"Have you anything here to eat?"

Third Sunday of Easter

It-Tielet Ħadd ta’ l-Għid

Messalin B 284

Reading 1                        Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

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." This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari   -   mill-Atti ta' l-Appostli 3, 13-15,17-19

F'dak iż-żmien,  Pietru qal lill-poplu:   "Alla ta' Abraham, Alla ta' Iżakk u Alla ta' Ġakobb, Alla ta' missirijietna, gglorifika lill-qaddej tiegħu, Ġesu', li intom ittradejtuh  u ċħadtuh quddiem Pilatu,  għalkemm dan kien qatagħha li  jitilqu. Intom ċħadtu l-Qaddis u l-Ġust, tlabtu l-ħelsien ta' wieħed qattiel u  qtiltu lill-awtur tal-ħajja.   Imma Alla  qajmu mill-imwiet, u ta' dan aħna xhieda. Issa, ħuti, jien naf li kemm intom u kemm  il-kapijiet tagħkom, għamiltu dan għaliex  ma kontux tafu.  Imma b'hekk Alla temm  dak  li  hu kien ħabbar  sa minn qabel b'fomm  il-profeti, jiġifieri,  li l-Messija tiegħu kellu jbati. Indmu, mela, u erġgħu lura biex dnubietkom  biex jinħafrulkom." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Responsorial Psalm                                  Ps alm4:2, 4, 7-8, 9

R. (7a) Lord, let your face shine on us.   or:  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.

 Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one;
the LORD will hear me when I call upon him.                     R.

O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put gladness into my heart.                                            R

. As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep,
for you alone, O LORD,
bring security to my dwelling.                                              R

Salm Responsorjali    Salm  4

                R/   Ixħet fuqna, Mulej, id-dawl ta' wiċċek  jew                 Hallelujah

Weġibni, meta nsejjaħlek,

Alla tal-ġustizzja tiegħi;

oħroġni  fil-wisa' meta nkun imdejjaq,

ħenn għalija u isma' t-talbi.                                        R/

Kunu afu li l-Mulej

wera tjieba kbira miegħi;

jismagħna l-Mulej meta nsejjħulu.                         R/

Ħafna jgħidu:  "Min jurina r-riżq?"

Ixħet fuqna, Mulej,  id-dawl ta' wiċċek.

Nimtedd u norqod minnufih fis-sliem,

Għax int waħdek, Mulej, fis-sod tqegħedni.        R/

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Reading 2                        1 John 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. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari   -    mill-Ewwel Ittra ta' San Ġwann 2, 1-5

Uliedi, dan qed niktibhulkom biex ma tindinbux; imma jekk xi ħadd jidneb, aħna għandna  Difensur quddiem il-Missier, lil Ġesu' Kristu, il-Ġust. U hu jħallas għal dnubnietna, mhux għal tagħna biss, iżda wkoll għal dawk tad-dinja kollha. U b'dan nafu li nagħarfuh 'l Ġesu': jekk inżommu il-kmandamenti tiegħu. Min jgħid "Jien nafu" u ma jżommx  il-kmandamenti tiegħu, hu giddieb u  l-verita'  mhijiex fih.   Iżda kull min  iżomm il-kelma tiegħu, fih hemm tassew  l-imħabba ta' Alla fil-milja tagħha.   Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Gospel                                                Luke 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? A nd 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."  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   -   skond San Luqa 24, 35-48

F'dak iż-żmien, iż-żewġ dixxipli li reġgħu lura Ġerusalemm minn Għemmaws  kienu qegħdin itarrfu lill-Ħdax u lil dawk  li kienu magħhom xi ġralhom fit-triq, u kif għarfu 'l Ġesu'  fil-qsim tal-ħobż. Kif kienu għadhom jitkellmu, Ġesu' nnifsu waqaf f'nofshom u  qalilhom:  "Is-sliem għalikom!"  Huma twerwru bil-biża', għax  ħasbu li qegħdin jaraw xi fantażma.   Iżda hu qalilhom: "Għaliex  tħawwadtu?  Għaliex dan it-tħassib kollu f'qalbkom?  Araw idejja  u riġlejja.  Jiena Hu!  Missuni, u ifhmuha li l-Ispirtu ma għandux laħam u għadam bħalma qegħdin taraw li għandi jien."Huwa u  jgħidilhom dan, uriehom idejh u riġlejh. Iżda billi huma, fil-ferħ tagħhom, kienu għadhom ma jridux  jemmnu u baqgħu mistagħġba, qalilhom:"Għandkom xi ħaġa  ta' l-ikel hawn?"U ressqulu quddiemu biċċa ħuta mixwija, u hu ħadha, u  kielha quddiemhom. Imbagħad qalilhom:  "Meta kont għadni magħkom għidtilkom  dawn il-kelmiet: jeħtieġ li jseħħ kull ma nkiteb fuqi fil-Liġi ta'  Mose,fil-Profeti u s-Salmi."  Imbagħad  fetħilhom moħħom  biex jifhmu l-Iskrittura.  U qalilhom: "Hekk kien miktub, li  l-Messija jbati u fit-tielet jum jqum mill-imwiet, u li l-indiema  għall-maħfra tad-dnubiet tixxandar f'ismu lill-ġnus kollha,  ibda minn Ġerusalem.  Intom xhud ta' dan.  U jiena,araw,  nibgħat fuqkom lil dak li wiegħed Missieri. Imma intom ibqgħu  fil-belt, sa ma Alla jkun libbiskom bil-qawwa tiegħu."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Commentary by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa

The Lord Has Risen Indeed!

The Gospel enables us to be present at one of the many apparitions of the Risen One. The disciples of Emmaus have just arrived out of breath to Jerusalem and are recounting what happened to them on the road, when Jesus appears in person in their midst saying: "Peace to you!" At first, fear, as if they saw a spirit; then amazement, disbelief; finally, joy. What is more, disbelief and joy at the same time: "And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered."

Theirs is an altogether special disbelief. It is the attitude of someone who believes (otherwise, there would be no joy) but does not know how to realize it. As someone who says: "Too wonderful to be true." We can call it, paradoxically, an incredulous faith. To convince them, Jesus asks them for something to eat, because there is nothing like eating together to comfort and create communion.

All this tells us something important about the Resurrection. The latter is not only a great miracle, an argument or a proof in favor of the truth of Christ. More than that, it is a new world in which one enters with faith accompanied by wonder and joy. Christ's resurrection is the "new creation."

It is not just about believing that Jesus has risen; it is about knowing and experiencing "the power of the resurrection" (Philippians 3:10).

This more profound dimension of Easter is particularly felt by our Orthodox brothers. For them, Christ's resurrection is everything. In Eastertide, when they meet someone they greet one another saying: "Christ has risen!", and the other replies: "He has risen indeed!"

This custom is so rooted in the people that the following anecdote is told that occurred at the beginning of the Bolshevik Revolution. A public debate had been organized on the resurrection of Christ. First the atheist spoke, demolishing for good, in his opinion, Christians' faith in the resurrection.

When he came down, the Orthodox priest went to the dais, who was to speak in defense. The humble priest looked at the crowd and said simply: "Christ is risen!" Before even thinking, all answered in unison: "He has risen indeed!" And the priest came down from the dais in silence.

We know well how the resurrection is represented in the Western tradition, for example, in Piero della Francesca. Jesus comes out of the sepulcher raising the cross as a standard of victory. His face inspires extraordinary trust and security. But his victory is over his external, earthly enemies. The authorities had put seals in his sepulcher and guards to keep watch, and, lo, the seals are broken and the guards asleep. Men are present only as inert and passive witnesses; they do not really take part in the Resurrection.

In the Eastern image, the scene is altogether different. It is not developed under an open sky, but underground. In the resurrection, Jesus does not come out but descends. With extraordinary energy he takes Adam and Eve by the hand, who were waiting in the realm of the dead, and pulls them with him to life and resurrection. Behind the two parents, an innumerable multitude of men and women who awaited the redemption. Jesus tramples on the gates of hell which he himself has just dislocated and broken. Christ's victory is not so much over visible but over invisible enemies, which are the worst: death, darkness, anguish, the devil.

We are involved in this representation. Christ's resurrection is also our resurrection. Every man who looks is invited to be identified with Adam, and every woman with Eve, and to stretch out their hands to allow themselves to be gripped and pulled by Christ out of the sepulcher. This is the new universal Easter exodus. God has come "with powerful arm and outstretched hand" to liberate his people from a much harsher and universal slavery than that of Egypt.

[Translation from the Italian by ZENIT]

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