Third Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 47
It-Tielet Ħadd tal-Għid
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.
Qari I mill-Atti
tal-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, Ġesù, 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, jiena 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 minn
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9
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. Lord, let your face shine on
us. Alleluia.
Know that
the LORD does wonders for his faithful one;
the LORD
will hear me when I call upon him.
R. Lord, let your face shine on
us. Alleluia.
O LORD, let
the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put
gladness into my heart.
R. Lord, let your face shine on
us. Alleluia.
As soon as
I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep,
for you
alone, O LORD,
bring
security to my dwelling.
R. Lord, let your face shine on
us.Alleluia.
Salm Responsorjali SALM 4, 2.4.7.9
Weġibni,
meta nsejjaħlek,
Alla
tal-ġustizzja tiegħi;
oħroġni
fil-wisa’ meta nkun imdejjaq,
ħenn
għalija u isma’ talbi.
R/.
Ixħet fuqna, Mulej, id-dawl ta’ wiċċek. Hallelujah
Kunu afu li
l-Mulej
wera tjieba
kbira miegħi;
jismagħni
l-Mulej meta nsejjaħlu.
R/.
Ixħet fuqna, Mulej, id-dawl ta’ wiċċek. Hallelujah
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/.
Ixħet fuqna, Mulej, id-dawl ta’ wiċċek. Hallelujah
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.
Qari II
mill-1 Ittra ta’ San Ġwann 2, 1-5a
Uliedi, dan qiegħed niktibhulkom biex ma tidinbux; imma jekk
xi ħadd jidneb, aħna għandna Difensur quddiem il-Missier, lil Ġesù Kristu,
il-ġust. U hu jħallas għal dnubietna, mhux għal tagħna biss, iżda wkoll għal
dawk tad-dinja kollha. U b’dan nafu li nagħrfu ’l Ġesù: jekk inżommu
l-kmandamenti tiegħu. Min jgħid: “Jiena nafu” u ma j!ommx il-kmandamenti
tiegħu, hu giddieb u l-verità mhijiex fih. Iżda kull min iżomm ilkelma tiegħu,
fih hemm tassew l-imħabba ta’ Alla fil-milja tagħha. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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? And 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
Evanġelju
Qari skont San Luqa 24, 35-48
F’dak
iż-żmien, iż-żewġ dixxipli li reġgħu lura Ġerusalemm minn Meta
kont għadni magħkom għedtilkom dawn il-kelmiet: jeħtieġ li jseħħ kull ma nkiteb
fuqi fil-Liġi ta’ Mosè, fil-Profeti u fis-Salmi”. Imbagħad fetħilhom moħħhom
biex jifhmu l-Iskrittura. U qalilhom: “Hekk kien miktub, li l-Messija jbati u
fit-tielet jum iqum mill-imwiet, u li l-indiema għall-maħfra tad-dnubiet
tixxandar f’ismu lill-ġnus kollha, ibda minn
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Commentary on the Third
Sunday of Easter, Year B
By Fr Thomas Rosica csb
Luke’s Resurrection Symphony in 3 Movements
I often consider Chapter 24
of Luke's Gospel to be a Resurrection Symphony in four brilliant movements. The first movement is the story of the women
at the tomb, which ends with Peter's visit to the tomb to check it (verses
1-12). The second movement tells the great story of the two disciples on the
road to Emmaus, culminating in their learning that the Lord had also appeared
to Peter (verses 13-35). The third movement is the appearance of the Lord to
his disciples at a meal, ending with their commissioning by Jesus (verses
36-49). And the fourth movement -- Jesus' ascension into heaven (verses 50-52).
The most well-known of these
stories is the Emmaus episode that begins in verse 13. It serves as a
transition between the events of the Passion and discovery of the tomb and the
appearance tradition. It is different from the other resurrection appearances
because the Lord disappears at the moment of recognition. The Emmaus narrative
(24:13-35) serves as a bridge between the empty tomb (24:1-12) and Jesus'
self-revelation to his apostles (24:36ff.) immediately following the Emmaus
disciples' meal, their recognition of Jesus, and hasty return to Jerusalem
Cleopas and his companion
are going away from the locality where the decisive events have happened,
toward a little village of no significance. They did not believe the message of
the Resurrection, due to the scandal of the cross. Puzzled and discouraged,
they are unable to see any liberation in the death, the empty tomb, or the
message about the appearances of Jesus to the others. In their eyes, either the
mission of Jesus had entirely failed, or else they, themselves, had been badly
deceived in their expectations about Jesus.
As the two downtrodden
disciples journeyed with Jesus on that Emmaus road, their hearts began to
gradually catch fire within them as they came to understand with their minds
the truth about the suffering Messiah. At the meal in Emmaus, they experienced
the power of the Resurrection in their hearts. The solution to the problem of
these two disciples was not a perfectly logical answer.
The journey motif of the
Emmaus story is also of the painful and gradual journey of words that must
descend from the head to the heart; of a coming to faith, and a return to a
proper relationship with the stranger who is none other than Jesus the Lord.
Eating and drinking with Jesus
The Gospel for the Third
Sunday of Easter (Year B) is the continuation of the Emmaus story -- how God
always leads people into an experience of community and table fellowship (Luke
24:36-48). There are several aspects of the story -- the appearance of Jesus
among the startled and frightened disciples (verses 36-43) and the words about
the fulfillment of Scripture and commissioning of the disciples (verses 44-48).
Many elements that were present in the Emmaus story are made more explicit.
The Lukan stories also
represent the Risen Lord as the One who receives hospitality and food from the
disciples. Table fellowship reveals the depth of humanity. The touching, human
scene of Jesus taking bread and fish and eating it with his disciples drives
home the fact that ghosts don't eat -- humans do -- and it reassures the
disciples that the Risen Lord is truly in their midst. No theological or
dogmatic assertion will prove this to them. Rather, the striking humanity of
Jesus, at table, will finally convince them that he is alive.
In spite of the testimony
from the women and the two travellers, the disciples still could not believe
their eyes when Jesus appeared before them. Only Jesus could validate the
experience and supply its proper understanding. Jesus would first prove their
experience was no hoax. Like the appearance to Thomas in John's Gospel, Jesus
showed his wounds and challenged his followers to "touch" him. The
experience of the Risen Lord was tactile. Jesus has substance, unlike a ghost.
Unlike John 20, Jesus showed his followers his hands and feet (not his hands
and side). Luke inferred that Jesus had been nailed in his feet.
This Sunday's passage also
parallels John 21 with the subject of the cooked fish. In John 21:9-14, Jesus
was cooking the fish. In Luke, the disciples gave Jesus the cooked fish to eat.
If Luke 13:35-48 is combined with the narrative from the Road to Emmaus (Luke
24:13-35), both stories involved the breaking of bread (Luke 24:30, 35 and John
21:13). The most notable narratives with the blessing of bread and fish were
the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Mark 6:30-44, 8:1-9; Matthew 14.13-21,
Matthew 15.32-39; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14). A meal that featured fish and
bread was common around the Sea of Galilee and in Jerusalem
The real heart of the story,
however, is not the meal but the quality of the appearance or vision. Jesus
appeared as a living, solid form. The Holy and Divine could be found in the
tangible. Holiness was not only a matter of ecstasy, touching the transcendent,
while leaving the world behind. God reached his people through his creation,
not in spite of it. This insight became the foundation of the Church's
self-awareness as the Body of Christ. It also grounded worship in the Church as
sacramental. The believer encounters the Risen Christ through the bodily
senses. His followers saw, touched, and heard the Risen One. We see, hear, and
touch Christ today through the sacraments, through shared witness and service
to others.
The Eucharist is a summary
of Jesus' life, a call to lay down one's life for others. The breaking of bread
is also a powerful sign of unity. When we break bread, it is a means of sharing
in the body of Christ. Paul says, "Because there is one bread ... we who
are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (I Corinthians
10:16-17).
It is not only that the
person sharing the cup and the broken bread establishes a union with Christ: A
further union is established through the "partaking" of the same loaf
-- the union between all the members of the celebrating community. The unity
expressed here is not just a matter of human conviviality; it is a gift given
in the breaking of bread, a sharing in the body of Christ. The Eucharist makes
the members of the body celebrate their oneness, a oneness experienced on three
levels: one in Christ, one with each other, and one in service to the world.
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