THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
18 APRIL 2021
In
today’s Gospel, the two disciples recount how their lives were changed on the
way to Emmaus. As soon as the Sabbath
had ended, they were so utterly dejected that they ran away from
Jerusalem. Having committed themselves
to Jesus of Nazareth, their hopes were dashed when the authorities crucified
him. They could not believe the
testimony of the women who had found his tomb empty. The risen Christ began walking with them,
listening to their pain and frustration.
But they did not recognize him. He
began speaking to them, interpreting all the Scripture passages referring to
him and opening their minds to the ways he had fulfilled them. Their hearts began to burn as they listened
to him. They invited him to stay with
them when they reached Emmaus. They
recognized him when he took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it them. Filled with hope and joy, they rushed back to
Jerusalem to share the good news.
As they are
speaking, the risen Lord stands in their midst and gives the gift of
peace. They are startled, terrified, and
troubled, much as Zechariah had been troubled when the angel Gabriel announced
to him that he and his wife would bear a son in their old age. So Jesus provides proof that he has been
raised from the dead. He tells them to
look at the wounds in his hands and feet.
He invites them to touch him. He
asks for a piece of fish, which he takes and eats in their presence. Having convinced them that he is the same
Christ whose body has been transformed through the resurrection, he makes the
same connections with Scripture as he had done on the way to Emmaus. Then he commissions them to proclaim the
Paschal Mystery. They are to preach the
need for repentance, the acceptance of forgiveness, and the gift of the Holy
Spirit to everyone. They can do this,
because they have been witnesses of these things.
As
disciples of Jesus Christ, we trust that these original witnesses told the
truth about their experience of the risen Lord.
As we hear the accounts of their witnessing the resurrection during this
Easter Season, we are called to become witnesses ourselves. We have moved beyond the horrors and pain of
Good Friday. We have experienced the
great joyful emotions of the Octave of Easter.
Now, we have settled into the rhythm of the fifty-day Season. Unlike the Season of Christmas, when
poinsettias last until Ash Wednesday, we have already replaced the Easter
flowers twice! As the Easter candle
continues to give up its wax to allow its flame to burn, we are undertaking the
task of witnessing to the truth of the resurrection in our world.
Instead of
standing on street corners and making speeches like Saint Peter does in the
Acts of the Apostles, we can take our cue from the First Letter of Saint
John. In writing to his community, Saint
John is aware that some members cannot make the connection between what they
know about God and how they behave. They
argue that baptized people are automatically sinless. John refutes that misunderstanding and
insists that the best way to know the risen Lord is to keep his commandments. We are mindful of his powerful example of
washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. In imitating his example, we must make every
effort to love God and our neighbor.
Then, we become effective witnesses to the power of the resurrection.
It is
critical that Jesus shows those first witnesses the wounds in his hands and
feet. Those wounds continue to be seen
in his risen body, because they are powerful signs of his incredible love for
us. In working to love God and neighbor,
we can better understand our own wounds.
Whether wounded by abuse or hatred or even the ravages of this pandemic,
we can bear our wounds and trust in the Lord’s healing power. When we can do this, we become powerful
witnesses of the resurrection and give hope to our world.
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