Luke recounts at length (24:13-35) Jesus’ appearance to two male disciples on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus.
In the Acts of the Apostles (2:42, 46; 20:7, 11), written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel, he will point to the role of “the breaking of the bread” in Christian community life. He prepares for that in the Emmaus story when the disciples recognise Jesus in the breaking of the bread. This is equally important for believers today since the Eucharistic breaking of the bread constitutes the presence of the risen Jesus – a unique presence different from all others.
Luke then turns to the risen Jesus’ appearance to the Eleven. More than Mark or Matthew, Luke stresses what was already implicit in the empty tomb: the reality of the body of the risen Jesus who was not simply a spirit (23:37-43). Particularly significant is that the risen Jesus teaches the Eleven about his death and resurrection by explaining the Scriptures, “All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms must be fulfilled” (24:44). For Luke the Resurrection fulfils the Scriptures. (Purfield, 2008)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes the spiritual discipline of detachment as the practice of “letting go” and falling upward.
Each time I learn to let go of what I thought was necessary for my own happiness, I invariably find myself in a larger place, a larger space, a deeper union, a greater joy. I’m sorry I can’t prove that to you ahead of time. We only know it after the fact. I used to read every book I could as a young man thinking if I understood good theology, good philosophy, good psychology, I’d know how to live the so-called perfect life and it would show me how to open the door in front of me. Now, in the last season of my life, I realize that what’s in front of me is still largely darkness—but it doesn’t matter anymore. That’s because letting go has taught me that I can look back, not forward, back at the past of my life and I can truthfully say, “What have I ever lost by dying? What have I ever lost by losing?” I have fallen upward again and again. By falling I have found. By letting go I have discovered, and I find myself in these later years of my life still surprised that that is true. [2] (Rohr, 2023)
We reflect on the hills and valleys of our journey and express gratitude to the Spirit that reveals how our relationship with Christ has redeemed our life.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/2?14
Brown, S. (2023, April 23). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042323.html
Luke, CHAPTER 24. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24?13
Meditation on Luke 24:13-35. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/04/23/662662/
1 Peter, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1peter/1?17
Psalms, PSALM 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/16?1
Purfield, B. (2008, March 22). The Appearances of the Risen Lord. Thinking Faith. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080322_1.htm
Rohr, R. (2023, April 23). The Spirituality of Letting Go — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-spirituality-of-letting-go-2023-04-23/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Did Not Our Hearts Burn While He Opened to Us the Scriptures. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=apr23
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